I SEE YOU, Nurse
“I hate talking about myself.” She fumbled with the straw of her boba tea while sitting in the restaurant’s outdoor seating area. “I am pretty boring, but I guess most people these days are,” she cut a smirk after the remark.
Hannah is undoubtedly a selfless person. Let me be clear in what I mean when I say “selfless.” For her, it does not equate to being walked over. She is a strong woman who can take charge of a room while still coming off as warm and affectionate. She can put others at ease during hard times. She is precise in her work — she has to be; she’s an ICU nurse.
A walk through Lithia Park, taking in the lazy stillness of the sunny afternoon. It’s an unfamiliar environment for Hannah. As much as she yearns for calm, her mind seems to be always working. “I wish I could be one of those people who can just sit and read a book for hours. I’ve tried numerous times, to sit without anything in my hands and watch a TV show or a movie, but I always seem to get bored and end up doing something else.” Scorning at the idea that she may enjoy being productive, she admits that her anxiety is what fuels her motivation to be fruitful in her days.
Hannah graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology from the University of Oregon. She then attended an accelerated nursing program at Concordia University Irvine, graduating with honors and obtaining her BSN. Interviewing at Stanford and UCLA hospitals, she accepted a job at UCLA’s Santa Monica ICU. Holding many positions on the hospital’s burnout and ethics committees, she was also elevated to a charge and resource nurse within her unit while also earning her Critical Care Nursing (CCRN) certification.
“I sometimes worry that nursing is causing me to become emotionally jaded.” Showing concerned that observing sick people and dying routinely has caused her to lose the same irrational emotional aspect that people typically have. In reality, putting her heart and soul into her career has created an emotional capacity she didn’t know was possible. Resulting in coping mechanisms to keep herself in check and her head level. Reflecting on times when friends and family members have shared disheartening news, she found herself less phased and more interested in the issue’s details and outcomes.
As Hannah contemplates her internal concerns, she is happy with the life that surrounds her on the outside. She has recently gotten married to a man she says provides the emotional support needed to keep a positive mentality amongst her challenging career. While also raising an energetic German shepherd. Sounding encouraged when talking about her little family’s future, she shrugs and shyly admits she’s looking forward to caring and potentially adding a new member to it.
