April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
Three nurses describe faith
"When I was eight, I was a nurse for Halloween," said the parishioner of Our Lady of Fatima Church in Schenectady. "I always wanted to work with babies."
Mrs. DiCerbo has been an obstetrical nurse for 17 years at Bellevue Hospital in Niskayuna. She finds assisting women during labor to be a fulfilling career.
"It's very gratifying," she said. "It's wonderful. I wouldn't want to be anything else. If I won the lottery, I wouldn't quit my job."
Quality time
In addition to working with newborns, Mrs. DiCerbo said nursing gives her the opportunity to spend time with her own family. The mother of two is able to get her children off to school, go on their field trips, and be there for them at the end of the school day. "There's a lot of flexibility to make your own hours," she said.Bringing babies into the world is a joy for Mrs. DiCerbo, but it is also work. She works a 12-hour night shift. At times, the hospital can be quiet; at other times, there are many babies anxious to make their debut.
"Sometimes the phone doesn't stop ringing," she said. "We're juggling people. It can be comical."
Turn to God
Despite the levity, there are times when she must turn to her faith to help her get through difficult situations on the job. "My faith comes in when there's a negative outcome," she said. "I need it to help people when the outcome isn't good."Her goal is to be supportive of her patients and their families in their time of need. "If they want me to be there to hold their hand, I'll be there," she said.
In need
She also relies on her faith when she is interacting with women experiencing problems like repeated miscarriage, infertility or a stillbirth.Her faith came into play when she was giving birth. Although she had many years of labor and delivery experience, when the time came to have her own children, she was far from an expert.
"I was scared to death having my own kids," she said. "I forgot that I was a nurse. But after I had my children, I was tougher."
Another side
While Mrs. DiCerbo's days are filled with joy as she helps bring babies into the world, other nurses' shifts are filled with pain.Andrea Loren is a nurse with St. Peter's Medical Group Practice in Albany and also serves as a pediatric intensive care nurse at Albany Medical Center. She has placed children on ventilators and administered chemotherapy.
"It can be draining," she said.
She enjoys working with children and has found that they have much to teach adults. "With children, they can be sick as anything and they still want to play," she said. "They don't look at illness like an adult does. There is something about kids. Kids don't have the same issues. They are much more stoic."
Courage
The strength of her patients has impressed Mrs. Loren. "They can be very strong and here they're going to die," she said.Like Mrs. DiCerbo, Mrs. Loren said it's important for nurses to be present to families in need. "You're there to help them get through the hard time," she said.
Dealing with death on the job is challenging, she said. "My first patient that died hit me hard," she said. "I cried for two days. You get upset but you find a way to be there for the family."
Pediatric nurses often find they become a sick child's second family. As a child is in and out of the hospital for a serious illness, the nursing staff has the opportunity to get to know a child and the family. When these close relationships develop, nurses can be hit hard when a patient dies. "Some hit you more than others," Mrs. Loren said.
Staffing struggle
Working in health care can be challenging, Mrs. Loren said: "There are a lot of crazy days." Currently, many hospitals are understaffed, so nurses have very full shifts, she said."I've persuaded a lot of people not to go into nursing," said Mrs. Loren. "Since hospitals are short-staffed, there's a lot of stress. You'd be crazy to put yourself into a stressful job like this."
Despite the stress, Mrs. Loren said nursing is an attractive career for people who want to spend time with family.
"You can adjust your schedule," she said. "There's days, weekends or nights. You can adjust your work schedule to have a family."
Appreciation
Mrs. Loren finds nursing to be a gratifying career. "There's satisfaction," she said. "You know you've helped someone. A good day is when your patients or coworkers thank you."Mary Femia, president of the Albany Council of Catholic Nurses, agrees with Mrs. Loren that nursing is a stressful profession. A nurse since 1958, she has seen medicine change causing more stress for nurses.
Tough times
"It's a difficult time," she said. "Nurses are busier and patients are sicker. It used to be that people came in for tests, had surgery, and stayed a while. Now it's rush, rush. My husband had open-heart surgery and was out in four days."Despite the stress, Mrs. Femia said nursing is a rewarding profession. Her career has included serving as a surgical nurse and in post-coronary care, and she is currently an addiction specialist.
She listed some rewards of nursing: "When you see a very sick patient go home; or in addiction, when a patient comes back and says they have been sober for six years."
Spiritual side
Spirituality is important for nurses, Mrs. Femia said: "Nurses need to have a strong spiritual life and they need support from other nurses."As a student nurse at St. Peter's, Mrs. Femia began each shift with the "Nurse's Prayer." She encourages nurses to begin their shifts with prayer.
"You need to constantly work on your prayer life," she said. "Nurses need to pray before they go on duty."
Helping hand
The Albany Council of Catholic Nurses can assist nurses seeking to strengthen their spiritual life and find support from other nurses. Each year, the organization has two liturgies, a spring luncheon with a motivational speaker and a Christmas party. Currently, there are 100 members.Mrs. Femia is enthusiastic about her chosen profession, despite the changes she has witnessed. "I'd encourage people to become nurses," she stated.
(For information on the Albany Council of Catholic Nurses, call 489-0980.)
(12-07-00) [[In-content Ad]]
Comments:
You must login to comment.