SEMI-RETIREMENT

I Didn't think I'd be sad.  I have complained about it for years now.  The stress levels have sent me into tears time and time again.  I have missed outings with friends and family because of it.  I often felt uncomfortable in many situations.  I have watched countless people pass on from this life.  I have dealt with crazy old people trying to get out of bed and fall.  I have seen the results of a lifetime's worth of bad lifestyle choices on one's body.  I have tried to comfort families after their loved one has passed away.  I have worked insane hour and holidays, because well....a hospital never closes.  I have seen more than I have ever wanted to see.  

It seems a little odd that I a taking a semi-retirement now that Nate is done with school.  I have been telling him for months that on his graduation day we are also celebrating my retirement!  It is time for me to just be a mom and a wife and work hard to keep everything running smoothly around the Watkins household.  It just hit me that I will not be caring for patients for quite a while...and who knows if it will ever happen again, and just wanted to share how much being a nurse the past 8 years really has meant to me.  

It's hard to believe I took my first CNA job 10 years ago, and my life in healthcare started.  I have taken care of many elderly people in those years and have learned life lessons from these people that I will never forget.  I think of my dear hospice patients I took care of years ago that I got so close to (and their families).  These people were dealing with anything from cancer of every kind to end stage kidney failure, from end stage lung disease to simply failing to thrive.  It makes me smile when I think of each and every person I had the privilege to get to know.  I am fairly certain not one of those people are on this earth today, but I look forward to getting to know them someday....when their illnesses have been lifted from them.

The past 6 years I have worked on Medical/Oncology floors.  I have seen the wicked toll cancer can have on the body.  I have stood in the room many times when my patient has gotten the worst news of their lives.  I have been there when the chemotherapy effects have made a person sicker than they ever thought possible.  I have taken care of many that have had to accept the fact that "There is nothing else we can do."  What really surprises me is how people deal with it.  Most people are so great and deal with this challenge in such a positive way.  Talk about seeing the glass half full.  

I have worked with many great, compassionate people that truly are exceptional at their jobs.  Not everyone can clean up bodily fluids on a daily basis and still smile when they get to work!  These people do not have a glamorous job, but they keep coming back because they love their patients.


This is my co-worker Ruth, she has been a great nurse and friend :)  Not to mention she was a patient for Nate on his boards, we will ever be indebted to her!

I am grateful that my graveyard shift days are coming to an end.  I am ready to be fully functional for my family in the mornings.  Zombie mom is soon to be no more!  It will be nice to have a daily routine again and not having to go to sleep at 8am one day and wake up at 8am the next day...gets a little old :)

With all this said, I am grateful for the knowledge I have received in my career.  I may have been working on a floor that wasn't my ideal the past 4 years (critically sick people are not my cup of tea), but I will always treasure the knowledge, the relationships formed with patients and co-workers, and that I was able to provide for my family when we needed it.  Will I miss it?  In some ways yes, and I hope one day I can dust my stethoscope off and use it in some shape or form.  Right now my kids need their momma, and Nate needs his wife around more.  I am excited to be around for anything they need at anytime.


So now, I say goodbye to Mount Carmel West Hospital and my friends there.  You've all been great and I will miss you dearly :)


When you're a nurse you know that every day you will touch a life or a life will touch yours.  ~Author Unknown (TRUE DAT!)