What is it like being a nurse?

We ALL know and love a nurse, we all have had experiences with nurses that have made an impact on us, and we all hold nurses in high regard. Nursing is a highly sought after career and has been one of the most respected and trusted professions for some time. But it's hard to know what it's truly like as a nurse, until you are one.

This isn't geared towards those curious and asking, 'what is it like to be a nurse?' Maybe you want to become a nurse and are having a hard time deciding. I know when I was working to get into nursing school people would say how difficult it is, and it seemed very discouraging. This is not to discourage anyone, or give any kind of career advice, this isn't for anyone really. I am writing here, honestly, for me, to consider how I even feel being a registered nurse after 4 years of bedside nursing.

Here are some initial thoughts... nursing is a complex career that seems to really align with one's identity, how you view yourself and how others view you. For example, I received a cup at graduation saying, "I'm a nurse, whats your superpower?" and thought... well that is a high demand, and I am not sure I feel like a superhero- or that I want to be regarded as one. Inherently, nurses are caring and nurturing individuals, but this mixed with essentially being the 'care' in healthcare leads nurses to feelings such as compassion fatigue and burnout. It is interesting to be sort of martyred based on your career choice, and easy to feel guilty if you don't completely feel that it is your 'calling', or struggle with some aspects of nursing and/or the healthcare system in general.

On the other end of nurse propaganda or merchandise, I once saw a woman wearing a sweater that had 'hero' crossed out, and underneath it said 'human' instead. I had a moment of understanding between her and I that likely only nurses (and other first responders) could feel in their bones.

I like knowing that we are all just human.

It's comforting to know, as a nurse, that you are just a human, helping to take care of another human.

Its going to be messy, and fulfilling, and difficult, and confusing, and hard.

It's going to be a lot of very human things, a lot of very vulnerable moments, and a lot of very humanly fluids.

So, what nursing is like? How could I possibly capture something so complicated into a simple blog post?

First, nursing is an amazing career. You meet great people, you take care of great people, and you are invited into intimate and important life moments. You meet strangers that can quickly become so meaningful to you, almost as meaningful as you are to them. It can seem a role reserved for those with the passion and personality to truly care for others, but also it is a career. If you can help patients and their loved ones navigate and survive a rigid healthcare system and keep them safe that is the basics of most bedside nursing- and if you don't like the ooey gooey things (emotionally or physically) there is somewhere to go that is not necessarily bedside- and that is okay too.

Second perk is the security you feel. You will likely always have a job- as we've been hearing about a nursing shortage for the last decade it seems. Not only is there job security, but you come out making good money too. Now I do think this is somewhat of a trap, especially if my career as a nurse is a major part of who I think I am. It seems impossible to disconnect from this once you are in it, luckily there is my next point.

Thirdly, there are so many opportunities for growth, so many additional certifications to receive, and so many different departments to join to find where you fit best. I have only experienced bedside- which is the likely the most common vision you see when considering nursing- but there are many different realms that will have you experiencing much different things. You can be in nursing on the education or administration side of things. You can do 'soft nursing' and care for school children or work in outpatient settings. You can do intensive care or work to save lives on actual helicopters flying in the sky or be out in the field. You can work from home, answering calls for poison control, writing, or working in telehealth. You can go to personal care nursing or home health nursing. Take your pick!

It seems like you can really make your own path or find the best one for you. So, in all nursing is kind of what you make of it- just like anything else. Which is really what I am trying to say to myself as I navigate work and life and try to create a balance of the two, you know, one that feels right in my sweet nursing soul.

Anyway, as I said- this is not to discourage anyone from this career. Let nursing be a steppingstone if you are interested in healthcare and being part of potentially making our systems better or at least more tolerable. This is really a reminder for me, and anyone that may feel like me, to not be discouraged even if you have already made it to your 'career goal' of becoming a nurse. We don't have to stop where we are and we don't have to feel guilty for not completely aligning with our current position.

It's okay to get here and think "okay- do I actually like this? now what?"

Nursing is not a normal job.

This is how I feel as a nurse.

Rarely are we with strangers, stripping down to our most human and inhuman forms while simultaneously being so task oriented and having barely any time to completely take care of it all. Really- it would be nice to have actually have superpowers, to truly ensure everyone is safe and fully cared for.

If nurses really did have superpowers we would be certain to fill in the gaps, we all experience in an imperfect healthcare system.

And while we collectively feel this struggle, we collectively can make a difference, if we are not discouraged.

We don't have to be super; we just have to be human.

With Love,

Nurse It Back