Nurse Mooselet
Once again I find myself apologizing for my lack of posting. I'm just... grumpy. And since I'm grumpy over one of the few things I self-censor on this blog, I can't even tell you and vent about it. I guess you'll just have to take my word for it. Never fear, I'll get over it and find my happy place again - I'm nothing if not optimistic.
Last week I went into Her Majesty's Prep class (US folks, think kindergarten) to talk about what nurses do. I was quite nervous about it. I have no problems watching surgery and seeing the abdominal cavity splayed open in front of me, but put me in front of 25 4-6 year olds and I get butterflies.
I spoke simply about what nurses do - we keep you healthy and take care of you when you're sick - and the tools we use to do our job. Her Majesty's teacher took some pictures and was good enough to pop them onto my memory stick for me to share with you. I was wearing one of my more colourful sets of US scrubs - nurses in Australia do not regularly wear this sort of gear - and I brought in all my scrub tops and jackets for the kids to keep this term as they set up a doctor's office in their classroom.
My rapt audience.
One of the kids told me their daddy had one of these, but much bigger! And yes, a tape measure is very handy to have as a nurse.
I have no idea what I was explaining here. I look earnest, though.
One of the nurse's most important pieces of equipment - the stethoscope. Or as one of the kids told me, a "telescope". Close enough. This is my original stethoscope, over 10 years old, and I still use it.
Listening to someone's belly. This is not Her Majesty - I thought I'd give some of the other kids a chance to do something Her Majesty can do all the time.I am passionate about nursing and I hope that, despite my nervousness, I was able to plant a seed in just one little head about becoming a nurse. It would all be worth it if that were the case.
12 Witty Remarks:
You look very professional and nurse-like. :-)
My daughter the nurse - and lecturer. I am so proud.
You just look at each kid as though he/she were one of yours and you were explaining your job.
Be thankful you're not having to do the "birds/bees" talk in answer to the "Mommy, where did I come from" question.
Ooh! You've got pretty pretty princesses all over your shirt! How cool is that!
Well done, Moose! So, shall I sign you up for Careers Day at high school?!
Jen - Thanks! I do wish nurses here wore scrubs like this. Will have to post a picture when I get my new outfit and see what you think.
MM - You have no idea how much that means to me. Seriously.
Shepster - Because I don't have 4 kids of my own to give that lecture to. :-)
Dave - Her Majesty helped me choose which scrubs to wear that day. And I never even worked pediatrics - just liked the top.
Mumfies - I'd rather talk to high school kids... honestly. Do they still have Careers Day at the high schools?
My target audience is usually 18 - 20, so I'm not sure how I'd deal with 5 year olds either. Kudos!
Goodonya! I used to sucker both my parents (both nurses!) into doing Career Day in high school. I think they were happy to do it, though. Nursing is not a job - it's a vocation. Hope you inspire more just like you! xx
You look very professional. not to mention fun! All the AU nurses have boring scrubs, but I love the fairys!
They all looked like they were paying attention, so thumbs up to you!
I'm sure as long as you didn't swab their throats for strep, they probably really enjoyed the show.
AFM - Thanks! Although sometimes I wonder if there's any difference between those ages sometimes. :-)
A-i-A - I hope so, we always need more nurses.
Chatbox - Thanks. I'm not looking forward to my Queensland Health uniform, even though I'm looking forward to the job.
Mitch - No swabbing, but I did talk about needles (which is how kids here refer to their immunizations) and how important they were to have.
It's so cool you could participate in "bring your mom to school day!"
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