What does loyalty mean to you?
Loyalty manifests in various ways. Some people may be direct in their portrayal of loyalty and others, not so much. I recently had an encounter with a subtle manifestation of loyalty.
I just concluded one of my many clinical postings and the nurses in every ward I visited had varying attitudes. The matron in the very last ward I visited was one of a kind. My first impression of this very matron was “this woman is very loud and derogatory” because after I introduced myself and stated my purpose for being in the pediatrics ward, she was already spitting out orders, mentioning her personal likes and dislikes and generally being a menace to the patients, the patients relatives and the staff.
I've encountered people who act way worse than this matron does and staying in their good books is always the best bet, so I made up my mind to stay on my lane unless asked to carry out a procedure or when asked to present a case, just to be on the safe side. What was five days in a unit that I couldn't survive? My first day in that unit felt very long. To the left, the matron was yelling and to the right, patients were grimacing. Overwhelming would be the perfect word to describe that day. By the end of my first day in that unit, I was convinced that getting into the matron's bad books was literally a life sentence.
The second day in the unit followed the same pattern as the first day with maybe a little more dose of humiliation to go. I was there to learn and humiliation is one way to ensure a student gets a message so I didn't mind. However, I was confident that this matron was a terrible person because who else derives so much joy from making the lives of everyone around you miserable. I cannot begin to count the number of arguments this matron got into during my short stay in her unit. Majority of the time she claimed to be right and always had past experiences to back up her argument.
My presumption came to halt on the third day when the matron went all out for one of her patients. “As a nurse, one’s primary responsibility is to save lives and if one cannot carry out this task to the optimum, then one isn't fit to be labeled a nurse”, this was something the matron kept repeating and on my third day in that unit, I saw the words come to life. There was a child who went into a critical state during our shift and I had never seen anyone tremble as much as this matron trembled. She reached out to the doctor on call but he was tending to kids in a different unit and was most likely not going to make it in time. In such a situation, the nurse is supposed to attempt to stabilize the patient, keeping in mind the strict hospital policies to avoid going against such policies.
This matron who always acted as if every single person below her was inferior. The matron that couldn't have a proper conversation with you without making you look like the bad person and she, the saint. The same matron who made it known that she was not going to go against her policies irrespective of whether a patient’s life was at stake or not actually went against her values. Damming the consequences, she did what needed to be done at that moment, saving the little boy’s life in the nick of time. Good thing she had over two decades worth of experience up her sleeves.
At this very moment, what many people would assume would be “she did wrong for saving the boy's life in the absence of the doctor” which is a grave crime, but what I saw was a clear demonstration of loyalty and dedication. Loyalty to her patient, her oath, her profession, her community and the world at large.
The matron with the terrible attitude is a loyal lady and loyalty is one of the rarest qualities one can possess in the world today. You may think that I perceived her attitude wrong and this matron isn't such a terrible person after all. Maybe you're right and maybe I'm wrong.
Like every other thing, loyalty is often tested in today’s fast-paced world and having loyal people in your space is one of the best things that can happen to you.
YouTube
“Stand by Me” by Ben E. King talks about loyalty and how it manifests. A timeless and soothing classic that easily became one of my very favourite songs to listen to. The song not only talks about loyalty but devotion, perseverance, friendship and support. An iconic masterpiece in my opinion.
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