Rocky and The Precordial Thump

Today, at work, my fellow nurses and I were waking up to night shift's report and warm peppermint mocha flavored coffee, when all of a sudden the CODE alarms went off, signally all of us to run and assess a patient in distress.

When I arrived at the bedside of the patient in distress, I found Gary (I call him Rocky, it's his middle name and I think it is adorable) standing over the patient and yelling out, "it's okay, he is back- I thumped him." Now, being a lay person you might think- "you what ed him???" Yep, he "thumped" him, as in a precordial thump. This is a specific medical technique used in cardiac arrest patients to help relieve the patient of a lethal arrhythmia. Okay, so I have a point.

I watched as Gary (Rocky) calmly took charge and advocated for his patient. But more importantly, Gary acted quickly and saved this patients life. Now this got me thinking, too many times in nursing, nurses loose sight of the knowledge and experience that has made them who they are. Gary, a seasoned nurse, confidently took a chance (while another nurse secured a code cart, of coarse) wasting no time, and made a world of difference, for a patient and the patients family.

Now, I know that we all have our own specialties. Some of us deliver babies, some of us spend time in the Operating Room, some of us nurse the elderly, some handle the stress of the ER like a pro, and some of us help to heal the hearts of the terminally ill. What is important is, that we take pride in these specialties, abilities, and strengths. Don't ever let anyone put you down or make you feel inferior. You are a nurse. You believe in what you do and who you care for.

So, whenever you are filling down on yourself, why don't you go "thump" yourself. You might just need a real knock to your system to help you realize the value in what you do everyday. You take care of someones mother, father, husband, wife, son, daughter, friend.  That thump might wake you up and remind you what you are made of.

P.S. Way to go Rocky!