Have you ever tried to do something nice for someone and then have it reach up and slap you in the face? Well, that happened to me this week. I received a very negative and yes, hurtful comment about my article ‘Balancing Act’. This is what the reader had to say.
“I am poe and you bare just one of many BS’s taking advantage desperate students with your bso calle free advice. It is true you bget what you pay for, the advice you charge nothing for, amounted to nothing as far as helping me. i will nnot forget where I came from and pray that i will do a better job of helping those who are following me in this wonderful profession with some not so wonderful people.”
Yikes! I read the comment, my feeling were hurt (it’s not easy being told you’re part of the ‘not so wonderful people’ in the world) but, then I moved on. I believe in freedom of speech and the right to our own feelings but I must admit – that comment really took me by surprise. Granted, the article contains no miraculous recipe for changing a nursing student’s life (sorry, I have none) but didn’t think I was letting down the entire profession of nursing as I posted it.
Anyway, the entire incident sparked an idea for this blog. We will all be disappointed at some point in our careers and life for that matter. The best we can do is take the experience, learn from it and move on.
In my attempt to move on I reminded myself; typically, people entering the career of nursing do so because they want to help people. At least those are the kind of nurses I want helping me.
As the person commenting on my attempt at helping noted – “i will do a better job…”. I truly hope he or she does. Having the aspiration to do better is the very reason the field of nursing has grown from simply being a handmaiden for the doctor to an autonomous, respected professional career.
Because we work with living, feeling, self-ruling people with opinions and individual life experiences we sometimes find ourselves in a situation where we think we are doing a good deed then we get told otherwise. A day will come, unfortunately, when you have worked hard, stood on your feet for hours, not taken a bathroom break in who knows how long, tugged, pulled, been on your knees, cleaned and cleaned again, documented, given shots, crushed pills and kept a smile on your face the entire time AND then it is rewarded with an inconsiderate or rude comment. It happens; it hurts but should not cloud our purpose.
I once had a professor that used this saying: “You can please all the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time but never all the people all of the time.” The quote remains true.
The best we can offer the people we serve is simply ‘our best’. It will be welcomed with open arms on some occasions but at times will go seemingly unnoticed and unappreciated. That’s okay. Remember, we are not in this profession for the glory or praise. We are in this because we care and caring is what we do best. People go through hardships and pain that we do not always see or understand – remember that as you care for others. And do not let a broken spirit break your desire to be the best you can be.
“In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.” Flora Edwards
“Were there none who were discontented with what they have, the world would never reach anything better.” Florence Nightingale
Have a Great Day and remember to always keep your chin up!
