You must be a proficient: cook, housekeeper, TV repair-person, plumber, waitress, catcher, advocate, listener, educator, comforter, babysitter, masseuse, respiratory therapist, security guard, psychologist and mechanic.
You must be willing to be: slapped, punched, scratched, bitten, kicked, sworn at, over-worked, under-appreciated and on the rare occasion, hugged.
It must not bother you to have these spilled on you: urine, feces, sputum, blood, mucus and other miscellaneous body fluids that you probably didn't know you had.
You must be an expert in all lab results, radiology tests, procedures and medications. You must know what the patient is thinking before they do. You must be fluent in all languages including the local jargon. You must be able to make it through a twelve-hour shift without taking a break to eat, drink or use the bathroom. You must be accountable for everything and everyone on your unit.
You must have a strong back to lift things; a soft shoulder for people to cry on; compassion and empathy that is never-ending, strong feet to withstand standing on them for twelve hours without sitting, extraordinary senses, adeptness in the art of perception, excellent eyes to interpret physician's orders and ears to hear things that were not spoken aloud.
You must be willing to sacrifice your personal life as you will not have time or energy for anything but nursing. You must be willing to work every holiday without complaint. You must know every bone, muscle, nerve and organ in the body and what every symptom is indicative of. You must always have a smile on your face and not show how stressed you are. You must be computer savvy and be able to fill out paperwork in a speed that would make a NASCAR race look slow.
If this sounds appealing to you, we are always recruiting new nurses to our profession. Remember: a nurse is not what you do, it is who you are.
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