Introduced as "The Nurse"

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Do you ever go places with your family, and they introduce you as "the nurse" or "the RN"?

I have just graduated last week and my husbands family took me several places (restaurants, church, family reunion) this weekend. When it was time to introduce me to the new people, I was introduced like this:

"This is my daughter in law - the RN". OK, first I was correcting them saying that I am not an RN yet. Then it got old after the first 10 times. Then I thought it was funny. I mean those people don't know my name or anything else about me, but they know that I am an "RN". I guess that has become my name now. I know that they are proud of me, because nobody in their family has ever went to college, so I am honored by that.

How about you guys? Am I alone with this?

Specializes in critical care; community health; psych.

It is very flattering... at first. Just wait till your family calls you for every little thing and expects you to know EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING medical. Last week my BIL had my sister call me after midnight for a problem he was having. He told her "I want service" when she told him I was probably asleep. You may be a cardiac nurse but they'll assume you are well versed on the fine points of cosmetic surgery. They just don't get it. At least my family doesn't, God love'em. It gets exhausting.

A large part of our job is education and directing people to the right resources. Be prepared to direct family members to websites like Web MD. Believe me, it gets out of hand. Sorry if I got a little off topic. Sometimes I wish I was just plain old me without the trailer RN.

Specializes in Home Health, Case Management, OR.

That is funny! I am still pre-nursing and the DON has addressed me as "Nurse Erika" at work (too bad she was trying to get me to assist with an impaction!!) If someone around me has a health question they say "You're the nurse, what is..blah blah blah". I just laugh and say not yet! But I do take it as a compliment!

Specializes in ER, CCU.

this is the truth!!!

I have 2 semesters left of nursing school. I'm a 5 year BSN and even before i was in the nursing program i was hounded by relatives asking when are you going to be done, why aren't you done with school yet, i was like it's been 2 years i'm in a program that at leasts takes 4. I get so tired of the questions, my brothers, were never hounded like i am.

My grandmother does the same thing and i haven't even graduated, this is Sarah she's a nurse, i'm like not yet, she's like well almost!!!

it cracks me up, but she totally dosn't understand that i work at a hospital and then i still have to go to clinical and they are 2 different things. She's like are you goin to work i'm like yes. Are you in pediatrics, i'm like no that's clinical i work in the ED!! it goes both ways, i can't get anyone to understand the actual process of nursing school...lol!!

Specializes in Pediatrics, Dialysis.

Hope you are getting use to it. When I first completed my degree and they introduced me as the nurse I thought it was so cute, but it tired soon. Then once I thought about it, nurses are held in very high regards in general as a profession, so it's your family's way of acknowledging your accomplishments and how proud they are. Welcome to the field. :welcome:

Specializes in Education, Administration, Magnet.
for the 32 years i have been on this earth ;i have never been called by my name when it comes to family and friends ..they have always called me "ben's daughter".. my dad is one of those people that knows everyone every where...he is very respected and very well liked...when i graduated nursing school in 1999 , i thought for sure i would get at least some respect or maybe people could start calling me by my name...but now i'm known as "ben's daughter , the nurse":uhoh3::uhoh3::uhoh3::uhoh3:

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

I can't say that's happened to me too often. All of my family members' friends seem to know that I am a nurse, but I have never noticed being introduced as "my cousin, the nurse". I bet your MIL talks about you to those people when you're not there, and when you're there to finally meet them, she pulls out the "this is my DIL, the nurse!". As in "this is the one I was telling you about!". Maybe? I dunno. Just a thought. :nurse:

Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

I got it all the time when I first got out of nsg sch from family, friends, strangers, you name it. Now my family knows better than to come to me with their personal (and I mean VERY personal) problems. Well, maybe DH, but he doesn't count. Unless he's trying to get me to take out an ingrown toenail. I draw the line there.

My friends still tell me their stuff sometimes and sometimes it's more than I want to know. And the OB nurse in me wants to know all the details about all my friends things. I don't usually ask unless it's a great friend and then they're usually telling me even before I can ask.

Specializes in Med/Surg, Geri, Ortho, Telemetry, Psych.

i would be proud. could be worse, you could be introduced as "the bum", "big one", "the easy one", or my favorite (and the only one that i ever heard myself), "the one who quit school after her lpn instead of going for her rn...tsk..tsk..".:madface: :angryfire :madface: :angryfire :madface: :angryfire :madface: :angryfire :madface: :angryfire :madface: :angryfire

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

They sound proud. They'll quite soon enough. :)

I don't get that too much. Although my mom did tell me that she met another lady in J.C. Penny's whose daughter was a nurse. I was like...."Um, why are you telling strangers at the mall that I'm a nurse?" :)

It's good to have family that's proud of you!

+ Add a Comment