Inspired in every way

I am a pediatric nurse practitioner in an urgent care outpatient clinical setting. I am familiar with the volume of patients in primary care, the workload, the pending tasks on the provider’s shoulders, and the follow-up carryovers. At the same time, I am also familiar with the volume of patients in urgent care and the intensity of work that comes with it. With changes in work dynamics before and after the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent extension of working hours on the weekends, there have been mixed reactions from patients, families, and healthcare personnel.

I recently worked in the clinic with an experienced physician who is 75 years old. This was my first time working with him. He primarily operates at another clinic in a different town, about an hour away. Most of the time, I hear coworkers say, “I am not used to the extended hours yet” or “It was a long drive.” After we greeted each other, I casually asked him, “So, how are you liking the new hours on the weekends?” His response surprised me “Oh! I love it! I come straight down the freeway; there is no traffic. I like it a lot!” I did not expect that answer at all.

Part of the reason he stood out to me was that he was exactly my father’s age. His personality resembled so much of my dad. He was tall with a thin frame, friendly, social with the team, and had a great work ethic. The first thing that came to my mind was that I could see how his value and ethic resembled my dad’s value of “work is worship.” His eating patterns included healthy snacks, correct portions, fruit juice with no sugar added, and water. He timed his work and little, short breaks in between so well. He looked upon the current guidelines and took my recommendations. He was open to learning about any changes in the clinic. He was very positive, and the clinic team was comfortable working with him. He was as efficient as a younger emergency room (ER) provider who knew how to utilize every minute. And amazingly, he was faster than me in seeing patients. I am not saying that a 75-year-old cannot be fast, but he inspired me in every way.

My curiosity took over my control, and I asked him, “How do you keep yourself so energetic and sharp?” He smiled and replied, “I work hard for it! I work out for two hours every day in my backyard gym. I wake up at 5:00 a.m. every morning and go for a long walk; then, I walk my dog. Of course, I have health problems, so I fill myself with healthy snacks and small meals.” Toward the end of the long shift, he said to me, “We were good partners!” I jumped with joy! I felt rewarded by his comments. What a fantastic person! I am sure he is an inspiration for many people who have worked with him in their life journey.

Inspiring lessons I learned from him:

• Respect your duty; hard work is supposed to be a lifelong habit
• Appreciate what you have, and do not complain about small things in life
• Value your time
• Practice self-care and self-discipline
• Stay open-minded and flexible with life changes
• Simple living and high thinking still hold true

This experience made me think and feel a little embarrassed about how we, the younger generation, complain about little changes in schedule. How easily we tend to disgrace what we do. All the negative things in our surroundings cloud our thoughts, and we overlook the goodness beneath them. These days, we are all in a rush, we want immediate results, and we tend to be task oriented. We complain about not having paper in the printer, minor technical errors, being busy at the last hour of work, and getting off late. But it all could be so simple if we say that “Today has been a little rough day, but it’s OK; I can handle it. I have an opportunity to improve it, and I will not let this situation discourage me from being the best version of myself in providing the best care to my patients.” This was a great experience that I will always cherish, and I humbly thank Jesse Parr MD, FAAP, for this inspiration.