A Nursing Thing

Today I went to the ER to see a patient who was going to come to our psych unit. After my interview with her, I went behind the counter to talk with the patient's nurse. After quickly addressing the situation at hand, she and I then launched into other topics. Time is of the essence in a random nurse to nurse conversation, because we never know when a bell will ring or a demand must be met, so the conversation speedily moved along. One thing she talked about was her time as a travel nurse in North Dakota, the way the hospital did some procedures but mostly about the hard working people and their huge ranches. She said that there really is more oil in ND than in all of Kuwait. I found it interesting, and as I walked back toward my building, I realized how much richer my own life has been because of my contact with other nurses, the sharing of personal stories, and the sharing of knowledge. Whatever is said and shared, it s a cool part of the culture of nursing. Kind of like a band of sisters.