Just a Nurse

“You’re such a good nurse. Why don’t you go back to school and be a doctor?”

This is a question that I’ve been asked so many times in my career.

The answer? I love what I do. I’m good at what I do. I don’t need to have a higher degree to be good at my job. I love my job. I have no desire to be an administrator or nurse practitioner or PA or MD. I’m fully convinced that I could be any of those. I’m smart. I’m good at school. I’m great at taking tests. I could do any of those things if I chose to.

I don’t choose to.

I choose to be “just a nurse”.

I choose to be “just a (great) nurse.”

I choose to be just the nurse that advocates for your mother when she’s being misdiagnosed by the sleep deprived ER doc. I choose to be just the nurse that holds the hand of the dying hospice patient that doesn’t have family members. I choose to be just the nurse that recognizes the symptoms of heart attack in the patient that signed in to triage with “back pain”. I choose to be just the nurse that can get that IV on your child in one stick. I choose to be just the nurse that can sneak a peek at your chest X-ray and notify the doc that you have pneumonia. I choose to be the nurse that counsels your alcohol poisoned child on the dangers of substance abuse. I choose to be just the nurse that holds your hand and comforts you when you have heard the worst news of your life. I choose to be just  the nurse that you hug when you hear that your loved one is going to be ok. I choose to be just the nurse that you remember being there for you years later, but don’t remember her name. I choose to be just the nurse that your doctor trusts. I choose to be just the nurse that you want to be there when you come to the ER.

I choose to be “just the nurse” that can stay at home with my kids and not worry about student loans or deadlines or papers due. I choose to be “just the nurse” that isn’t replying to emails when she’s off or making up a schedule or replying to patient complaints or  studying PI reports. (No offense meant for those that choose this path. You guys make my job easier and I have the greatest respect for you. It’s just not my choice.)

I choose to be just the nurse that does her job the best way she can and goes home to her family and leaves the rest of it at the hospital.

I choose to be just the nurse.

#loveanurse #ADN #RN #RNforLife #justthenurse #heddyandherthoughts