Ever thought of being famous? Honestly. Come on…Don’t look away! Yes, you did! So did I.
8 years in the running and still I dream of being on stage in that Kodak Theatre singing my heart guts out. No, i don’t have that Kelly Clarkson voice, neither do I have Archuleta’s goodlooks (Can’t say David cause the last 2 finalists were Davids, and who else’s name is David too? *Hint*Hint*Points at self with little dignity). Yet, I think to myself rather spontaneously often, I can do it anyhow. Well to all the ‘I-think-I-can-do-it’ people, just hear out what I have to say/type.
American Idol is as such, hundreds if not thousands of people queue and wait for the chance to meet the awesome four, whom some query their abilities to perform. Idolatas claim that they were ‘born to do this’ and some seek ‘a change in their lives for a better future’. Who knows who or what they’ll become when they were born? No one, only God knows.
Somehow I feel, Nursing has become just like American Idol. Minus the fame, the glamor, the money, the popularity, the… Okay, it’s nothing like American Idol. I just needed a reason to tie this in to something ‘Nursing Worthy’. But wait up, don’t move on to Shefaly’s blog just yet (she’s gonna kill me). I will make sense, i think.
The current recession has shaken many people from different stratas and class. The rich became richer, the poor became poorer. The rich became poor, the poor became, poor-poor. And people scramble to find meets end. Job losses and pay cuts just ain’t the thing to be looking forward to these days. Hence, i purely understand the WDA’s movement in luring matured students and youngsters to take up healthcare positions. But then, it compromises one thing. Care.
‘I think I can do this’. ‘I was born to do this’. ‘It’s good money’. ‘I’ll have a secured job’. Job. I. Money. Got the drift?
Nursing is not a job, and it’s not about you. It’s a lifelong process. For the sake of our patients, the sick, and the future 80 year old me, please don’t join Nursing if you think it’s just a job. Don’t think you can do it, don’t say you were born to do this. And please don’t tell me it’s your passion. Passion, such a subjective word. If anyone knows anything about passion, it’s Abraham Lincoln who exorcised slavery. No one can be really passionate about something until he or she achieves something great. Florence Nightingale had passion, Mahatma Gandhi had passion, Jesus Christ had passion. I reckon you won’t equate yourself of such stature, no?
But be a nurse, a healthcare provider, if you know that you want to do it. And you’ll want to do it, because you would’ve done it anyway for the sake of doing it for the want and desire of doing it. Doing. Do. If you have that zest in your guts telling you that you’ll clean the patient in his diarrhea state, and you’ll dig deep into faeces to find out if a patient’s bleeding, knowing in all good will, that your life is your patients. I’ll let you nurse me when i’m 80. Pun intended.
I take back what I said about American Idol, it’s just like Nursing after all. It’s either you make it or break it (as Paula Abdul would say). Just do it if you know you’re not gonna break it.
Did I make sense? Or am I gonna lose my job as a blogger?
02/14/2009 at 12:32 am
this is a worthy entry.
i will let u nurse me when i’m 80.
02/14/2009 at 8:13 am
haha thanks! well i hope i’m still nurse-able when you are 80..
02/14/2009 at 10:29 pm
David, i get the point you’re driving at but i disagree with what you said.
“Don’t think you can do it, don’t say you were born to do this. And please don’t tell me it’s your passion.”
Indeed, the word “Passion”, is such a subjective word. That’s why a person can be passionate about something great he/she have yet to acheive (because he/she is going to do it with his/her passion).
Don’t pour cold water onto others. Why not influence them instead. Accepting nursing is already a first step, putting care into nursing will be the next.
Nursing is a job, but with care, it becomes a profession. You get what i mean? We should rally our forces, influence and motivate one another and bring nursing to a higher level of professionalism in Singapore.
02/15/2009 at 8:55 am
Kudos to you. A nurse (if you are one) with gusto and zeal. Eh, want a job in blog writing? =p
02/15/2009 at 10:47 am
You’re doing well David. Don’t be mistaken. I’m just here to share a different opinion. Hopefully, to raise a little awareness for your blog too. Cheers’
02/15/2009 at 6:13 pm
I love comments. Comments that challenge my opinion. Besides, no one knows how wrong or indulgent they can be until someone does an intramuscular dose of self-awareness! Thank you, erm, pokok oren (malay for orangetree), for your insightful and encouraging moments. Beats all the nonsensical regurgitation of mine. Haha.
02/16/2009 at 12:34 am
i reread orangetree’s agitation over again and quite agree with his/her point.
some nurses can come across as pretty high strung and defensive and even zealous about nursing as they deemed nursing to be a calling or a life mission so much that others who get into nursing as a backup choice often were guilt into thinking that they are not good nurses because they choose it as a regular career or for that paycheck and stability.
i think that you not liking your job doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t give your best.
i for one has chose nursing because i could not get into medicine, but that doesn’t mean that i won’t be giving my best. because passion aside, my dedication to my own standard of professionalism and integrity and commitment to lives; is well integrated in me and will bring forth to any career i enter.
both you guys are right. passion like david say is a key element to enhancing your delivery of care but passion sometimes just need to be nurture and encouraged.
02/16/2009 at 10:47 am
=) It’s not about who’s being right. It’s about striking a chord and making nurses voice out!
And I value all your inputs, really. Puts my views in perspective.
02/20/2009 at 10:41 am
i agree with kiat! maybe not a ‘passion’ for nursing per say but just a passion to give your best
u can nurse me when i’m 80
02/22/2009 at 1:09 am
David, that’s the reason why you’re here, to trigger different perspection from nurses. To raise awareness in nursing.
Nursing in this society is still not recognise. In the hospitals, in the clinics, even in military…
There’s more we can do then bloging. -hint- Perhaps, we can volunteer to setup a group to help raise awareness? SNA probably has others issues to tackle on. We can start on the ground in secondary school, hospital, etc.
02/22/2009 at 8:28 am
Hm, anyone to take up this challenge?
02/23/2009 at 12:01 pm
I supposed we oughta raise the awareness among fellow nurses first! If we don’t feel good of ourselves and take pride in what we do, who will? =)
03/05/2009 at 1:20 am
It’s extremely important to feel good of ourselves in whatever we do. Well at least with that we know we’re not fooling ourselves with tyrant routines and aimless repititions.
TTSH has this circular going around entitled ‘Nurses’ Pride’ or something. Haven’t really come to know it yet, but i hear it offers some really encouraging news of nurses and their fulfilling experiences nursing.
I guess it’s also very appalling to see nurses who carry themselves with so little dignity and are not aware of the ripple effect it causes to the morale entirety.
Oh well, humans. =p We’re never satisfied.
03/12/2009 at 3:13 pm
Its been interesting reading this thread and all the thots raised. Just wanted to add- all this blogging and discussion does a lot for nursing, maybe more than most people realise - raising qns about the profession-positive, negative, rhetorical, making people think- …something in addition to blogging?? drop me an email via the contact we can chat about this…
In the meantime..blog on, I really enjoy the conversations here..;)
03/14/2009 at 10:04 pm
Thanks Michelle.
Well, yea, it’s really important to bring up issues that can and should be addressed.
We’re here to listen.