I am a nurse…

A little backstory: I am a nurse. I have been a nurse for 16 years. I have worked in nursing homes, emergency rooms and critical care units. I love being a nurse. It is why I am on this planet: to take care of others.

I have NEVER refused to take care of a patient. NEVER. The thought of that just blows my mind. I am a nurse. I am there to take care of patients. To me, it is a no brainer.

Lately, I have seen where people have said “I would not take care of someone with Ebola” or “I would quit my job if I found out an Ebola patient was in my hospital”. This goes against everything a nurse is. I have taken care of patients with everything from the flu to AIDS. I understand the fear.I understand the misinformation being spread. I get it. But, I would NEVER refuse to take care of a patient. I never have and I never will. I have taken care of Neo Nazis that made my skin crawl. I have taken care of people that have been shot by police after murdering someone. People need to know someone cares and sometimes you are that person.

Nurses are in a unique position. People take their cues from us. If we start refusing to take care of patients, soon there will be no one there to hold a patient’s hand while they are terrified they are going to die. And that would be a crime.