Lauren Powers is a critical care nurse.
I write this letter with a heavy heart. Our story began during my sophomore year in college, but after a decade with you, I can’t help but feel our dynamic has changed. Intrusive thoughts of leaving you have etched their way to the forefront of my mind. The harder I try to quiet them, the louder they declare themselves. They’ve grown from whispers to screams, and I can’t ignore them …
During the first six months as an ICU nurse, I vividly recall seeing my first balloon pump — a cardiac assist device sitting in the aorta that helps the heart pump blood more effectively and improves perfusion to the coronary arteries. I became mesmerized by the possibilities of mechanical circulatory support. I was nowhere near ready to tackle a patient like this independently, but I found myself immersed in all …
I am an ICU nurse. I love what I do; It’s not just a career: It’s who I am. No other job could offer me the intimate opportunity to support and guide a total stranger through the worst (and occasionally best) days of their life. Nowhere else would I leave feeling humbled by what I do every day. Nothing compares to that. Simply put: You don’t find that sense of …
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