Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1187856
November 18, 2019–January 13, 2020 "Our critical care team is like the hospital's own 911 service." Jorge Herrera, RN, BSN Intensive Care Unit MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. COMMUNITY HOSPITAL What do you particularly love about your specialty? I currently rotate through several critical care roles, including resuscitation RN. Our critical care team is like the hospital's own 911 service: When a patient takes a turn for the worse, we are there to help save the patient's life. It's a great feeling to be able to meet such a critical challenge and solve problems under intense pressure. Please share the funniest or most moving thing that's happened to you as a nurse (bearing HIPAA in mind). When I worked the night shift during my first year as a nurse, I had two patients on comfort care who both died during my shift. The first patient had family present, but I was alone in the room when the second patient died. As the first patient took his last breath, I felt the energy in his body leave this world. When the second patient passed, not only did I feel the energy leave his body, I also had a feeling that I connected with that energy as it left. I'll always remember this because it was a peaceful connection with death that not many people get to experience. The emotion I felt that night was real and deep. What has being a nurse taught you? How important adaptation is to success. Healthcare is always facing change and we have to continuously seek new knowledge and challenge ourselves in order to adapt to those changes. However, we must not lose focus on why we became nurses: to provide the best care to the people we serve. ADVISING THE NEXT GENERATION (CONT.) Don Fowble, Adventist Simi Valley } Between the readings, lec- tures, clinicals, dreaded med math and final exams, nursing school can be overwhelming, but it is doable. It might require just about all you have to reach the finish line, but if you put one foot in front of the other, work hard and ask for help, you'll get there. Embrace the challenge. You get out of it what you put into it! Christopher Ernst, Huntington Hospital } Pay attention to the RNs you admire and what you admire about them. Emulate that. Seek out mentorship and seek to men- tor others. Emotional intelligence is crucial to our work. Matt Woodard Emanuel, California Rehabilitation Institute } Always maintain compassion and empathy for your patients, your colleagues and most impor- tantly yourself. Invest in your career by seeking opportunities to be involved and make connec- tions. Work hard, but go easy on yourself and have fun. Asher Bolejack, Redlands Community Hospital } Jump in and learn as much as you can! The experiences you have in school help to shape your future clinical practice, and every patient encounter contributes to your professional growth.