An unfamiliar hospital, tense emergencies, moments when tears came before anything else. Sixty-nine new nurses at Bucheon Sejong Hospital captured a year of such experiences in handwritten letters.
Bucheon Sejong Hospital said on the 4th that it recently held a first-anniversary event at Sejong Hall for the 69 new nurses who joined last year. Having spent a year on the front lines — in intensive care units, emergency rooms, angiography rooms, wards, and outpatient clinics — they exchanged handwritten letters with senior and junior colleagues, recognizing each other's efforts.
Kim Sung-hyun, a nurse on the anesthesia recovery team, confessed, "Every moment felt unfamiliar and frightening." She said, "In urgent situations, tears would come first, and I wondered what I could even do here," adding, "I made it this far thanks to seniors who patiently walked me through things and comforted me. I want to become that kind of person too."
Jung Sa-rang, head nurse on the same team, told her juniors, "Just standing here after making it through a year is remarkable in itself." She added, "There will be more overwhelming days ahead, but don't forget that you have colleagues beside you. If you take it one step at a time, at some point you'll find yourself standing tall as a dependable nurse."
Kim Jung-sook, deputy director of nursing, said, "I am proud of the new nurses who took their first steps with a mix of excitement and fear, and have quietly fulfilled their roles." She added, "I hope we become an organization that grows together by leaning on one another."
