Losing the fight

It felt like we should have saved him. Most of our patients that come in full cardiac arrest look like they’ve had it coming for a while. Either they are elderly, obese, or have the signs of a hard life or long term illness all over them. But not this guy. He was young as

When there isn’t enough (a Nurse’s burden)

Every ER staff knows that the most dramatic and attention grabbing person in the waiting room is seldom the sickest. It's the polite man at the back of the line quietly waiting his turn that will turn out to be having a massive heart attack. So this feeling follows us around that try as you

Through a Glass Darkly

Once upon a time I used to be certain. Man, certainty feels great. It feels firm and righteous. But then, unexpectedly, all these questions showed up and tackled me by the knees. They took me down hard and punched holes in all of my comfortable assurances. Questioning. It’s hard work questioning all of your core

The (nurse) eye roll

Nurses and other healthcare workers experience some of the most ridiculous aspects of the human beast.  Things that naturally provoke the single eyebrow arch and the “Are you kidding me?” stare.  Were we comedians and satirists, our flow of material would be steady.  But since we [generally] strive to at least project nonjudgmental concern, we have developed  a