The Shoes You Wear

You never know who you're going to meet in the hospital. You can have new patients to work with every day. The hospital is full of variety in people; people of different cultures, people with medical histories, people with severe injuries, people with life-long illnesses, people on hospice, people with altered mental statuses, people with addictions, people with family, people who are scared, and people who are in need. Walking through those doors, I don't know who I am going to meet and who I am going to take care of today.

The first thing I learned about patients is that you need to put yourself in their shoes. Nursing is not about a job, getting the tasks done for the day, or passing meds. It's about the patient and caring for their condition in all aspects. If they feel pain, you feel their pain. If they are upset, you feel for them. As you wear their shoes, you become the eyes, ears, and voice for the patient.

God tells us in the bible that we must strive to be like Christ. We often come to the question, "What would Jesus do?" in any situation. If Jesus were in my shoes, what would he do? The same aspect applies to nursing; If I were in the shoes of my patient, what would I do? and also... What would Jesus do to help my patient?

It's important when you get to a patient's room that you apply your values and expect the unexpected. Again, you never know who you are going to meet. Have patience with patients. If you are patient with a patient, most likely they will be patient with you.

So when I get to that patient's room, I put on their shoes, so I can be the eyes, ears, and voice for them........