Every November 21 in Argentina, Nursing Day is celebrated, commemorating the founding of the Federation of Catholic Nursing Professional Associations in 1935. HUARPE DIARY spoke with Raimundo Esquivel, a nurse who 30 years ago came from his native Church to provide services in the Pediatrics area of the Doctor Guillermo Rawson Hospital and today dreams of reaching retirement in the place that gave him hundreds of joys and sorrows, but above all everything, as he defines, a family and his second home.
With his impeccable light blue coat, one of the four most senior nurses in the area, first made his corresponding tour through the hallways animated with pleasant drawings to make the stay of the little ones more friendly and through each of the rooms from sector one of the pediatric area, he verified that all the little patients received their medication or found what they needed and finished their daily routine and only then did he sit down with the team of HUARPE DIARY to tell what it is like to carry out the profession that he claims gave him so much.
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Raimundo’s story goes back to when he was a young man of 28 years where necessity, on the one hand, and love for his people, on the other, led him to train in what at that time was a nursing assistant course. “During that year the Jáchal River had overflowed and they were looking for volunteers to serve the people of Buena Esperanza, a place where I am proudly from. The town had been isolated by the flood, so without thinking much, I signed up and started the training,” said the nurse.
He explained that fate or chance made the practice take place in Jáchal and from there he was sent to the City of San Juan, directly to the Rawson Hospital, where it all began, 30 years ago, even though it was not what he was really intended for. had been formed.
When asked why he chose a complex area such as pediatrics, the 58-year-old man responded that although he had the opportunity to work with both adults and children, he stayed with the latter, “because children are special.” “, said the professional in a few words.
During his 30 years as a worker, Raimundo said that the path he chose gave him much more than he expected. “Two years into my service at the hospital, I met a girl who I liked from the first day. At first it was difficult to win her over, but I insisted, the marriage proposal came and today she has been my wife for 28 years and is the mother of my three children, the woman with whom I formed my family when I left Buena Esperanza behind,” he explained with a laugh. shy when remembering how that woman, who started working as an assistant, stole her heart.
However, not all the anecdotes collected during the three decades of work are joys or good memories, in some of them feelings are mixed, such as the patient who arrived from Calingasta and remained hospitalized for several weeks. “They discharged him and I remember that they invited all the staff to the celebration of his 18th birthday in Calingasta and we went there. We spent two days sharing with the family and we returned. A few days later, unfortunately, we found out that he could not cope with the illness he suffered from and died,” he said with a hint of sadness in his voice as he recalled some of the difficult moments of everyday life.
On the other hand, the number of years he has been in the area allowed him to be the nurse who provided medical care to little boys and girls, who today are already parents and come to the service with their children. “I met more than one dad or mom who told me, “you took care of me when I was hospitalized here” and you can imagine that there are so many patients treated that I don’t remember them all, but it is gratifying that they remember you that way and today to be able to care for their little ones,” highlighted the nurse, who says he hopes to retire in pediatrics.
Worried about returning to his work due to the time that had passed, Esquivel took the opportunity to define in words and actions the importance of a nurse and what it takes to work in the sector and in just two words he summarized what his long years of work taught him. . “Love and patience,” he stressed, while preparing medication for a patient and ending the interview.
