A break...

that's all we need.

A break to get back to the things that we do best. A break from the distraction, the heartache, the relentless media. A break to let us to get back to the ones that are most important... the kids, the babies, the families that we provide extraordinary care for day in and day out.

As you all well know Seattle Children's has been in the forefront of the media for the last week. A week that will go down in history as one of the worst weeks for all that work there, I am sure.

Although I cannot release any details of any of the occurrences at the hospital I will say this...

mistakes happen, we are people too. Fortunately for most people mistakes are not life and death. Mistakes cost some a loss of profit, a loss of a customer, etc. For us, a mistake can mean the life of a child. It is scary. It is the fear that we have to live with everyday caring for extremely fragile patients. Yet we do it because we love it. We do it for the kids, their families, and their friends.

You see a nurse is not just a nurse, but so much more. Caring for out patients day in and day out is a self less job. We work with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, x-ray techs, respiratory therapists, dietitians, social workers, volunteers, all to ensure that each and every patient is getting the care that they rightfully deserve with love and respect. Us nurses are at the forefront of patient care and we do a damn good job. Weird how, in a time of crisis for us, the media is choosing to continue to air our dirty laundry, all the while us nurses are working to continue to save lives. Working hard to learn from our mistakes and make our institution that much safer and better. Why don't the air the story of a mom that got to hold her 480 gram son for the first time yesterday because he is alive for her to do that? What about the thousands of babies that we save, the miracles that we produce every day at our hospital? Have they forgotten about stories such as this and this.

A friend of mine wrote this post and I couldn't have said it better myself.

Screw you media! Maybe you should stop thinking about making money for a moment and start thinking about all the lives that you are affecting right now.