By Jill Stephenson, staff writer
Jennifer Tucker is an Emergency Room nurse who works at a local hospital in Tulsa.
She has been working as a nurse for ten years and was inspired to become a nurse in 2005 when she was involved in a terrible accident and suffered head trauma. The nursing staff that took care of her made such a positive impression she knew she wanted to become a nurse and help people in the same way they had helped her.
After deciding to pursue a nursing career, Jennifer first worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant. It didn’t take her long to realize she would become too attached to her patients and that losing them was hard.
As an adrenaline junkie, she believed the ER would be a good fit for her. Here, you never know what is going to come walking through the door. It’s fast paced, ever changing and no two days are the same. She made the switch and hasn’t looked back. Jennifer stated, “In the ER you don’t get burnt out on one group of people.” She has a general passion for all people, yet admits she does love working with kids because they are genuine and will tell you the truth. She did spend three months in Shipwreck, NM as a travel nurse. Despite it being out of her discovered comfort zone, it taught her to rely on herself and boosted her confidence in what she knows.
Nurses have a special bond. They have to stay aware of each other’s moods, case loads and recognize if someone needs help or a break. What the general public often doesn’t understand or give them grace for is the fact they put a smile on every time they walk into a new patient’s room. The patient or their family has no idea what the situation was in the room they just came from. It could have been a death or a severe trauma, yet they are not at liberty to share the details. It can be frustrating when people get upset about wait times when they have no knowledge of what the day’s events have been. While not all ER visits are extreme or life threatening, everyone feels an urgency to be there and the nurses have to see all of them without divulging what anyone else’s reasons for being there are. It can be compared to military service in that the focus must remain on the mission while paying attention to your comrades and making sure their needs are being met too.There is always going to be another patient. They have to keep going despite the pain and suffering surrounding them. This takes courage, strength, intestinal fortitude and a willingness to help each other no matter what.
Something Jennifer learned early in her career is how much a family member appreciates being offered a blanket if they are in for a long wait with their loved one. She always does this as a gesture of kindness which also helps build rapport as the family waits. She works three shifts a week from 6:45am until 7:00pm. She said the time goes by really fast. In asking if she had a favorite story and she didn’t, however she shared that when a patient or their family member expresses sincere gratitude it makes it worthwhile – including on the tough days.
There is a story that has stuck with her over the years. The first patient she lost was an elderly man. She tried really hard to save him and couldn’t. He was seemingly healthy one minute and gone the next. This was right after she got her license and was a difficult loss. She remains grateful this man’s life partner was very graceful which helped the situation for her.
Mental health and self care are important when working a high stress job as an ER nurse. Jennifer seeks regular support to help her decompress and spends time doing things she likes to do. She recommends spending time with the people you love and care about as a reminder of what’s most important.
She went on to say, “This is a hard job with days where you will want to give up. It’s worth it for what you get in return knowing you helped save a life or make a difference in people’s lives on what may be their most difficult day.” She advises new nurses to know that your co-workers will become your best friends and to never be afraid to ask for help.
