It is because I am no longer part of this malicious network that I want to say loud and clear how much every nurse deserves her toast.
She should even be able to choose her bread. Its garnish. And its quantity.
To feed the one who takes care… to feed with bread the one who gives herself without half measures. By humanity. Out of sympathy. Out of dedication and worse often out of obligation.
To have the right to eat his little toast. Quickly done. On the edge of the nurses’ station. You have to experience it to understand…
Real life case
You’ve been growing your patient for two hours (it’s a first tsetse baby).
You give yourself. You breathe with her. You make sure dad doesn’t pass out. You hold back your urge to pee. Your mouth is dry, but you play the cheerleader so that the baby comes downstairs and the parents experience THE moment of their lives… You haven’t had time for supper (are you surprised?).
And worse, you go out three minutes top time while a colleague (who probably hasn’t had dinner either) comes to replace you.
You urinate. You fill your water bottle. And you get a peanut butter toast for survival. Not by culinary whim, there. No no. By survival.
(By the way, it’s white, dry, empty, thin bread. Nothing glam, nothing nutritious, but it’s the best toast ever, okay?).
Then you go back to your patient. Fresh. Smiling. On the tick.
That is one example among the thousands of examples of nurses in Quebec who eat a toast on the arm of the network which often prevents them from eating.
You get on my nerves
So, no prank. When you refuse to feed the one who doesn’t have time to feed herself to take care of your decrepit network, you’re clearly in your manager’s office and you had time to “lunch” with your office gang during one hour.
You have no idea of reality for having had an idea of the same.
So give us patience with your toast. I swear we’d rather eat our lunch. Nutrient. Reassuring.
Serious. You really get on my nerves.
Eat toast.
Mélanie Perreault, nurse, Joliette
14 years of service, at least 100 toasts under my belt.
(And several hundred patients grateful for my good care. That matters!)