© Nurse Saying Goodbye by William Doan
Why do we have to suffer when we choose a profession of caring, integrity and selflessness? As nurses, we do not work in a profession where we will get rich; instead, we often go unnoticed in our day-to-day work. But at the end of the day, it is we the nurses who often suffer as we spend countless hours with patients and their loved ones trying to relieve them of their ailments and, if nothing else, make them comfortable. We see patients at their worst, and we are always expected to be at our best. We get a few minutes of peace walking down the hallway to the next patient, if we are lucky, but even that is often interrupted by someone else needing something.
As we discuss in our academic article “Experiences from the Front Line: Stories of Nurses During COVID-19” (Intima, Spring 2022), nurses are burned out, tired and struggling to maintain a sense of well-being. A similar story is told in “The Boxer” (Intima, Spring 2022) by Aniqa Azim, who discusses advocating for but eventually losing a frail, elderly man suffering from liver failure. She recalls how he was once a strong, vibrant man, a boxer, and the impact this has had on her. She discusses how she runs to get away from the hospital, but we must ask: Why don’t the hospitals set up support systems to help healthcare providers get help? Why don’t they care enough to help us, to retain us, to help us stay well? Why?
© Nurse with mask rash #4 by William Doan
We are selfless in our care of our others; I only wish hospitals were selfless in their care of us, the frontline providers, who give all we have, often at the price of our own health and families, to care for strangers during their time of need. I’m afraid if someone doesn’t start caring for us, we won’t be there to care for others.
© Nurse with mask rash #5 by William Doan
Kalei Kowalchik is a second-year PhD student at Penn State University.