I love my job. I really do. Taking care of little kids and being a part of making a sick child well--it's one of the most rewarding careers imaginable. Knowing you had your hand in it, no matter how insignificant, makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Getting to calm a child's fears as you take them from the comfort of their mother's arms. Having them trust you, and cling to you for comfort...it's a feeling that can't be described. I love my job...I love kids. I love helping kids. Some kids are more of a handful than others...*insert props to all those school teachers out there.** Unlike teachers, the majority of my work with children occurs when they are asleep. I calm their fears and make going to sleep for surgery as non-frightening as possible. Then they're asleep and I don't have the usual kid problems to deal with. Makes getting your job done a lot easier. I have major respect for teachers!
But there is, alas, a downside to working with children. They are adorable, yes. Fun to be around, yes. But they are also little germ-infested bacteria breeding grounds. They carry so many different illnesses I can't even begin to tally them up here. Once you've worked with them long enough, you begin to develop an immunity to the cooties kids carry around. My first year as a nurse, I was sick at least 4 times a year. Over time that number has diminished, but I still--on occasion--contract some bug that I have no doubt I caught from some sick, snotty kid. Such is the case now. 102 temperature, chills, cough, headache, and body aches. I am trying to tell myself it isn't the flu, after all I did have my mandatory flu shot this year! But as this progresses, it is becoming strikingly similar to the old flu bug.
To say I feel miserable would be an understatement...
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