Looking Back
Can I tell you about a twenty-four year period in my life? This was a time of pride, frustration, and at times pure fear. I worked in a quaint 105 bed hospital called Villa View Community Hospital. It served the poor and uninsured in southeast San Diego. When I went to work there, it was run by a man who had worked his way up the ranks before becoming administrator. He managed to know all of the staff even those of us who worked nights and could call us by name. We were a family that worked for a common cause under some to the hardest obstacles imaginable. Short staff, threats of closing, lack of funds and supplies were common occurrances. Through all of this, we strived for and achieved good nursing care to our charges.
As I said we were in a poor area so we had gang problems. If the gangs brought in someone the nurse had to referee between the two parties at risk to themselves. The psychiatric unit had a therapy cat; Max, that was a beautiful black creature with penetrating green eyes which shined with wisdom. He became the victim of a gang fight. He was killed because one gang member did not survive.
I worked with the most amazing people you can ever meet. One such nurse was a Goldie Hawn lookalike. Linda’s zeal, energy, and knowledge left us in awe. Then there was Laura. She was a walking book of knowledge guiding us through the maze psychiatric legalize. Some nurses act as if they can run the units all by themselves. This is not true. For many years I had the two most accomplished nursing assistants a nurse could hope for. There was often just the three of us on nights, but we managed to complete the work night after night. Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be a male in the female dominated field? Well it takes a very special person. I had just such a person.
Hugh arrived on the floor the first day looking more like a GQ model than a nurse. He soon put to rest any doubts we had about his ability to give good nursing care. This ex navy corpsman now civilian LPN was highly skill and very compassionate. He often was able to defuse an agitated patient just by talking with them. But when needed, he was there to provide the muscle power we needed in a physical take down.These are only a few of the great nurses that I tip my hat to. Later I will take you on a wild ride of some of the not to admirable ones!
September 12th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Thank you for praising those people who make a difference!
Valorie
October 6th, 2008 at 10:42 am
The blessing about small hospitals is that there is less competition about keeping or getting a higher position and more sharing of knowlege and experience. What an awesome feeling to work with a “team” that helps and promotes each other for the betterment of the patient and not staff splitting or worse yet, shift splitting for one’s own recognition. Night shift rarely gets the recognition of how straight they keep us. Between the auditing and research of past labs,meds, Dx and Hx, consents and orders, night shift keeps the continuity of care safe. You were my beacon of light. We all make a difference.