My wife is closing out her 30+ year nursing career
- Thread starter slo town
- Start date
Wise move on your part. NICU nurses are wildly possessive and fussy about their medical equipment.Great story and photos. Nursing is very difficult, especially NICU.
When I was a Biomed Tech repairing medical equipment, I made extra sure I triple checked all my work before returning equipment to service in L&D and NICU.
Nurses are the backbone of any hospital.
It's interesting how the various hospital units vary in personality. In particular, ER nurses are usually single and have fast paced, "unique" behaviors all their own. The ER is the place to work if you're single. This is why ERs usually have a high population of male nurses, single male nurses.
Scott
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I'm also a member of the club. Married for 47 years, my spouse worked as an RN (also a Navy nurse) and in healthcare upper management altogether for 43 years. Nursing is a vital yet increasingly unpopular occupation. Many in the younger generations have no interest in nursing. That's too bad. It was a great career for my wife and for the spouses of other forum members as witnessed here.
Sadly, a true statement. And I simply don't get it.
What's wrong with going to school, studying hard, working hard, and caring for those in desperate need? Nurses are paid well and they receive great benefits. An experienced nurse can get a job in any state or city on almost a moment's notice. My wife gets frequent phone calls from hospitals needing temporary help, usually 6 month contracts. And every single one of these jobs pays $7K to $8K - PER WEEK!
I am mystified why more people don't pursue nursing careers, men included. Without question it's hard work, but nursing has a genuine sense of purpose. Nursing is one of the very few occupations that earns instant respect and gratitude from total strangers.
Scott
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Why more don't pursue nursing is a good question. Excellent income and hard work aside, I don't think that you have addressed the emotional strain of nursing. It literally can suck the life out of you. They spend as much time entering records and addressing bureaucracy as they do performing care. Many patients don't appreciate them. Maybe because they are stressed themselves or maybe are just jerks. It takes a special mentality and passion to succeed in today's nursing world. I couldn't do it.
Add to that challenging career a marriage and family and whew, it exhausts me just thinking about. I'm sure that you contributed to your wife's success by being a good supportive spouse.
Finally, to add to my previous post, I cannot commend my younger daughter enough also. She does home nursing that has it's own unique challenges and does not offer the unifying comfort and camaraderie of coworkers. She has been hit by patients, threatened....... you name it.
Finally, kudos to my grand daughter that starts nursing school this fall!
Again, thanks for bringing up this timely subject. Many of our caregivers and responders need our respect and support to help them recover from the past two years. And, highest respect to both you and your wife.
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You bring up some very good points and I agree with every single one of them.
Sue was a nurse in the era of conditions such as HIV, delivering babies and sometimes being splattered with amniotic fluid, blood, and feces. Then we had Covid, where nurses went to work in hospitals packed with patients suffering from from an illness that no one understood. Would they contract these illnesses themselves and die? Without question there were fears but the thought of not showing up to work was never an option.
They call nurses "front line workers", "essential workers",etc. When there are new illnesses and pandemics that are not fully understood it's like they are being sent off to war. It's like their soldiers. They may die simply because they showed up for work and did their job. Nurses put themselves out there, sometimes right in the middle of situations ordinary citizens wouldn't dare to.
Scott
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Being in healthcare myself I'll tell you. It's not easy. It's a tough job. Working conditions vary from employer to employer.
There are more directions than ever for nurses to go, many opportunities.
Congrats. My aunt (dad's older sister by 10 years) helps deliver me in a C-section too.
Good for her, it's obvious you're very proud of her. NICU would be difficult imo. Hope you all enjoy retirement.
After getting his first BS at the University of CO, Denver, one of my boys decided to be a nurse and graduated with highest honors from the CU Anschutz nursing school and is now an RN at UC Health. He enjoys his career and is dedicated to helping others but yes, it's hard work and long hours. I'm very proud of him.
After getting his first BS at the University of CO, Denver, one of my boys decided to be a nurse and graduated with highest honors from the CU Anschutz nursing school and is now an RN at UC Health. He enjoys his career and is dedicated to helping others but yes, it's hard work and long hours. I'm very proud of him.
wwillson
Staff member
Thanks Scott - this is one of the best threads ever!
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2023
A great story, and great legacy.
Glad she will now be able to sit down and take a deep breath and rest before the next chapter of her life.
Glad she will now be able to sit down and take a deep breath and rest before the next chapter of her life.
I mentioned this to Sue this morning. She said "Wow, that's a really prestigious award. They award it to the best nurse in the entire hospital."
Be proud, doitmyself!
Scott
Owen Lucas
$100 Site Donor 2023
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We need more nurses like your wife, congratulations on her retirement, and I thank her for her service!
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Thanks and yes. It was one thing for my wife because our children are fully grown and have their own families. But the young nurses with young children. Those nurses had fears but they still showed up for work.
Scott
