The Patient That Changed My Career

Time for a medical post again! Sorry to those of you who follow me for the medical posts, I will do more once I’m back at my jobs again. I’m actually headed back to work soon and getting a short break from school (very excited!) and it’s got me thinking back to some special moments I’ve had with my patients. I realized that one patient in particular has affected the decision I made to choose my career of counseling instead of nursing, and I wish I knew where he was so I could tell him that. I remember it like it was yesterday. It had been a long day. I worked four hours at one of my jobs, had three hours off, then went to my other job and worked 16 hours there. Working twenty hours in a twenty four hour period is exhausting, and I was pretty slap happy by the end of it. I was on auto-pilot trying to make it through the shift, starting it off by ‘rounding’ on my patients and doing vitals, and I went in his room. He was a very fun patient, he has a dry sense of humor that I hadn't figured out yet, it completely baffled me. I went in and started his vitals, and asked him a question.

I ask every patient a certain question every shift, just trying to change it up, that day's question was "What are you watching?" I love hearing what everyone is doing, what happened during the day or if they had family come visit recently, and that day was no different. Conversation continued, and eventually I told him about a dream I have always had, but never pursued. He asked me why, and continued to inquire about it, and as we kept talking, he was very encouraging to me to pursue this dream. He helped me put it into perspective and think about some angles I had never realized. He kept apologizing for 'putting his nose in my business' but I so appreciated it. He helped me a lot, and helped restore some hopes that I had given up. He kept reminding me that we should pursue our dreams despite what anyone else thinks, and how important it was to be happy with my decision because it was something I wanted, not what anyone else had recommended or hoped for me.

This helped me so much when I changed from nursing to counseling, a lot of people in my life were, at best, tentative about my decision, but honestly, as soon as I found this career, I knew it fit me even better than nursing would have. It’s something that I feel like I was made to do, my calling in life. I know I will be a good counselor, and that is something I can’t wait to do for others. Did that patient know that by a simple five minute pep talk from him would change my career and my life? I doubt it. I will always be grateful for that five minute talk in room 7. I take care of the patients constantly, but often they do things that take care of my needs too. :)