‘It’s about more than just making someone feel better’

Posted on 22 May 2018

Mediclinic Professional Nurse, Keren Schwartz says her profession gives her a deep sense of purpose.

‘It wasn’t really one specific moment that made me realise nursing was for me – it was many. I knew I was interested in the body and I knew I liked working with people. I really just wanted to help people and make a difference.’

‘After high school, I completed my BSc Human Life Sciences – which is biology – but I didn’t really like the subject. It was too broad. My mom suggested I try nursing by doing some volunteer work to see if that would resonate with me.’

‘I helped out for a few months at a children’s home and I enjoyed that so much. I couldn’t wait to see my patients and those kids’ faces — knowing that somebody was there and looking after them — it really meant so much to them. It was more than just feeding them and other practical tasks. It made me feel really special, like I had a deeper purpose than just existing. I felt like I was really living.’

‘From there my path led me to nursing. I’ve been working in the Emergency Centre for four months now and what I’ve learnt so far is that this job demands so much more from you than just physical care. It’s emotional care, it’s psychosocial: it’s all of it.’

‘There was one patient recently who I really felt for. He came in while having a heart attack. When a patient is struggling with chest pain you have to administer a specific medication within a specified time for it to work.’

‘Even though he had nausea, chest pain and felt terrible, he had such a good spirit. He really understood that we did everything we could at the time. Even when the medication didn’t work as it should have and he had to be moved to another unit, he was still so thankful for everything we did.’

‘That really means a lot to us as staff, it also made me realise that this job is not just about making someone feel better; it’s about holding their hand throughout the whole experience.’