JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – “You have to have a heart for this,” Assistant Nurse Manager Terri Nika Waters said.
National Nurses Week is one time of the year when nurses across the country are recognized for their hard work, and News4JAX Reporter Erik Avainer wanted to take the time to acknowledge the nurses at Baptist Health who took care of him while he was in for the fight of his life.
He returned to the hospital for the first time in months since he last saw the nurses while he was battling a life-threatening medical condition earlier this year.
He wanted to thank them for their service and talked about their passion for health care.
“Being a nurse is fulfilling to me because I can literally see a patient come in sick, helpless, and hopeless sometimes and be the one to help them do better,” Shae Gregory said.
“You have to have a love for this. And you have to know that our hands, the words we speak to our patients are life or death,” Waters said.
It can be bittersweet for nurses to separate from their patients after they have recovered and are released.
“They become family after a day or two, you’re attached to that person,” Nurse Assistant Michelle Shirley said.
Inside Weaver Tower on the 3rd floor, there is a certain culture that exists — a culture that has the nurses seeing themselves not as coworkers but as family.
“I have so much admiration for this team because we started this unit. It was newly opened two years ago and to see us build a team and establish a family, work very hard day in and day out for our patients so they have safe patient outcomes and better lives,” Nurse Manager Patrice McCloud said.
Erik visited the room that became his home away from home while undergoing treatment for his medical condition. He said he has many memories but one sticks out in particular.
During his third night in the hospital, Nurse Nicole Cobb was monitoring his heart rate from the nurse’s station and rushed into his room after noticing that it was going haywire.
“It felt like my heart was ready to explode out of my chest. I sent my wife a text and said I love her but I don’t think I’m going to make it,” Erik said.
But Cobb had something else in mind, saying, “Not on my watch.”
Cobb sprang into action and helped to prevent an already bad situation from advancing.
“I think you must have heart. I care each time I come in. I treat all my patients as if they were my family,” Cobb said. “So, you can be my brother, my sister, or my mother. I’m big on family so each patient that comes in may be alone, but if I can make them feel like they have someone with them, then I know I’ve done my job.”
“You have to be mindful of taking on this type of responsibility because it is a responsibility, and it is not to be taken lightly,” Waters said.
The nurses at Baptist are like so many other nurses at other hospitals who are working 12-hour shifts, constantly on their feet, going from room to room to check on patients or handle emergencies.
Their jobs are mentally and can be physically demanding. And many of them are quick to admit that they often spend more time tending to their patients than at home with their families.
All they ask in return is for appreciation.
“Please appreciate us because a lot is going on behind the scenes that a lot of our patients don’t even see. We are advocates for you guys and we want to make sure you do well afterward and do not return to the hospital and live a fulfilled life,” Nurse Shae Gregory said.
So, thank a nurse today. That small gesture of kindness and appreciation will go a long way.