911? I Need A Nurse!

1. SAKURA NANASE

CARDIOLOGY

This young nurse easily became one of my favorite nurses in dramaland! Let me explain why she is so special. Usually, with medical TV series, we see seasoned nurses who know their place and have gained higher skills. In the Japanese drama An Incurable Case of Love, they chose a different approach and showed Sakura from her high school years to adulthood, where she embraced the role of a nurse. Her start wasn’t easy; it was far from that. She was clumsy, forgetful, immature, and lacked knowledge and mainly practice. I laughed and cried along with her because it made me remember my own past and how I was starting out. I can’t be the only nurse who switched the EKG cables, right? 

Let me make this clear: the TV series did have medical mishaps, and as I have worked in the cardiology ICU, I was oftentimes screaming at what they were doing, but still, I appreciate that there is a drama which shows how nurses are starting out—that not everything is perfect in the beginning. Many people think that university is going to teach you everything, which is simply not true. On your first shift, you are going to realize that there are so many things you don’t know yet, but don’t let this frighten you!

I am going to end this paragraph by saying that Sakura Nanase, in the end, became a great cardiology nurse, and if you find yourself in an emergency, she is going to definitely help you!

2. IRIE KOTOKO

PEDIATRICS

Many people think that compassion and love for nursing are the sole reasons why people choose the nursing field, which is not true. Speaking from experience, I never dreamed of being a nurse, but here I am! I feel that everyone has their own reasons to start nursing school, and there is no reason to shame anyone for their reasons. In the end, the outcome is the most important thing, right? And what is important about nursing? To be a great nurse in the end. 

Irie Kotoko also never dreamed of being a nurse, and her reason for choosing this field was simple: she wanted to follow her husband, who is a doctor. For many, her reason might be immature and trivial, but as I said, the outcome is what’s important. It is great to add that Itazura na Kiss, which is the drama this character comes from, showed amazingly how nursing schools work and how practical lessons go. I can’t be the only one who remembers what it was like when we had to draw blood for the first time or measure blood pressure manually and how happy we were once we heard the heartbeat through the stethoscope. Once again, we saw a nurse in the making, and with that came the clumsiness, crying, breaking points, and, of course, learning progress!

Kotoko is very warmhearted, lovely, and gentle, and I am happy that both she and her husband chose the pediatric field in the end!

3. O MYEONG SIM

E.R.

I am starting to feel that this article is getting more and more personal with each section, but I don’t mind, honestly!

This nurse was the reason why I got into nursing, which, once again, might make me sound immature, but this woman was a big inspiration for me! Once I saw her, I knew that this was what I wanted, so I went with it, and here I am. 

O Myeong Sim is not a new nurse, unlike the two nurses mentioned above. Myeong Sim is a senior nurse who specializes in scrub nursing, which, in simple terms, means that she handles surgical tools in the doctor’s hands. This specialization is gained after you finish your basic nursing degree– a bachelor’s degree. In the majority of countries, you can start your specialization after getting your BA and it is great to add that there are no ‘fields’ in scrub nursing. Your specialization is for ALL the medical fields, from general surgery through urology, neurosurgery, and so on, which makes this field that much more difficult. Myeong Sim is not only a great scrub nurse but also a head nurse, which makes her the manager of all the staff nurses, which is a very difficult position as well. Many think that scrub nursing is easy, and dramas often portray scrub nursing in a bit of a wrong way. The majority of doctors won’t be telling you what tool they want, they extend their hand and expect you to know what tool they need. This is the reason why I have such huge respect for this fierce woman.

If you ever find yourself on a general surgery ward or the E.R., you can rest assured that Myeong Sim and skilled doctors are going to take great care of you!

4. JEONG DA EUN

PSYCHIATRY

Once again, I have a very deep connection with this particular nurse and the drama itself. I love that medical dramas are evolving and do not only show the complications that the patients have to deal with but also the staff. I feel that older TV series focused way too much on patients and not really on how the medical staff are dealing with their personal lives. If they did show their personal lives, it was only for the romance to somehow bloom. With this drama, it was very different.

Da Eun is not a new nurse, but even after years, she struggles to fit in, and her previous ward wasn’t helping either, with toxic staff, which is often the reality! There is a saying called “Nurses eat their young,” and it basically means that older nurses often haze and bully new nurses to the point where the new nurses burn out and quit healthcare. We could see how Da Eun struggles with being kind of kicked out of her old ward, but on top of that, we see her starting out on a new ward and dealing with new patients. I have to remind people that, whether you are a new or old nurse, ward change is never an easy process. Imagine working in the orthopedics ward for years, meaning you probably know almost everything about orthopedics. Than you have to change ward, which is like here, psychiatry. It’s basically like starting from the beginning. Yes, you do remember crucial information, but you have so much to learn!

Not everyone is made for psychiatry, and I do not blame anyone who can’t work there because it is a very difficult job. One would say that it is even dangerous. I feel that the true danger isn't within the patients but within ourselves, because many times the cases end badly and not only family but also staff have to deal with it, just like our Da Eun. Remember, staff doesn’t have immunity, they are humans just like the patients, so it is normal that even the staff in psychiatry might be dealing with mental issues.

With this, I am going to say that, please, do not be afraid of nurses like Da Eun. Even when she has her own struggles, she works hard and does her best to fulfill the needs of her patients.

5. NISHI RYUSEI

PEDIATRICS

We are back in Japan and even back in a TV series we talked about before, An Incurable Case of Love. This time, we will look at a male nurse, which I feel in European countries is a rarity to witness, so I am happy that we have our lovely Nishi!

Nishi is also my "spirit animal" because we almost share the same fear! Yes, even nurses have their fears, and often they are medically related. Our Nishi has a fear of blood, and it might sound like a big issue, but remember, we all can work on our fears, just like Nishi.

I want to point out the specialization that Nishi chose is one of the hardest specializations. Pediatrics is a very difficult field, and many think, “Oh, they are just small humans; there is nothing difficult about it." Well, that is incorrect! Adults and children often do not have the same symptoms, which means diagnosing them is much more difficult. Medication is oftentimes “deluded” because the “normal” adult dose would simply kill them, which means that there are often two nurses that are preparing medication—one is preparing, the other is checking if it’s correct. Also, many medications have to be mixed while being dressed in sterile clothing! This doesn’t happen much with adult medication.

If we want to jump back to the fear topic, let me cheer up people who think their fears might be limiting them. I want you to stop worrying, because look at me! I faint whenever someone takes my blood, and I still work as a nurse! And look at Nishi—he also learned how to deal with his fear.

6. PARK EUN TAK

E.R.

We are back with Doctor Romantic, and this time we will look at a male E.R. nurse who is really a sweetheart, and I cannot live without... well, seeing him? Once again, I want to give applause to the writer for writing about a male nurse, because we need more of them!

Now, I want to talk about two things when mentioning this nurse: E.R. and knowledge. Trust me, these two things usually go hand in hand in most fields, but here they are crucial. The E.R. (emergency room) is often times a very stressful environment where fast hands and fast thinking are what create the whole magic. Not every nurse is made for the E.R., and I am not either. Sometimes you have calm shifts, and other times you are tearing apart because you have so much work. Emergency medicine is also a specialization, so if someone feels passionate about it, they can do it. The difficulty with E.R. medicine is that you don’t know what case you will get, and you need to approach each case holistically. In simpler words, you can stumble upon a urology case but also a neurology case, which means you have to know everything. Yes, in the end, a doctor with a specified specialization might take over the case, but nurses? The nurses are going to be the same, meaning that as a nurse, you need to know how to assist many kinds of doctors.

What I truly love about Eun Tak is the amount of knowledge he has, how he uses it, and how others respect his opinions. Many times people look down on nurses and only trust doctors, but let me remind you that oftentimes a senior nurse has more knowledge than a new doctor, which is normal. It happened to me and many other nurses, and it is not something that doctors should feel bad about. Just as they are learning, the nurses learned as well when they were starting out. What is needed in situations with young doctors and older nurses is trust. If the nurse feels like something is not quite right, try to look into their opinion, and who knows, a life could be saved by that nurse’s opinion.

If you ever find yourself in the E.R. in Doldam Hospital, rest assured that Eun Tak, with his fast hands and quick mind, will do the best for you and your health.

7. SONG HYO SIN

PSYCHIATRY

Hyo Sin is the head nurse that I wish all wards would have, because she is truly the manager every nurse needs. Not only is she handling the nurses under her, she is also dealing with patients and doctors herself, which takes a lot of work, but not once has she complained or been bad towards her subordinates. Oftentimes, nurses quit because of bad management, and usually that management is the head nurses, who are very mean and grew out of true nursing. Usually head nurses nowadays won’t lift a finger and actually help with patients and will only stay in their office under piles of paper, not knowing how the nurses under them are doing.

Hyo Sin is the complete opposite. Not only does she know how skilled her nurses are, but she also helps those nurses who are lacking somewhere and helps doctors and patients. Another great trait of hers is that she doesn’t see her nurses as staff only, but as human beings. She doesn’t only care about how they are doing at work but also about their private lives, because a good nurse is not only a nurse with knowledge but a nurse who leads a good and healthy life.

8. AOTA AOI

LABOR & DELIVERY

This young nurse works on a labor and delivery ward, and I know many of you are thinking about how great that is and how “fruitful” the work is, but oftentimes, it isn’t that beautiful or nice. When I tell everyone that I work on the neonatology ward, they often have smiles on their faces and say how amazing it is to work with babies. Yes, it is amazing, but more amazing would be if all deliveries ended well and all children were healthy, which sadly is not always true.

In this Japanese drama, we can see exactly this aspect of the work on either neonatology or the labor and delivery ward. Just like not everyone is okay with working in psychiatry and possibly losing a patient to suicide or an overdose, not everyone is okay with abortions, stillbirths, or simply bad labor.

This drama may be older, but it portrays the struggles of working in such an environment, because oftentimes it is very sad and difficult.

^{Credits: Incurable Case of Love Photos credits goes to: Tatsuro Tamashiro & Isao Nakamura}