Not everyone in the chronic illness world is a fan of The Fault in Our Stars. Is it perfect? Nope. Is it improbable? Yup. But hey, it’s more probable than The Notebook or other books with white kissing couples on the front.
The movie was great in my opinion, but I read the book first and would encourage everyone to do so. One of the big reasons is for this deleted scene I’m about to show you – kids talking about problems in health care.
(Watch from 0:40 to 1:29 for the more relevant bit)
Nurse to the newly blind Issac: “You’ll get over her Issac. It just takes a little bit of time. You’ll see.”
Issac: “Is he gone?”
Hazel: “Yeah,”
I: “Did he seriously just say ‘you’ll see’?”
H: “Yes he did.”
I: “Nice.”
H: “Qualities of a Good Nurse: Go.”
I: “1. Doesn’t pun on your disability, that would be the first one.”
H: “2. Gets blood on the first try.”
I: “YES. Oh man, I’m always like ‘dude, I’m not a voodoo doll. Stop poking me.'”
H: “3?”
I: “No condescending voice, that would definitely be 3”
H: “Ugh. You mean like, ‘Hi sweetie I’m going to poke you with this extremely sharp object. You might feel a tiny little pinch.’”
I: “Exactly. Good voice.”
Let’s add to this list of qualities a good nurse has:
- Doesn’t pun on your disability
- Gets blood on the first try
- No condescending voice
- Has empathy and compassion
- Respect for all patients
- Attention to details like, you know, what you’re allergic to
- Actually listens to you and takes down what you say
- Can do small talk without seeming too annoying/annoyed
- Isn’t afraid to integrate technology into taking care of you
- Appreciates patients who may know more about their condition than they do
What would you add to this list?