“I am (NOT) just a nurse”

I caught myself typing it, but It was too late. The post was published to the cyber community. In one swift action I had erased the hard work and commitment of thousands of my colleagues over years of duty and service. I had called myself “just a nurse”. How shameful!
Let me explain…
The role of the nurse predates the 19th century, the term “nurse” comes from the Latin word “to suckle”, when mothers traditionally outsourced breast feeding to another woman, known as a “wet nurse”. From the 16th century the term was used to refer to those who cared for the infirmed. Florence Nightingale arguably was the most famous nurse of all time, forming nursing into meaningful career move forever more.
I was 17 and a half when I entered the NHS, I owe so much of my knowledge and career to the practice of other nurses. I sat in awe of advanced nurse practitioners who prescribed medicines and interpreted blood test results, no different from their doctor counterparts. I watched on, inspired by the nurses who wrapped blankets with such tenderness to our frail and impaired members of society and ensure they sipped on warm drinks in the winter months. I desperately wanted to be like the nurse who warmly embraced the gentleman who had just lost his wife. I fought back tears of emotion as a 3rd year student on the district, watching this moment unfold, as his wife lay peacefully in the bed where we had just finished her last offices. More than a decade on, I remain motivated and dazzled by the remarkable work of my nursing colleagues.
The nurses of today are delivering care that is more complex that it’s ever been. Most service users receiving healthcare will rarely turn up with a simple case of “well controlled diabetes”, they come with a multitude of issues. The nurse will understand that the diabetes is being impacted by the pancreatic cancer, that is now affecting the existing lung condition, for which they are getting side effects from the medications but can’t be switched to another prescription because the diabetes has damaged the kidneys, meaning that another medication would damage it further. And this is just the physical impact. I haven’t even started on how this might affect them from a psychological or social perspective. These are the customers that nurses will dutifully care for.
Nurses are specialists in their fields, in addition to the traditional care giver role, they educate and plan for the best possible outcomes. Their passion is improving the quality of the lives of those under their care, often doing so in a toxic, under resourced and poorly staffed environment. A nurse is a compassionate friend who has the skills to switch your mentality from helpless and broken, to a state of healing. You will make it through some of your most difficult and vulnerable moments in life thanks to the compassion of a nurse. They will advocate for you, and on many occasions save your life. They are the heart and soul of the health care system.
Nurses fill a huge array of essential roles, nurses are everywhere, they work in hospitals, schools, prisons, people’s homes, care homes, research labs, cruise ships, clinics, and universities. Yet, there is a complete misunderstanding of the role, that results in devaluing nursing as a profession. The realities and complexities are poorly understood by those outside of the nursing family. To fulfil these roles, nurses of today are university educated, highly competent, knowledgeable, skilled professionals leading in care.
As a nation, we are surrounded by notable and influential nurses who are occasionally recognised by an MBE or some other sort of award. The rest have the simple job satisfaction of knowing that in the words of LL COOL J they are “doin’ it and doin’ it well.”
How can we influence public perception of nurses, when even I am not shouting from the rooftops of what the profession is? Its no wonder people would rather take healthcare advice from their friend who once did a first aid course in 1996 than the nurse standing in front of them. So, let me say it NURSES ROCK!
Everyone will need a nurse one day. When you do, if you haven’t already, you will appreciate that we are NEVER just a nurse. I am a nurse, and I am proud of the profession.

#notjustanurse