Nurses Have Heart Geocoin

The mission of this coin is to travel from cache to cache in celebration of nursing. Please keep it moving. If you know a nurse, and chances are, you do, read the attached story and keep them close to your heart.

Look Into My Eyes

Look into my eyes. Share my vision of nursing. See where I've been, where I'm going. I am all races. I am all religions. I am all ethnic and social backgrounds. I am probably your next-door neighbor. I am the American nurse.

Look into my eyes. Yes, I have quite a past. I've come a long way. I have an even longer way to go. I have faced many barriers, from within and without But I have vision.

Look into my eyes. See the wisdom, intellect, and compassion within. These watchful eyes are ever vigilant over the masses. The young, the old, the well, the informed, the forgotten. These eyes are color blind.

Look into my eyes. Watch me care for this premature infant that fits into the palm of my hand. Watch me immunize this frightened young preschooler against the scourges of disease. Watch me coach this young woman through the birth of her first child. Watch me counsel this cocky teenager on birth control and safe sex. Watch me teach this young man how to care for his new colostomy. Watch me console this woman on the loss of her son. Watch me hold the hand of this young man dying from AIDS. Watch me help this woman look at her mastectomy site for the first time. Watch me apply pressure to the gaping hole in this man's side where a bullet has entered. Watch me try in vain to save the life of this 83-years young man whose heart has ceased. Watch me support this brave young woman in her battle against the cancer that is ravaging her body. Watch me intuit a subtle change in this fresh postop and call his physician repeatedly to get action. Watch me go that extra mile to save a buck without harming my patients. Watch me hold a family close when a loved one has died. Watch me bravely enter a danger zone to visit the homebound. Watch me carefully bathe the dead with the care and respect I'd give to the living. Watch me work.

Look into my eyes. I have a vision of the future. I am a well educated professional. I am self governed. I give holistic care grounded in nursing research. I see wellness. I am a catalyst for the changes necessary for healthcare reform. I am the American nurse. Although I am diverse, I have a common goal. Without my vision, healthcare becomes cold and frag­mented.

Look into my eyes. They are at times weary and tearful, yet there is always that spark of humanity. There is courage there to overcome obstacles. There is intelligence there to identify and resolve my problems. I have the hindsight to see my errors, and the foresight to not repeat them. I have the versatility to accept new challenges. I have the compassion to go on caring. I have the patience to nurture my young. I am the ever changing, always evolving American nurse. Look into my eyes and share my vision.