13/04/2026
We're very grateful for all our nurses, true legend right here 💙
"I was at a campground a few weeks ago when a patient walked past. He came running over and gave me a massive hug. I stood there in disbelief. The last time I saw him, he was one of our serious trauma patients. I just stared at him and said, 'You have no idea how amazing it is to see you alive right now.'
We almost never get that kind of closure. In the emergency department, our job is usually just to plug the hole in the sinking ship. We stabilise people, send them off for life-saving treatment, and rarely get to see the recovered side of things. It’s like being dropped into their most dramatic chapter, but never finding out if their story ended well.
..Then suddenly, you just have to shake it off... walk into the next room, and start with the next patient. People forget we aren't machines. The reality is, the second we clock in, we are often absorbing the absolute worst day of someone’s life. It’s a lot to carry... a lot. Because patients are dealing with such strong emotions... we often take the brunt of their frustration.
Going from that chaos back to my own reality is a wild transition. I’ll get home in the morning, make my boys' school lunches, and they’ll ask, 'Mum, did you save any lives tonight? Did you see blood?' You can arrive at work completely exhausted from your own life, but honestly... this sounds nuts, with kids... the ED is my break haha.
Whenever they ask about saving lives, it takes me back. When I was their age, my dad had a massive accident. We spent our Christmases in the ICU, watching nurses fight for him. I know exactly what it’s like to be the family on the other side of those doors... just desperate for a little more time.
In a job where you constantly see how fragile life is, knowing you helped give someone a second chance changes you. It grounds the heavy shifts and the chaos in meaning. I just hope I keep bumping into more people who’ve survived to live out their story."
Laura, Registered Nurse, ED
