An Australian nurse has shared an emotional account of the time she spent working on the emergency ward.
Nadine Muller – who worked for a year at Gold Coast University Hospital, in one of the busiest emergency wards in the country – wrote of the heartbreaking moment she held a dying woman’s hand as she took her last breaths.
Penning the piece for Daily Mail Australia in tribute to her ‘tireless and selfless’ fellow nurses, she said the 91-year-old woman she tended to in her final moments was someone she would ‘never forget’.
Nadine Muller (pictured) shared an emotional account of the time she spent working on an emergency ward
‘We know that nursing is busy – more often than not we spend our time running around like headless chooks trying to get everything ‘clinically’ done, leaving little time to go above and beyond to provide ‘bedside care and manner’,’ Ms Muller, who was on secondment from her role as a nursing officer in the military at the time, wrote candidly.
‘One day, there was an elderly woman whose health, I knew, was declining. I told myself that for her that day, the most important thing that I could do would be to make her feel comfortable, to make her know she wasn’t or alone.’
Ms Muller, a mother of one, said that the lady had no friends or family visiting her and so she went about asking her questions about her life ‘because I knew it made her forget her pain and worries’.
The mother of one spoke of the time she held a dying woman’s hand as she took her last breaths
‘I listened intently while she relived some of her life’s fondest memories, her stories astonished me – her mind pinpoint sharp, her fragile body the furthest from it.
‘She talked about her first love, meeting the love of her life, her children, her grandchildren… she talked about her profession also as a nurse and the experiences she had and how the times had changed.
‘She then so beautifully linked her stories with me and how I reminded her of her young self.
‘I told her about how I met my now husband and the boundless love I have for him and my baby boy and the plans of we have for our future.
Ms Muller said she will ‘never forget’ her time on the emergency ward and the people she met there
‘With tears in her eyes she said “remember life goes so fast, don’t regret a thing cherish your health and each other, look at the beautiful life that surrounds you and soak it in every single day”.
‘”Remember the magnificent job you do being a nurse, the lives you save the changes you make to peoples day, the profession was tough back in the day and I know it only continues that way”.
‘With a contented smile on her face, and it’s something I will never forget, she simply said to me “thank you for taking the time to talk my life with me, thank you for listening to me, I was scared of dying but I am not afraid any more”.
Ms Muller shared the poignant moment in the hope that more people can appreciate the ‘reality check’ the elderly can provide about ‘just how short life is’
‘She was a remarkable woman with quite the life story. I later held the hand of that inspiring 91-year-old lady in her final moments of her life. I will never forget it.’
Ms Muller shared the poignant moment in the hope that more people can appreciate the lessons the elderly can impart and the ‘reality check’ they can provide about ‘just how short life is’.
‘Let them be heard, and listen with intent, share a story for you too, and share a laugh,’ Ms Muller wrote.
‘I’ll never forget the words this beautiful woman shared me with me that day, it is amazing that simply by giving her my time and attention enriched both of us,’ Ms Muller said
‘I’ll never forget the words this beautiful woman shared me with me that day, it is amazing that simply giving her my time and attention enriched both of us.’
Speaking of her time in Emergency, Ms Muller said it was ‘fast paced and hectic’ and no two days were the same.
‘I guess that is the thrill of it, that is what us emergency nurses thrive off,’ she said.
‘What I do know is this is what we were born to do, and that is why we love being emergency nurses.
Speaking of her time in Emergency, Ms Muller said it was ‘fast paced and hectic’ and no two days were the same
‘The job is often complicated, it is intricate, the skill sets are wide and are complex in nature but sometimes, amongst all the clinical skills, the most important things will be to comfort, to reassure, to hold a hand, to stand by a family member, to be a supportive presence so people don’t feel alone,’ she said.
Whilst there are many challenges nurses face – such as ‘verbal and physical abuse’ as well as complaints about ‘bed blocking’ and ‘ambulance ramping’ – Ms Muller said ‘this doesn’t stop up getting out of bed and doing it all again tomorrow’.
‘Memorable and often tear-jerking moments happen often,’ she said.
‘The most important things will be to comfort, to reassure, to hold a hand, to stand by a family member, to be a supportive presence so people don’t feel alone,’ she said
‘I think what will never grow old is looking at the core root of what we get to do, the fulfillment of truly making a difference in peoples lives often on some of their worst days – helping to ease pain, making someone feel more comfortable, or just be there to hold a hand or ease a troubled mind.’
Ms Muller said whilst working in Emergency was ‘often testing and pressured’, these special moments are not something you can find in any other profession.
‘These moments etched in your mind that you never forget, moments when you connect with a patient and truly assist them or their families through a tough time,’ she said.
‘We are all here because we want to make a difference, no matter how big or small, and that is something that makes me super proud to be a nurse,’ she concluded
‘And moments where a patient or their family will look at you with tears rolling down their cheeks wholeheartedly thanking you for all that you have done.
‘Those moments when you’re genuinely appreciated for all your efforts no matter the outcome. Those moments that make the hard parts of our duty totally worth it.
‘We are all here because we want to make a difference, no matter how big or small, and that is something that makes me super proud to be a nurse.’