random post: comparing roles of nurses and doctors to stereotypical parenting....

Funny, I was just thinking about this post. I think it is really hard to explain what nursing is...I have a hard time defining it myself and I aspire to be one! It's one of those things that only a person who has worked alongside/as a nurse can really understand. You have to have been in that environment. It's not like engineering where you have a specific thing you are fixing. Neither is it like medecine, where your aim is really to diagnose the problem the patient is having (problem solving, using all your science knowledge to figure out the problem and the solution). What is nursing? How do you explain it to someone? How do you explain how busy, backbreaking, frustrating, and rewarding caring for other people is? It's not just wiping a butt...the job encompasses so many different things. Yes, part of it is maintaining a person's hygeine, making beds, etc. Other parts of it are dispensing meds, patient teaching, etc. Nursing just encompasses so many things...I can't even explain it. You are so many roles, some good, some not so good. You are the eyes and ears of the physician- you have to be on top of every single change in condition.

I was talking with a friend of mine who is in nursing school. She used to use the metaphor of parents to describe the role of nursing and medecine. In this metaphor, the traditional, stereotypical bread-winner role of dad is the metaphorical "physician." This person has an EXTREMELY important role in the running of a household and the upbringing of children (comparable to the running of a health care facility and the well-being of patients). This person has to bring home the money. Without the money, nothign else can really be done. this is comparable to the doctor's diagnosis and the doctor's solution.

Then there is the role of nurse, the stereotypical stay at home mom. This is a role that takes on many forms and changes daily and based on the children's (patient in the metaphor) needs. Some days, the mother can feel like a housekeeper, doing the tasks at hand. Other days, the mother can feel like a psychologist, getting at the emotional heart of the child. Mother's play many different roles. Sometimes they are detectives, friends, baby-sitters, scientists, etc. They do a lot of seemingly unrelated tasks for the sake of their children. With other children, mothers may have to focus tough love. Just as in nursing, the role is not necessarily defined. Just as with stay at home moms, people generally understimate the difficulty of the job until they are in that situation. Just as with stay at home moms, there doesn't tend to be a lot of respect.

The father has a general idea of what problems the child is facing (aka the doctor has a general idea of what problems the patient is facing). For example, my father knew I was disorganized. My mother was the one physically there, helping me find my lost papers/items and lecturing me on how to do better next time.

A child needs both roles in their life...just as a patient needs both roles.

Just an interesting way of thinking about it....thought I'd share.

I know it's really random...but it got me thinking....

don't mind me, it's been a long day and I just thought I'd share and see your thoughts....