I Am a Critical Care Nurse Lisa Torres, RN, is a critical

care travel nurse in intensive care unit and emergency department settings.

Why did you become a nurse? I am a firefighter’s daughter. I learned values like public safety and helping my community at a very young age. I became an emergency medical technician (EMT) at the age of 18, and I loved it. The first time I stepped into a hospital to work, I felt like I was a part of something big. I felt like I had finally found what I was meant to do: be there for people in their time of need. Also, I am an adrenaline junky! What about your job as a nurse makes you happy? I am truly happy when I can sit with patients and hold their hand and help them find comfort when their family or friends can’t be there. I have mostly worked in Florida during my nursing career, caring for a lot of elderly patients who do not have family in the area. The times I feel proudest of what I do are not the codes or the big traumas, but when I can stand in for a stranger’s family member. When a patient confides in me and relies on me, I am the happiest. Tell us about an extraordinary experience you’ve had as a critical care nurse. The human body is truly an extraordinary apparatus. The way patients recover from situations that even the most experienced physicians say they should not recover from is unbelievable. I think the most extraordinary thing about patients recovering from these situations is their desire to live and fight for life. What are the challenges you encounter and how do you overcome them? I am an emotional person and sometimes it is hard for me to keep it together. I overcome that by remembering I am here to help my patients through their weakest moments. They are looking to me for ©2014 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4037/ccn2014895

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guidance. If I seem worried or concerned, they are going to feel worried or concerned too. I want to encourage hope and be someone my patients can rely on. So on a daily basis I remind myself that I need to be an anchor for my patients and their families and that getting too emotional will just make a bad situation worse. What has your journey as a nurse been like? A journey for sure! I started as an EMT and worked as an EMT in the emergency department. After I graduated nursing school, I worked in the emergency department as a nurse. Then I transitioned to the intensive care unit. About a year ago I decided to become a critical care travel nurse. I made this decision to do some traveling but I have found a whole new reason to continue as a travel nurse: using my experience, knowledge, and skills in so many places across the United States is very rewarding. Taking care of patients is fulfilling in itself, but the bonus of sharing my knowledge with a whole group of other nurses in a small town facility is amazing. I am not just working my 12-hour shift; I feel like I am leaving a piece of myself at each facility. I love to learn, especially when a whole group can benefit from it. At the end of a busy day, how do you find balance in your life? I come home to the cutest, most lovable floppy-eared dog in the world. Daisy brings so much joy to my life. She is experiencing this travel adventure with me and she loves every moment of it. My days off include hiking, lazy days on the couch, and sightseeing. I am currently planning a trip to Yellowstone National Park. How has AACN played a role in your career? What I love most about being an AACN member is being able to access research so easily. I know what I am supposed to do in my job and to be able to back that up with evidence-based practice published in AACN journals is crucial to ensure that I am doing the right thing for my patients and for the right reasons. The next step for me is to become certified. I am studying for the CCRN exam now! CCN I Am a Critical Care Nurse features the extraordinary in a critical care nurse’s ordinary experiences. To be featured in this department, contact Critical Care Nurse via e-mail at [email protected].

Vol 34, No. 1, FEBRUARY 2014

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I Am a Critical Care Nurse Lisa Torres Crit Care Nurse 2014, 34:84. doi: 10.4037/ccn2014895 © 2014 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Published online http://www.cconline.org

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Critical Care Nurse is the official peer-reviewed clinical journal of the American Association ofCritical-Care Nurses, published bi-monthly by The InnoVision Group 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656. Telephone: (800) 899-1712, (949) 362-2050, ext. 532. Fax: (949) 362-2049. Copyright © 2011 by AACN. All rights reserved. Downloaded from http://ccn.aacnjournals.org/ at SCIENCE PERIODICALS on June 10, 2015

I am a critical care nurse.

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