Trauma nurse Stacy L. works in the emergency room of the local hospital in her town. The start of her career had nothing to do with nursing, but one day, she decided it was time for a change. "Many know that they wanted to be nurses when they grew up," notes Stacy. "You hear that a lot. We find it intriguing, exciting and we love to help people. The human body is fascinating."
Like so many, Stacy says that she watched all the medical shows on television when she was younger. She knew that she wanted to do that for a career someday, but did not think she would be able to. "I guess that I did not think that I was smart enough. I really didn't have confidence in myself."
Stacy chose to go to college for business. It didn't really grab her interest, but she did well in it. "One day, I thought that if I can do well in business, I could probably do just as well in nursing." She decided that she was going to just go for it. Stacy notes that she took a giant leap of faith and enrolled in the nursing program at college. "I was elated and my grades were excellent. I did not think that I could do it, but I did. You just have to have confidence in yourself."
"I knew right away that, once I graduated, I wanted to work in the emergency department as a trauma nurse. It was my dream. I craved the excitement and knew that I would be good at making decisions under stress. I thrived on it." Stacy graduated with honors and applied at a local hospital. "They did not have any positions that were available at the time, but I was promised that as soon as one opened up, I could work as a trauma nurse there." Stacy worked on a medical floor for about a year and enjoyed taking care of the patients. She gained experienced and was looking forward to becoming a trauma nurse in the emergency department.
After a year, she accepted a position in the emergency department as a trauma nurse and could not wait to start working. "I was on pins and needles the night before. My heart was racing. It was what I had wanted from the beginning and I was actually there."
The emergency room is filled with a variety of situations, such as drug overdoses, motor vehicle accidents, shootings and poisonings, among many others. "You never know who is going to walk in to those doors or what they will need from you. There is no planning, just quick decisions. When you are able to revive someone who has stopped breathing, you know that you have done well."
Photo Source: Flickr
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