What if You Became a Nurse? | Sana Goldberg | TEDxHarvardCollege

Summary

This script is a personal narrative about a woman's unexpected journey into nursing, despite initial plans to pursue academia. It highlights her experiences in nursing school, from working with diverse patients, like heroin users and psychiatric patients, to witnessing the profound role nurses play in healthcare. The speaker emphasizes nursing's importance beyond stereotypes, describing it as a profession rooted in empathy, humanity, and connection. She reflects on how her liberal arts background and nursing experiences taught her the value of understanding, moral courage, and authentic communication.

Takeaways

• 🧑‍⚕️ The speaker shares a personal story of becoming a nurse, despite never initially considering the profession.
• 🏫 She attended Reed College, where her liberal arts education challenged her preconceptions and helped her see the value in questioning stereotypes and categorization.
• 🧠 A psychology lesson stayed with her: the human mind tends to categorize everything, which leads to stereotyping and needs to be countered by liberal arts education.
• 🎓 After college, the speaker planned to pursue a PhD but shifted to nursing after feeling disconnected in a lab setting.
• 💉 Her nursing experience taught her valuable skills, from administering injections to caring for people in critical conditions, including patients in psychiatric care.
• 🩺 Nursing exposed her to a wide variety of patients, including those struggling with addiction, mental health, and severe physical conditions.
• 🫂 Nurses play a crucial role in healthcare by building trust with patients and becoming their advocates, especially when they are vulnerable.
• 💡 The speaker reflects on nursing as a field of 'indifference to power' that focuses on caring for people as equals, not from a place of authority.
• 🧘‍♀️ She connects her nursing experiences with ideas of interconnectedness and the need for society to care for its most marginalized and vulnerable members.
• 📚 The speaker emphasizes the importance of the liberal arts and the lessons they offer on empathy, understanding, and facing the truths of the human condition.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the speaker's story?

The main theme of the speaker's story is how they unexpectedly became a nurse, despite initial reluctance, and how the profession transformed their perspective on life and humanity.

Why did the speaker initially not consider nursing as a career?

The speaker had never considered nursing because healthcare was seen as their mother's domain, and they had no prior knowledge or exposure to what nurses actually did.

What role did the speaker’s liberal arts education play in shaping their view of nursing?

The speaker’s liberal arts education helped them challenge stereotypes and understand the importance of grappling with ideas that go beyond financial gain, teaching them empathy, critical thinking, and an appreciation for human complexity—skills they later applied to nursing.

How did the speaker’s perspective on healthcare change during their time in the nursing program?

The speaker’s perspective changed when they saw the personal, human side of healthcare, particularly the nurse's role in earning patients’ trust and caring for them, regardless of societal stereotypes or personal judgments.

What was the speaker's initial career plan after graduating from college?

The speaker initially planned to pursue a PhD and work in academia but felt disconnected from the work, particularly in a lab environment that lacked human interaction, which led them to explore nursing.

What moment made the speaker realize the significance of nurses in healthcare?

The speaker realized the significance of nurses when they encountered a heroin user in a clinic who trusted the nurses with his care but not other healthcare professionals, demonstrating that nurses play a crucial role in bridging trust between patients and the healthcare system.

How does the speaker describe the stereotypes associated with nursing?

The speaker describes the stereotype of nurses as either maternal figures or sex objects in traditional media, seen as subordinate in the medical hierarchy, rather than as independent, highly skilled professionals.

What insight does the speaker gain about privilege through nursing?

Through nursing, the speaker gains an understanding of privilege, learning that no matter the environment, there are always factors—such as background, grief, or pain—that separate people, and empathy alone is not enough to fully bridge those divides.

Why does the speaker advocate for the importance of nurses in the future of healthcare?

The speaker advocates for the importance of nurses because they are essential to maintaining humanity in healthcare, particularly as medicine becomes more data-driven. Nurses provide critical emotional support and personal care that technology cannot replace.

What lesson does the speaker learn about uncertainty and control in life?

The speaker learns that life is filled with uncertainty and that trying to control everything can make us miss important experiences. Nursing taught them to embrace the uncertainty and find strength in compassion and care, rather than in control.