|
|
GI Nursing:
Does it Make Your Ears Wiggle? Do you recall
why you became a GI nurse? Take a moment to recall why you entered
your profession. Was it a respected colleague or friend who was
a GI nurse, an opportunity for advancement off the floor or out
of the ER, an interesting patient who needed endoscopy? Can you
recall how excited you were your first week in Endoscopy, "exploring
strange new worlds"? I became a Gastroenterologist
after an occurrence as an intern. I participated (as the Endoscopy
nurse, no less) in a post-midnight endoscopy on a variceal bleeder.
After sitting at bedside applying a useless ice-water lavage, I
was fascinated (and still am) by the ease with which the GI fellow
stopped the life threatening bleed with endoscopy. The beauty of
the images as seen through the "teaching head" was stunning. On my return
home, I rushed to telephone my parents about what I had decided
to become when I grew up. My mother, to say the least, was perplexed.
However, as mothers are, she was supportive. Her response to a daughter
who would wish to do such a weird, distasteful, unusual thing as
endoscopy was "Honey, so long as it makes your ears wiggle..." Well, it's been
over a decade since then, and my ears still wiggle when I get a
great case, or an interesting patient. However, it seems as if there
are a great many things conspiring against the vibrations of my
ears...long hours, heavy patient loads, malpractice concerns. GI Nursing is
beset by similar woes. A wide range of issues of GI nurses serves
to tamponade the pulsation of your ears. These problems include:
All of this
is piled up on top of the 21st century stressor of insufficient
time to care for oneself! What is the
answer? Well, don't just chuck it and head for the hills after that
daunting list. We need to reconnect with those parts of our profession
that thrilled us and discard the parts that don't. We need to demand
appropriate compensation for our work, via unionization if necessary.
We need to seek protection from occupational hazards, and request
such protective devices as appropriate. We should support the use
of certified endoscopy nurses as nurse endoscopists, rather than
under-qualified primary care physicians, nurse practitioners or
physicians' assistants. We must insist that the endoscopy suite
become a civil workplace. Most importantly,
we must continue our efforts through our professional affiliation
and credentialing to be recognized as certified experts in our field,
a rare and talented group. Let's get those ears wiggling again. Virginia Beach
gastroenterologist, Patricia L. Raymond M.D. FACG is an author and
consultant, who speaks to nurses and physicians through hospital
systems and medical conventions. With her company Rx For Sanity™,
she humorously leads physicians and nurses to rediscover their joy
in medicine and to learn to first “Turn Care Inward”.
Her book, “Don’t Jettison Medicine: Resuscitate Your Passion
For The Career You Loved!” is available now. Visit www.RxForSanity.com
soon for complimentary information and links to better care for
yourself and for your staff, and to subscribe to our FREE monthly
newsletter, Rx For Sanity™ eNews, with medical humor and simple tips
to enhance your life in Medicine.
|
 |
About Dr. Raymond • Speaking Topics • Articles • The Sanity Store • Sensational Free Stuff Subscribe to Passionate Health Care Newsletter Subscribe to Your Health Choice Newsletter Patricia L. Raymond, MD FACP FACG 757-547-0368 • 757-547-7727(Fax) • PLRaymond at RxForSanity.com All Rights Reserved. © 2007 Patricia L. Raymond |
 |