"The trained nurse has become one of the great blessings of humanity, taking a place beside the physician and the priest.”
– William Osler
"Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion: as hard a preparation as any painter’s or sculptor’s work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God’s spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts.” - Florence Nightingale
With all of the discussion of health care "reform" and just what that might entail, the prospect of being a patient in America has become more frightening than it used to be. The one element which has always been constant in our medical system until now has been a sense of the humanity common to both the patient and the ones caring for him. That basic understanding, which is fundamental to the patient-caregiver relationship, seems to be in danger of being marginalized, even eliminated, if the health care "reformers" have their way. Nurses have always been on the front line when it comes to protecting those entrusted to their care. So I've decided to go back to school to earn my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I've been a registered nurse since I was twenty years old, having graduated from a hospital-based diploma school in New Orleans. It was an excellent program, and I'm very glad that now I have the opportunity to continue my education. Once I earn this degree I hope to be able to teach others the art of nursing as I know it, as it always used to be. I 'll be working as a nurse while I pursue my studies, which I should finish in about a year. I feel strongly that the time has come when Catholic nurses need to take a more public stand for the truth, upholding the principles which they know are right, in spite of all obstacles. There are so many vulnerable people who need us to be their protectors as well as their angels of mercy. My Faith informs every aspect of my life; and it has has taught me that our humanity includes the entire person. We are body and soul: and, God willing, I can have a part in helping to care for both the physical and spiritual side of humanity, at least for those entrusted to me in my small corner of the world.
