Identity as a nurse.

[dudette10]

There are certain professions in which identity as that profession is obtained over time: police officer, firefighter, teacher, doctor, nurse. It seems to be limited to those professions in which the skills are difficult to translate to another profession.

Some people in those occupations never absorb it as part of their identity, and I do not believe that that determines their competence. It's just an internal evolution. Nothing to make a goal nor avoid. It just is.

So this leads me to my question. If part of your identity is being a nurse, can you recall when and why it happened. If not, why not? I'm very interested in everyone's perspective.

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

I don't have RN on my license plate, coffee cup, or stationery.

It provides me an income just like any other job. Being a nurse does not influence the choices I make, or the way I think, when I exit the hospital.

All my best qualities, and the things about myself I'm most proud, were instilled in me long before I became a nurse. Thanks Mom and Dad.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I get asked in depositions, "How long has it been since you were a nurse?" "I am a nurse. I have been a nurse since nineteen-mumblemumble," I say. No, the attorney often says, when was the last time that I worked "as a nurse"? I say, "I am working as a nurse right now, today. This is nursing, this is the nursing process: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation of care for a person with health needs." They get flustered. They flail around until they give me the opportunity to answer that nursing isn't all injections, bedside care, and dressings.

So when someone asks me what I am, I always say I'm a mom, I'm a grandmother, I'm a wife, and I'm a nurse. It's what I do, but it is also what I am. It's been like that since I can remember.

[vintage_RN, BSN, RN]

"Nurse" is absolutely part of my identity. I honestly can't put a finger on when it started. I'm as proud of my identity as a nurse as I am of my identity as a mother. I love my career choice and have worked very hard to get where I am. I can't imagine ever doing anything else. I respect those who don't have nurse in their identity, but I know I could not be the nurse that I am without that sense of identity. I know other people have major issues with people always asking them medical questions, but that is not the case with me. I love being able to help people even if it is just gently directing them to see a doctor.

This is exactly how I feel too.

[singingtothewheat]

The first time I advocated for a patient and it wasn't popular with some of my peers. I remember feeling that "this" is what a good nurse does. It ended up turning out well and when it was all said and done I felt sure that "nursing" was where I needed to be.

[SleeepyRN]

It happened for me in nursing school. My last year. I remember when I would talk about nursing to my husband I would unknowingly use the word "we" when referring to nurses. I didn't have experience or a whole heck of knowledge, but someone always has more of that than you. In clinical, I collaborated with the healthcare team, I used the nursing process and I cared for the person's body, mind and spirit. One day I just knew "I'm a nurse."

[loveandnyc]

This thread is great!

I can clearly remember the first time I became aware that I was unconsciously "thinking like a nurse". In my last semester of nursing school (a loooooong time ago), I was in a supermarket checkout line and noticed that the elderly woman in front of me was breathing heavily (pursed lips) - then I noted her nailbeds (a tinge cyanotic) and clubbed nails. I distinctly remember thinking ... "hmm COPD".

I was two weeks out of nursing school back in 2006, I was not even certified yet and still studying for my boards... On my way home one afternoon while driving on the freeway I witnessed a motorcycle flip in the air and propel the driver. I avoided the crash with my car then reversed it to protect and shield the motorcyclist body. I ran out of my car and assessed the guy like a patient, and also directed the men who pulled over what to call for help and what to do like divert traffic (those nosey drivers!) away from the scene (because cars were literally driving up against us to see what happened)... It was instinct to help and then go into the ABC's of nursing... it also happened the next day I had an ER interview at Kaiser, Oakland... Your story triggered this memory... It was the first time I too, unguided and unconciously thought like a nurse in an open setting outside of the protection of nursing school, clinical instructors, and teachers.

Thanks for sharing!

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

I appreciate that you stated that (in your opinion) identifying yourself as a nurse doesn't define whether you can give competent care. I think some people that think nurses all were drawn to the field out of a calling to be a nurse and it pervades every aspect of their existence. I also feel like some nurses look down on others that don't feel the same calling. I'm coming into nursing as a second career and while I think I can provide competent nursing care, it doesn't define who I am, it's just one more part of my life.