Poetry in Practice

Some nurses relax and unwind by exercising. Others paint or draw. Registered nurse Rosalinda Garza relaxes with another creative outlet – writing poetry.

Garza has been writing poetry since she was 7 years old, and over the years, has created a substantial collection.

Garza earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from The University of Texas School of Nursing at Houston in 1997. She put her education into practice, working at a number of hospitals including Ben Taub General Hospital, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital and The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

From 1987 to 1994, Garza was a full-time staff/charge nurse in the cardiac and transplant intensive care units at St. Luke’s. She worked as a full-time staff nurse in the neurological ICU from 1994 to 1995 at Ben Taub. There, she cared for critically ill patients with head and neck injuries and neurological disorders. From 1996 to 2001, Garza worked as a patient access supervisor and in the new patient referral office at M.D. Anderson.

“Nursing has its own rewards that cannot be measured financially,” Garza said. “It’s the satisfaction of knowing that I played a role in helping someone else on the road to recovery or through their disease process that makes it all worth it for me.”

Linda Kraft-Soniat, associate director for patient business services at M.D. Anderson, and one of Garza’s former supervisors, supported Garza’s role as a business center supervisor, because her career included a well-rounded combination of nursing, case management, insurance and authorization.

Kraft-Soniat said Garza is a dedicated nurse who exemplifies a great work ethic.

Currently, Garza is a full-time ICU agency nurse. While caring for critically ill patients in a variety of Houston ICU settings, she is able to choose her own schedule, allowing for other interests, like writing a book of poetry and entering her compositions in contests. A sampling of Garza’s prose can be viewed online by visiting http://www.poetry.com. She was recently nominated for the Web site’s 2002–2003 “Editor’s Choice” Poet of the Year, and traveled to Washington D.C. to accept the award. Only 1,500 poems were chosen out of 4.6 million entries.

“Poetry has truly been a therapeutic outlet over the years,” Garza said.

One of her poems, “Nursing from the Heart,” praises the nursing profession.

“The poem shows my appreciation for my colleagues and all their hard work. After all, caregivers need care, too!”

Nursing From the Heart

Caring beyond expectations.
That’s what they say.
It’s not something we were taught,
We were just born that way!

Going the extra mile,
What the heck – make it two!
Caring for people from all walks of life,
People just like me and you.

We’re nurses with an extra touch,
An attentive ear,
A caring smile.
We love to comfort those in need,
Healing hands ...
Hey, that’s just our style!

To us it is not “just a job,”
It’s more like poetry in motion.
When the wind of change is not at our command,
We readjust our sails and travel with life’s ocean.

Far be that day in health care reform,
That would ask us to have a silent ear,
Toward the pleas of masses, young and old,
We’ll partake in none of that – is that clear?

For nursing is more than a healing science,
It’s a masterpiece, a rare art!
It’s knowing we made a difference ...
By simply caring ... from the HEART.

– Rosalinda Garza, R.N., (c) 1992
Written as a farewell token to staff and
patients at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital
and the Texas Heart Institute

E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/05_01_03/page_17.html