Growing up, I already knew that I would pursue nursing as a career. My grandmother was a nurse, which is partly why I chose to follow that path. I also loved caring for people, and I knew that nursing was my life calling. I started working as a nurse in the early 80s when nursing was simple, and the nurse-patients ratio was not as crazy as it is today. After 40 successful years in my career, I finally downed my tools and called it a day. I can’t really say that I longed for the day I would retire because I totally loved what I did. But, after 40 long years, the long hours, night shifts, and the heartbreaks of losing patients, my retirement was a welcome move. Now I’m enjoying my golden years taking care of my grandchildren, traveling, and volunteering once in a while in my community. Nevertheless, looking back at my years as a nurse, I’m nostalgic about so many things.
Making a difference
Nursing is a career that is so rewarding. I remember the pride I felt every time I gave a reassuring word to my patients that they would get better. The smile on their faces and those of the family members reminded me of the importance of impacting peoples’ lives positively. Of course, it was not always that patients were lucky to go home back to their families. When tragedy hit, I count it as a blessing that I was there to hold the hands of the patient’s loved ones and offer them emotional support. To this day, the thought that I made a difference in many peoples’ lives gives me inner peace.
Learning new things
The medical field evolves at quite a rapid pace. I witnessed so many changes from uniforms to innovations and new technologies. The most notable change I remember is the emergence of remote patient monitoring technology. Back in the day, patients needed to be hospitalized for a long time. The agony of coming in for appointments was too much, especially for elderly patients with mobility issues. Then came the technology where patients received care from wherever they were. The ability to age in place for these patients was just amazing. I miss how these changes used to keep me on my toes. I loved the challenges and the fact that I never stopped learning until a few years to my retirement.
Mentoring young nurses
This is something I still do for young nurses in my community. But, I will never forget the scared faces of young nurses the day they stepped into a hospital. The first time they lost a patient who they had made a connection with and how the crazy shifts took a toll on them. I’m glad that I was there to give them guidance and the mentorship they needed. The fact that I helped mold nurses who became excellent at their work is something that I look back on with pride.
Life lessons from the elderly
I worked with the elderly a few years into my nursing career. Those were the times when taking care of older people was real work. We had to lift them physically from their beds to their chairs and vice versa. The work was backbreaking, but the experience was out of this world. I learned so many life lessons at a young age from my patients. Lessons that I can say shaped my general outlook in life. The experience also grounded my love for older people. Even right before my retirement, I still loved to sit at their bed and just listen to their wisdom.
The meaningful connections
I still say that I met the most amazing people in my life in the line of my nursing career. I made meaningful connections with my colleagues. I loved the teamwork. Even during crazy shifts, I could feel the support of the team for each one of us. We excelled as a team in every department and hospital I worked with. How efficiently we managed to work even in challenging times is something I treasure and look back on nostalgically.
Conclusion
Giving my best years to a noble career that I totally enjoyed is something that I will never regret. I experienced the good and the bad, but they all worked together to make me the person that I am today. So, I miss it all: caring for patients, the teamwork, special moments with patients, the life lessons, mentoring young nurses, and so much more.
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