Future Nurse Anonymous

I have fallen in love with Thursdays. Why? Because I volunteer in the ER at Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Florida, constantly madcap organization, a symphony of coughing and wheezing, as well as electric energy. Whether it is consoling patients or discharging them, I am comforted knowing the small contribution I can make. When nurses soothe patients, it is as if they have some magical wand that eases the patients’ symptoms. Despite how busy the ER might be, with a small smile, I tell myself, “Bring it on!” I have chosen nursing because working with patients gives me the greatest satisfaction.

Thursday finally rolls around. I wheel in a middle-aged patient from the disarray of the ER waiting area. She cautiously holds a white towel against her tender right eye. Suddenly, she jerks forward in the wheelchair. I walk in front of the wheelchair. Oh my… Her ocean blue eye popped out of its socket. I call the nurse, and we manage to carefully rest her on the gurney. Somehow, once in the care of the nurse, the woman is calm.

It will be a busy morning. Now, an elderly man reaches for something under his bed. He is determined to finish the job he started. Knowing an accident could happen easily, I rush to his bedside. I search underneath...