Do you have a "Work You" vs. a "Home You"?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Cardiology.

Confession: At work, I sometimes spend a good portion of my shift making phone calls to doctors, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, lab technicians, patients' family members, etc. Occasionally, some of these people might yell at me or even hang up on me, causing me to have to call them back and fight with them for what my patients want/need. This doesn't really scare me anymore. But whenever I have to order takeout at home, I make someone else do it, because "I'm too shy".

At work, I scrub up every bodily fluid imaginable with a smile on my face, and then go to the break room and eat something that might even slightly resemble whatever was I was just cleaning, and I don't even give it a second thought. I go home and find some dog doo-doo on the floor, and suddenly I'm all, "Ew-ew-ew! I'm NOT touching that! I'll throw up!"

At work, I listen attentively and love hearing about my patients' stories and helping them sort through their feelings (I feel privileged to do so, even!). When I get home and log on Facebook and see a friend whining about something, or my roommate is in a bad mood (again...) I sometimes feel like I have no empathy for them. And I cross my fingers hoping they won't want to talk to me about it. (Burnout on my end, maybe? Or resentment towards them for being attention-seeking?)

I'm not looking for anyone to analyze my examples; I've done that already, but I think it would be fun to hear yours! Ready... GO!

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sure do...... work me is dressed nicely, polite, attentive, uses manners, doesnt cuss, drink or smoke......

home me is just the opposite ;)

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Specializes in MCH,NICU,NNsy,Educ,Village Nursing.

I'm pretty much dull and boring in both locations :). However, when at work, I HAVE to be attentive to the needs/wants of others. At home, not so much. At work, I HAVE to clean up after others. At home, whoever makes the mess cleans the mess up. At home, I can nap. At work, I better not!!!

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At work I keep to myself and don't like to talk much. When I am with my friends, I cannot shutup and am outgoing.

I'll attack a code brown with nary a grimace on my face. My pet ratties produce raisin sized turds and I freak out at the thought of cleaning "that" up.

At work, my pace would win me medals for speed walking. Outside of work, I mosey along - a slug could outrun me.

At work, I am organized. Organization at home? Huh? I waste at least 30 minutes a day trying to locate my car keys.

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At work, I listen attentively and love hearing about my patients' stories and helping them sort through their feelings (I feel privileged to do so, even!). When I get home and log on Facebook and see a friend whining about something, or my roommate is in a bad mood (again...) I sometimes feel like I have no empathy for them. And I cross my fingers hoping they won't want to talk to me about it. (Burnout on my end, maybe? Or resentment towards them for being attention-seeking?)

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Indeed. Sometimes I feel like at work, I use up all my compassion and energy, so when I get home, and someone has a problem, I make the assumption that it is definitely not my problem.

This is really weird too, because I love my job. At work, I love talking to patients and listening to their problems. I dont do it because its "my job" or because I "have to". I just like to do it.

When I get home, it is a whole different ball game. I think I might need to give myself an attitude adjustment!!!

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Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

I also have a sister me, a brother me, a daughter me, a husband me,...............

I think we are different people in every different social interaction.

The core stays the same, but the surface changes. Only those who know you very well know you from the inside out.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

haha absolutely!!

at work/clinical, i always have my poker face on when dealing with "unsavory" bodily situations. at home, if i find a hair on the wall in my shower, i make my husband clean it up. eeew!!

at clinical, when i can still smell the ciggs on a 70 yr old man who has SOB and coughing up bloody sputum, i provide all the tlc i can muster when he is "surprised" by his lung CA dx. outside of clinical? i have told adults smoking in front of children that they are disgusting, selfish a-holes who should know better. and im not sorry for saying so.

you get the point.

i think that when your job forces you (press gainey, pt complaints, professionalism etc) to maintain a loving, poker face for 12 hrs straight, the last thing you want to deal with is a pity party or poo. i think thats ok.

when my fam or friends have needed me in an "emergency", i can jump right back into my RN Costume. more or less like a switch.

.....am i crazy or you too? lol

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Specializes in SNF, Med Surg.

Wow! Thank you all so much for this post and your responses - I thought something was wrong with me and felt so guilty about the home-me. I am so frustrated with people complaining about minor bumps, bruises or other ailments and can I look at it and "fix" it. I do have compassion for people but all of these people telling me about all of their booboos is tiring.

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At work I keep to myself and don't like to talk much. When I am with my friends, I cannot shutup and am outgoing.

I'll attack a code brown with nary a grimace on my face. My pet ratties produce raisin sized turds and I freak out at the thought of cleaning "that" up.

At work, my pace would win me medals for speed walking. Outside of work, I mosey along - a slug could outrun me.

At work, I am organized. Organization at home? Huh? I waste at least 30 minutes a day trying to locate my car keys.

My boyfriend says he doesn't believe I am like that! grrr. He sees that at my house my room is not the neatest place. But I've tried to tell him that my workplace at ALL of the jobs I've ever had have always been spotless. I know exactly where every type of needle/syringe/etc is on my medication cart at work because the first thing I do after report is organize the jumbled up mess I've been handed. I know exactly which drawer to find 3ml syringes, 5mls, 10ml, flushes, iv start kits, flushes, etc. They never mix. haha

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Definately. I'm very decisive at work, not so much at home. I'm not super emotional, ya I'm a sappy mommy who crys every school year on the first day of school. I could go on.

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Specializes in I/DD.

It was all I could do to muster up some sympathy for my friend who "is in sooo much pain it takes me 20 minutes to get out of bed" after a lap chole, when I am about to take care of a guy who had heart surgery yesterday and had ambulated around the nurses station 4x by 7am. Sternotomy trumps 4 incisions so small I usually have a hard time finding them....

Of course I have never had any kind of surgery and I am sure she is in a lot of pain, but still....

At work I get antsy if I sit down for more than 15 minutes to put an assessment in the computer. At home I am the laziest person you could meet.

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Specializes in Rehab, critical care.

haha, interesting post. I mean, I'm pretty much the same person, but I'm definitely more patient with my patients than I am with my husband lol, but that is just natural. I treat my husband well, but if he asked me to do the things my patients asked me to do, I would be slightly annoyed lol. He can do for himself whereas my patients can't.

And, yes, like you, I am much more assertive at work than I am when I am at a store. I guess I just care about my patients more than I do about myself? lol. Not really..I just know that it's much more important that my patients get what they need, care-wise, than it is for me to get my pizza on time. I don't say, "where's that pizza? I need it now" b/c my life doesn't really rely on it lol. Good post, fun!

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