Don’t believe nurses are athletes? Think again.

It’s 5:45am. Derek snoozes his first alarm and is up by the second, ready to shower and grab breakfast. By 6:30, he’s out the door and on the way to his shift at the hospital.

He clocks in, quickly scanning the nurses log left over from the night before. He’ll start with four patients, spread across the long wing of Park Ridge East. Derek starts by checking vitals for each, recording notes as he goes.

Within the hour, a family shows up and Derek prepares to discharge his second patient. Again, he checks vitals, monitoring for a variety of stimuli, mentally keeping track of each.

Everything from a patient’s prescriptions, to eating schedule, to fluid intake, to heart rate is in his court.

Throughout the day, he’s got reference points of course, but Derek is the primary keeper of all analyzing tools. Everything from a patient’s prescriptions, to eating schedule, to fluid intake, to heart rate is in his court; one missed shot could be a life.

The morning flies by, and he grabs a quick bite before his patients turn over again, three new, and one that will stay overnight. Derek takes a breath and prepares for the next half of his shift as he strides down the hall. Even if he’s exhausted, he knows he has to push through. He’s the last line of defense for his patients.

He walks in to find one of his patient’s heart rate rapidly increasing, the family in a panicked terror. But this is no time to react with emotion. He relies on his instinct and his training, his years of training, and quickly places the solution.

He relies on his instinct and his training, his years of training, and quickly places the solution.

The patient’s heart rate steadied, he goes to check on his other new patients. As he walks the hall, a dull pain rings in his calves with each step. Derek grits his teeth and continues; only two hours left. After his patients are secured, he preps linens for the next shift, records all his patients’ info, checks in with the doctor on shift, and clocks out.

Thirteen hours down, finally home on the couch, he decompresses before meal prep for the next day. He packs ample protein, relaxes for a bit, and gets in bed by 10 to do it all again.

The next day, Derek is there helping, pushing, protecting his patients, and he does it with a smile.