People on twitter say this to me ALL THE TIME when I brawl about masks and hypocrisy.
Like they think they’re going to hurt my feelings.
Newsflash asshat:
I DON’T WANT TO BE YOUR NURSE.
How daft must these people be to think that’s some kind of insult?
Like I’m going to weep gently at night…not taking care of them?
Guess what? Turns out I genuinely DO NOT WANT YOU TO GET COVID.
Which is why I’m (likely) on this twitter thread TRYING TO POINT OUT PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDELINES.
I mean, go ahead man, don’t wear a mask, breathe other people’s air, prove me wrong if you gotta, but…sheesh?
These people are always closely followed by the, “I bet your quality of care is less based on politics!”
Which — that’s actually a valid question, so let me get into that….
First off, no, and I’m horrified you’d ask that, although if I’m being angry on twitter, I can understand your reasons for concern, but….
I’m a liberal softy. I generally just want to give you free health care and college based on taxing the 0.0001% richest people in America.
In fact, the only reason I’m yelling at you and yours on twitter is BECAUSE YOU ARE TRYING TO KILL PEOPLE WITH YOUR ASSHATTERY.
If you weren’t, you wouldn’t even know my name! (Nor I, yours!)
If you’re reading this now (and you’ve made it this far) because I sent you this link on twitter so that you can read my summary of my attitudes about the subject, I’d encourage you to read some more articles on this site.
At work I have been punched, kicked, spit on, had food and bodily wastes thrown at me, I have had to watch people die who didn’t have to, and probably watched some people die who deserved it although I didn’t know it at the time.
Invariably, despite of all that violence directed against me, emotionally, mentally, and physically, I have always give ALL OF THOSE PATIENTS my A-game.
Why?
Because I take pride in what I do.
And?
At the end, when you’re holding someone’s life in your hands, even if they’re a shitbird, they’re still so vastly, terribly, terrifically, human.
I don’t want to get misty-eyed about getting spat at, but usually people doing that shit?
They’re broken.
Something in their head, or their lives, or in the system, has horribly let them down.
At the end of my shift I get to leave my job and come home to my home, my husband, and my cat.
Normal people aren’t throwing shit (literally) or throwing punches (also literally), you know?
So even though I don’t enjoy those altercations with those people, I’m not going to give them any less good of care. Something happened to them — something bad.
I’ll take safety precautions, heck yes, and get other RNs to watch my back if shit gets rough, but I’m not going to hold out meds or care on someone like that — fuck no — if you’re acting up like that, chances are you REALLY NEED THEM.
There was a part in one of my books I wrote recently, with my coauthor, wherein the nurse protag did something to help a bad guy, and my coauthor was all, “Whoa, would she really do that?”
And I was all, “Uh, yeah, of course she would.”
At the time, the example I used was of Donald Trump needing CPR.
Would I be happy about giving it to him?
No.
But would I do it if I had too?
Yes.
Cussing and yelling all the time, but I’d still be giving good compressions and allowing for chest recoil.
The only, only, only, only time I have ever been even the teeniest bit bad was when I worked at the burn unit and this guy came in with a huge Nazi tattoo that’d gotten burned (along with some of the rest of him.) I mayyyyy have scrubbed it a little harder, just in case…but the burns were superficial, and it didn’t come off.
So here we go, I’ve written it in stone now, for all my past, present, and future twitter haters, so I can send them this link — NO, I NEVER WANT TO BE YOUR NURSE.
But if I had to be?
You’d be OK. I’d make sure of it.
Maybe stop yelling at me and wear a mask?
Love,
— Cassie
This is always the suck of being a nurse, when they are in my care I do not give 2 turds who they are or what they have done, only that they are in need of help I can provide, but I would not necessarily want to hang with them later. I care because I and they are human and deserve the best care I can provide and I will give that even to those I would personally hate to my core for their behaviors. Cassie, it reflects the person you are that you continue to provide the best care even to those who would not return that favor, hugs from a fellow old timer ED nurse.
Christ, Cassie, I’m really really sorry you are having to go through all that 😕🤬😒. You are a better person than I am, I wouldn’t give that fuckhead CPR.