I think a common denominator among all who are in the field of nursing (and that field includes the RN, LPN, CNA, tech, and student) is the notion that one human being caring for another has a god-like quality to it. It’s powerful to be able to care. And that power is addicting.
This isn’t a religious post by any means, but I find it nearly impossible to not use religious terminology when describing what I mean (along with a lot of drug metaphors). What I’m saying is that nursing has a way of lifting one up onto a pedestal that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world. And who doesn’t want a pedestal?
Think about it: say the name, Mother Teresa, and what connotation comes to mind? A Gallup poll just released has us number one in public opinion for honesty and ethics. That’s a hard halo to take off. It fits comfortably on our egos, and thus we become addicted to our halos. I know taking off mine would require an intervention.
Look, you can hate the job. You can hate God because He gave you the job. You can hate the universe for conspiring to dump you into nursing. You can even abhor a hard shift or an idiot patient, co-worker, manager, or CEO, and yet, even through all of that, you still want the R.N. after your name. You still want the scrub and stethoscope image. A person leaves nursing or retires and what do they do? They keep their license active, and say, “I’m still a nurse.” A person becomes an NP or a CRNA, and what’s the first thing they say? “I’m a nurse, too!”
The root of the addiction is simply this: as a nurse or CNA, or Tech, or nursing student, we know we are better than we were before. We are higher than we were before. We are greater, and we are closer to Glory than we were before. We look around at this cold and callus world, and we know we’re above it. We do what others cannot and will not do, and what we do is unquestionably good and unquestionably right. So how do you reject that professional heroin when the syringe is offered to you?
Sure, we have to get paid, and we want all the dollars God dang well owes us for what he’s made us into. And everyone has to eat. But the fact remains, and we know this down deep, if there was some cataclysm and the economy dried up tomorrow, and no one had a cent to give us. We’d be nurses in our communities for free, because we can’t walk away. It’s what we want to do with our time. It validates our existence. The practice of nursing makes us who we are—even if we hate every moment of it.
In the human heart there will always be a compulsion to reach out and touch the Divine. Who can deny that nursing is the delivery device for that experience, and who can deny it addicts you from the very first hit. Jesus called it “loving our neighbor.” He said, “I was sick and you cared for me.” He points to our profession directly in the story of the Good Samaritan. So even if you think you’re in control, it seems there’s a Christ on every corner when you’re trying to get home.
Now, I know I’ve broken the rule. I know in a forum no one reads a post this long. I certainly wouldn’t. But if you have, I appreciate it, and I hope I’ve made the point I was trying to communicate, which is simply this: If you didn’t just say, “No!” way back when, then you’re addicted now. There’s no getting away from it, even if you want to. Love is power, and once you feel the power you can’t let it go.
I hope others in here will follow my lead, stand up, grab the sides of the lectern, and say the well-worn line: “Hi, my name is …, and I’m a nurse.”
And every one says? ….
Now, tell the forum what first addicted you. And remember, the key to recovering is to first admit you have a problem.
