30 Seconds and a Hallway

by Jennifer Logbeck, a JCCC nursing student

Walk in the door, your badge it swipes,
Get the report, grab the wipes.
You're on the clock, you're on the run,
Room #4 needs meds, don't forget the insulin.

30 seconds and a hallway,
Compose yourself, don't let the chaos show.

You're being paged, to Room #2,
Patient collapsed, now it's code blue.
Start compressions, grab the AED,
Just minutes to stop death, if it's to be.

30 seconds and a hallway,
Compose yourself, don't let the fear show.

Down the hall, into another room,
Just in time to catch a father's swoon.
First-time parents, it's a boy!!
Laughter, delight, the ultimate joy!

30 seconds and a hallway,
Compose yourself, don't let the happiness show.

Last door on the left not a sound in the room,
Lights are dimmed, somber as a tomb.
Family is gathered, a last breath gone as a sigh,
A life fully lived; this was its last goodbye.

30 seconds and a hallway,
Compose yourself, don't let the heartbreak show.

From birth to death, you see it all,
You heard the calling; you answered the call.
From sunup to sundown, you give of your best,
And for your patients you won't stop until they find rest.

30 seconds and a hallway,
Compose yourself, they never taught you this in school.