Wit, the Play
In the play “Wit” by Margaret Edson, the nurse Susie Monahan deals with a number of issues pertaining to nursing. The purpose of this paper is to discuss three of these issues. Nursing image, Nurse and doctor relationships, and the therapeutic relationship between nurse and patient.
We first meet Susie Monahan the primary nurse of Vivian Bearing the main character who is diagnosed with Stage IV cancer on page 16 of the play. She is fully involved in her patient’s care as well as helping her prepare for her examination and interview(Edson, 1999, pp. 20-21). She is portrayed as an assistant as well as coworkers with doctor Jason during the interview process. Susie is portrayed as nurturing to her patient when Vivian comes into the hospital with vomiting and neutropenia inquiring with her about how she felt, and how she arrived in the same questions discovering that no one at home was available for Vivian. Susie actually stated that she was happy that she was tour that night so that she was able to care for Vivian directly “ I’m glad I was here on nights.” (Edson, 1999, p. 44). She is often found providing her patient with things to comfort her like; Jell-O, juice and what I thought to be most interesting was the Popsicle, which we will discuss later. To me she is portrayed at first as the nurse that is quite in voice however, does what needs to be done for the sake of the patient. Slowly we begin to see a different side of Susie. She sees that her patient is suffering “Its too much for her like this” (Edson, 1999, p. 45), and that lowering the dose is the rational thing to do. She at this instance is showing that she is an advocate for the patent, this occurs in greater example at the end of the book during the Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) scene where she is yelling with out letting up at the Code team that her patient is a DNR. “(Running to each person yelling) STOP! Patient is DNR! (Edson, 1999, p. 83)
This speaks to the relationship that she has with her patient
We first meet Susie Monahan the primary nurse of Vivian Bearing the main character who is diagnosed with Stage IV cancer on page 16 of the play. She is fully involved in her patient’s care as well as helping her prepare for her examination and interview(Edson, 1999, pp. 20-21). She is portrayed as an assistant as well as coworkers with doctor Jason during the interview process. Susie is portrayed as nurturing to her patient when Vivian comes into the hospital with vomiting and neutropenia inquiring with her about how she felt, and how she arrived in the same questions discovering that no one at home was available for Vivian. Susie actually stated that she was happy that she was tour that night so that she was able to care for Vivian directly “ I’m glad I was here on nights.” (Edson, 1999, p. 44). She is often found providing her patient with things to comfort her like; Jell-O, juice and what I thought to be most interesting was the Popsicle, which we will discuss later. To me she is portrayed at first as the nurse that is quite in voice however, does what needs to be done for the sake of the patient. Slowly we begin to see a different side of Susie. She sees that her patient is suffering “Its too much for her like this” (Edson, 1999, p. 45), and that lowering the dose is the rational thing to do. She at this instance is showing that she is an advocate for the patent, this occurs in greater example at the end of the book during the Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) scene where she is yelling with out letting up at the Code team that her patient is a DNR. “(Running to each person yelling) STOP! Patient is DNR! (Edson, 1999, p. 83)
This speaks to the relationship that she has with her patient
Bibliography: Edson, M. (1999). Wit. new york, ny: Faber and Faber,inc. Theraputic Communication. (2011, January 12). Retrieved May 03, 2011, from Psychiatric Nursing: http://www.nursingplanet.com/pn/therapeutic_communication.html