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| Learning From Tragedy: A Nurse Practitioner Considers How We Can Use Lessons from 9-11 to Better the Medical Profession |
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by Kimberly Spering, MSN, FNP-BC - September 13, 2010
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 Provided by Clinician 1
Today marks the ninth anniversary of the 9-11 tragedies that occurred at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in a small field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Many of us know individuals who lost their lives or family and friends who know people who died. There are many memorials taking place today to honor those that gave their lives that day. Many of my friends have acknowledged the day online via Facebook. I have talked with my children about that day, particularly as my oldest was three years old, and my youngest not even born yet.
What I actually see around me is not as noticeable. The newspaper and television coverage is less every year. Very few people are flying U.S. flags outside, and most people are going about their weekend without acknowledging the events of nine years ago.
Right after the attacks, I remember being amazed at how everyone waited their turn, said “please” and “thank you” more often, and overlooked the “little” annoyances of the day. If someone cut you off in traffic, you let it go. I admit that I, too, let things roll off me easier. That behavior lasted several weeks, at most. These days, if someone cuts you off, it becomes “road rage.” Today, the biggest difference I see is the lack of public politeness, respect, understanding, and help given to one another, compared to those immediate days and weeks following the attack.
So what does any of this have to do with our profession? Maybe more than initially meets the eye.
What if... all of us - NPs, PAs, physicians - could stop a moment, and give each other a little bit of that politeness, respect, understanding, and help?
What if... there could be a genuine acknowledgment of each other’s abilities and willingness to sit at the SAME table, doing the SAME thing for everyone? Which is, of course, taking care of patients.
What if... NP leaders and PA leaders focus on working together and QUASH those who divide us or pit each profession against the other?
How about if we give those lessons learned, brief as they may have lasted nine years ago, a think... and do what we can as individuals to make it happen.
 Kim Spering is a family nurse practitioner who currently works at Brndjar Medical Associates, P.C., a family practice in Emmaus, PA. Her past experience includes the fields of medical/surgical ICU, open heart/trauma ICU, labor and delivery, nursing education, nursing supervision, and as a nurse practitioner in both family practice and OB/GYN settings. She currently serves as a NP preceptor for her graduate school alma mater, DeSales University, as well as for local baccalaureate programs. She is passionate about patient education and helping patients understand that they are ultimately responsible for their own health. She also firmly believes that the public needs to be educated on the value of NPs and PAs in meeting the health care needs of the next decade and beyond. In her free time, Kim enjoys family vacations with her optometrist husband, Mark, and her two sons, Matthew and Connor.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
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| annmarie (wynnewood pa) |
on 16 Sep 2010 at 4:23 pm |
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Good advice, advice we should all adhere to at home, on the road, at work, and in our writings. Civility seems to be a thing of the past: complaining about anything and everything - every little nuisance that comes our way - is an American trait. Only when we understand what it is like for the truly underprivileged, the poor, the underserved, those in pain, or those who live in third world countries do we begin do see that we who live in the U. S. really do not have anything to complain about. It has always amazed me that some of the poorest people on earth seem to be the least complaining, and seem most humble and grateful for the little benefits they receive. I think the word is called 'entitlement'. I was privileged as a nurse in training to serve as a medical volunteer in rural Jamaica twice, China, and in North Philadelphia, and met some of the most grateful people I have ever met.
Annmarie |
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| familyman (las vegas) |
on 14 Sep 2010 at 11:42 am |
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| Regarding your call out for politeness, I agree and find that the abandonment of basic manners and etiquette has provoked a slippery slope towards global casualness, insensitivity, immediate confrontation, with resultant agitation and social conflict. In Spanish and other languages, there remains the formal and familiar forms of address. I think we as a community would benefit from returning to some form of formality. Thank you for your thoughts. |
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