Social media at large is certainly not a medical forum, but its users sure like to pretend it is. In the past couple of years, there have been… situations , one might say, that have increased the amount of medical discourse that happens among non-medical professionals both on social media and in the world at large. It makes sense of course: when people are faced with a crisis that is unprecedented in their lifetime, they tend to seek answers instead of wallowing in helplessness. Unfortunately,…

Nursing is not for sissies

Going to the doctor can be incredibly un-fun. You have to get poked and prodded by a total stranger, all while divulging way too specific details about your life. No thank you. When I was a kid, I hated going to the doctor and got so worked up that I threw up on my pediatrician every time I went. I wasn't even going to the doctor for nausea related reasons, my doctor just had such bad vibes, I had to throw up in his direction. Sure, going to the doctor sucks, but is it more fun to be the doctor…

Most jobs have pretty simple schedules. You go in during the morning, leave at night, sleep, and come back the next morning. Nursing is not " most jobs ." When you're a nurse, you could be working the night shift one day and working a day shift the very next day. It really does a number on your circadian rhythm. Once you get a big girl job, you'd think you'd have a more consistent schedule, going in the same time every week and getting used to the consistent yet grueling hours you need to work.…

Does the thought of going under and having a surgeon try to fix your body terrify you? Well, you may be onto something. Apparently surgeons still do all the same, terrifying things they did 2,000 years ago.

Being a nurse is not for the weak of heart. There's nothing more difficult than dealing with the public, especially if the public is feeling sick and angry. It's even worse when they're taking out their frustration on you, an innocent party who has not caused their present suffering. It gets to another level when you're simultaneously trying to deal with a distressed person's emotional needs while administering treatment for them. That's not to mention that you have tens of unique patients that…

Nobody wants to have a medical emergency , yet sometimes we get shamed or scolded when we do. It's common for people, especially women, to be accused of faking or exaggerating symptoms. Why? Who knows. Usually, the accusation goes that a woman in severe pain is trying to get drugs, attention, or both. It is incredibly dehumanizing to those suffering from excruciating ailments to be dismissed or told that they're making it all up. This kind of dismissal doesn't only happen within the confines of…

There are some jobs you need a sense of humor to be able to do; otherwise, there would be no way you could get through every day and still keep your sanity. Nursing is one of those professions . Nurses must deal with the public in ways many service workers never have to. Nurses have to control scared and angry people who don't want to be where they are and administer healthcare to those people. I literally could never. I learned that nursing was no joke when my friend who works as a psychiatric…

Drugstore woes

Medical school sounds good in concept. Whose parents don't want them to have a prestigious career? Being a doctor is a surefire way to make any mom or dad proud of you for the foreseeable future, not to mention all of the other benefits of this field. You don't have to get an actual job until you're 30, you will leave without your sanity, and you will have thousands of dollars in student loan debt! What could go wrong? In actuality, medical school is a huge commitment and a very difficult one t…

Most jobs have pretty simple schedules. You go in during the morning, leave at night, sleep, and come back the next morning. Nursing is not “most jobs.” When you're a nurse, you could be working the night shift one day, and working a day shift another day. It really does a number on your circadian rhythm. Once you get a big girl job, you'd think you'd have a more consistent schedule, going in the same time every week and getting used to the admittedly strange hours you need to work. If you're a…

Nurses are one of the most undervalued professions. Any position that got an outpour of support for a couple of months in 2020 and then quickly got thrown under the bus deserves our utmost respect. Sure, nurses got claps on the streets of New York during the height of the pandemic, but they deal with so much daily they deserve claps yesterday, today, and for the foreseeable future. If there's one thing that nurses have, it's a sense of humor about all of the absurd situations thrown their way d…

It's been a pretty rough couple of years for people who work in healthcare . And even that is an understatement. Thousands of people are still dying from Covid-19 every day, and we don't hear anyone cheering for healthcare workers at 7pm. Gone is the banging on pots and pans. Gone are the discounts for much-needed lunches. It's as though people have forgotten the heroes who help people who need it every day - and not just during a pandemic. Before and after our current crisis, we know that tire…

We are not worthy

Literally lived in her head rent free

Dear God