The nurse is temporarily the consciousness of the unconscious, the love of life of the suicidal, the leg of the amputee, the eyes of the newly blind, a means of locomotion for the newborn , knowledge and confidence for the young mother, a voice for those too weak to speak, and so on.
Interpretation
Nurses play a crucial role in caring for and supporting those who are vulnerable or in need.
In this quote, Virginia Henderson articulates the profound impact that nurses have on the lives of individuals who face various challenges. She emphasizes that nurses not only provide physical care but also serve as emotional and psychological support, embodying the compassion and strength necessary for healing and coping in difficult situations. Through their multifaceted roles, they become essential figures in promoting health and well-being, acting as a bridge for those who are unable to advocate for themselves.
In practice
During a healthcare conference, to emphasize the importance of nursing in patient care.
The unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible.
There is no future, there is no past. I live this moment as my last. There's only us, there's only this. Forget regret, or life is yours to miss. No other road, no other way, no day but today.
The impetus to grow and live intensely is so powerful in me I cannot resist it. I will work, I will love my husband, but I will fulfill myself.
If I can't feel, if I can't move, if I can't think, and I can't care, then what conceivable point is there in living?
Meg, don't you think you'd make a better adjustment to life if you faced facts?" I do face facts," Meg said. They're lots easier to face than people, I can tell you.
There was a beautiful feeling of calm in my groin, a sense of peace so remarkable it was almost ecstasy——anyone who' suffered bad pain and then recovered will know what I'm talking about.
A smile across the aisle of a bus in the morning could save a suicide later in the day.
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