YOUNG VOICE
White blazers and stethoscopes
I know that nurses can make a difference in the lives of patients. But if I can find a cure and extend a patient’s life, that difference can become concrete.
JANUARY 6, 1997. My six-year-old self could not decide if it was an early birthday present or a late Christmas gift when my parents handed me over a package. Judging by its looks, it might be either another encyclopedia from a door-to-door salesman or a Goodwill Jumbo coloring book. My tiny fingers got excited when I started to flip through the glossy and colored pages of my newest book, Richard Walker’s The Children’s Atlas of the Human Body. But what caught me most are not the actual-sized pictures of bones and muscles but the what was written on the flyleaf.
Jan, 06, 1997
To: Dra. Maria Reylan M. Garcia
Be a great doctor and do have fun!
Enjoy reading this book and learn.
We love you.
Love,
Tatay and Nanay
That day, I was not only excited but I realized that even a pigtailed first grader is allowed to dream. That day, I had a hazy vision, that somewhere in the future I will become a great doctor.
I thought doctors looked cool. They wear those white blazers and hang stethoscopes around their necks while making rounds in hospitals. They have shiny cars with reserved parking spaces. They even sound smarter than everyone. I wanted to look cool and to sound smart. So, I dreamed of becoming a great doctor someday. Now, I laugh at how shallow my reasons were.
They said take up either Med-Tech or Bio as pre-Med courses in college. A part of me wanted to, but the little green devil named Benjamin and luring cold snow got me to ride on the bandwagon. Don’t get me wrong. I will always love Nursing. I have not regretted a tiny bit of my decision. I will bear proudly the R.N. title if granted come July 2011. If I could, I would even change my name to Florence Nightingale. However, being exposed to the hospital set-up almost every day for my RLE hours, I couldn’t ignore the unintentional exposure to a doctor’s routine and how a doctor really is.
Doctors don’t get to sleep a lot and they have chances of completely forgetting about hygiene. Even with their white blazers and stethoscopes, they still look like they haven’t showered for days. Doctors have unpredictable mood swings. They can be darted with backbites from other members of the health team especially if they make their lives a living hell with a mountain of orders. Doctors can stutter and can be anxious. Some are down-to-earth while others brand themselves as untouchable. Sometimes, there’s a reason why medical dramas are called dramas. The real deal is far different.
But seeing all these, I still wanted to become a doctor. I guess my reasons are far beyond wearing a white blazer and hanging a stethoscope around my neck.
As a nurse, I have a lot of responsibilities to my patient. I care for them. I deal with their responses to their illness. It’s a gratifying experience hearing your patient thanking you after offer him a tepid sponge bath to lower his fever. It’s a rewarding moment feeling a firm grip of thanks and a warm smile from your patient after you assisted her eating her meal. But I can only do so much. I sometimes feel frustrated after knowing the next day he still has fever due to a persisting infection and she still couldn’t carry her spoon to her mouth because of paralysis. I can only do so much until the doctor gives another order. I value a nurse’s care. But I also wanted to give a doctor’s cure.
I am thankful that I have passed through the training that is Nursing. Cure can never be complete without care. They go hand in hand. I know that nurses can make a difference in the lives of patients. But if I can find a cure and extend a patient’s life, that difference can become concrete.
I wanted to become a doctor and I will become one but I will still be a nurse at heart.
Last Sunday, I took the NMAT (National Medical Admission Test) and I pray that I get a good rating so I can pursue Medicine next year.
My six-year-old self paid me a visit. She said; screw the blazers and the stethoscopes. You don’t need to be cool. You just need to be a great doctor. I hope I would not fail her.
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