Somebody has to start the IV, calm the patient in room four and find the chart that walked off on its own, and in this collection that somebody has fur, fins or a shell. Nurses puts an animal in the uniform every time, cap pinned, red cross front and center, holding the reward that waits at the end of a long shift.
Clocked out and still in scrubs
The Penguin Nurse stands at attention in blue scrubs, stethoscope around his neck, cap on straight and a foaming mug in his flipper like he just badged out and dares anyone to page him. The Squirrel Nurse wears the same scrubs with a little more nerve, cap tipped, stethoscope looped, a mug in one paw and a bottle in the other, because nurses do not do anything one thing at a time. The Dog Nurse sits inside his own banner, a round brown face under a red cross cap with a bottle on each side, wearing the calm expression of someone who has seen everything twice and charted it once.
Night shift from the shoreline
CrabCare Nurse scuttles in sideways in a white cap and an apron stamped with red crosses, a beer in each claw and the medical bag parked right beside him. He is ready for rounds and ready for after rounds, in that order, with the paperwork done. The Nurse-Whale rises out of a splash of blue water with a heart floating beside it and a golden mug held high, which is exactly how it feels to reach the parking lot after a double.
For the one who keeps everyone standing
You know the one. She eats lunch at four in the afternoon, standing up, and still asks how your mom is doing. He can find a vein in the dark and tells hospital stories at dinner like they are weather reports. They come home, kick off the good shoes, and finally sit down for the first time since sunrise. Match the critter to the bedside manner: the steady penguin, the squirrel who juggles everything, the crab who shows up with supplies. Hand it over and watch them laugh, because that is SO them. The crab has already volunteered for the holiday shift. The penguin called dibs on the break room couch.
Written by Liam. Thanks for reading.
