For some at LRGH, nursing is a calling, not just a job

Many nurses are motivated to enter their profession out of compassion and a desire to care for their fellow human when they need it most. For some of these medical professionals, the urge to help doesn't begin and end with their regular work shift.

In recognition of Nurses' Week, which started on Thursday, a few employees of LRGHealthcare met last week to discuss their experiences providing care above and beyond their job description. Their stories show that nursing is not just something someone does, but something someone is.

David Farr, a surgical technician, has been with LRGHealthcare for 16 years. Since he started his medical career, he said he always wanted to participate in a trip abroad to help people who live without regular access to health care. "It's hard to explain, you just want to do it. You get into this business because you want to help people," he said.

Two years ago, he took an opportunity to spend his vacation traveling to rural El Salvador to participate in the Friends of ASAPROSAR Eye Clinic. The eight-day experience, conducting as many eye surgeries as possible in each day, struck a chord with Farr.

"After your first case, you're hooked," he said. His patients were people who had been suffering from conditions, such as cataracts or strabismus (crossed eyes), in some cases for years, and had no hope of treatment outside of the eye clinic. Farr said the work in El Salvador was intense and touching, with patients of all ages, some of whom hadn't seen well for years who would get up off the operating table and embrace the stranger who fixed their vision.

Deborah Richardson, a nurse who's been with LRGHealthcare for 10 years, has traveled to Haiti once and Honduras twice, including this year, to participate in rural health clinics. She said her travels have taken her to patients that had never seen a medical professional before, patients who traveled for hours to get a few minutes of care. She said the experience has given her a new perspective.

"We are so blessed in this country to have health care." She said it's "a wonderful feeling" to be able to apply her skills to help improve someone's life.

It's not easy, though. The climate is hot and humid and the days are long and intense. The working conditions are far from Lakes Region General Hospital, though they take care to maintain standards of sanitation.

The emotional toll is considerable, Richardson said. When packing for her trip, she and others filled any extra capacity in their luggage with first aid supplies to donate to the local community. When they got there, they realized that hunger was a more pressing problem and they should have brought food instead of band-aids. The short-term nature of their patient relationship is also difficult because they don't always know what happens after the appointment is over.

Richardson doesn't regret it, though. "When you are a nurse, or you work in the medical field, you do it because you care about people." She said opening a patient's folder, assisting them with a medical situation, is stepping into their lives and leaving a lasting mark. "You can make a difference," she said.

For Gloria Thorington, though, who has worked at LRGHealthcare for 24 years, expanding her impact beyond her job description didn't require a plane ticket. As co-chair of the Making Strides committee, it requires eight months of planning every year to put on the walkathon that raises money for breast cancer research.

It's a lot of work, but she has the satisfaction of knowing the local walk consistently rates as one of the top most productive walks per capita in the country.

"As a nurse, you see how breast cancer affects not just the patient, but the entire family," she said, adding that she is motivated to continue planning the event each year because she wants to be part of the collective effort that will someday, she hopes, discover a cure for the disease.

Thorington said the walk is far more than she alone can take credit for. "Anytime I need something for the event, there's people in the community who contribute to make it happen." Farr and Richardson reported a similar observation from their own adventures.

As these three examples show, nurses and medical professionals are drawn to their work by far more than a paycheck. Indeed, in Farr and Richardson's cases, they went into their pockets to pay their own way, and in all three cases they donated many hours of their time.

"We want them to know that we care for them," said Richardson

Farr added, "We just wish we could do more."