As a professional nurse I end up explaining (and defining) myself more than I used to. Not just to the general public, but to my friends. When a new acquaintance learns that I am a nurse, I sometimes struggle to interpret their nonverbal response. Is that a look of awe or condescension on their face? Perhaps they are merely bewildered, not knowing exactly what it is that I do all day. Or, perhaps they are wondering why I do it. So often I hear people say, “Oh, wow! I could never do that. I am just not cut out to be a nurse.”

Does the public really know what we do? And do they respect us for it? What mold are nurses cut from anyway?

Thankfully, non-nursing friends still ask me to meet them after work or spend time together on one of my days off. Unfortunately, it feels like I am always dangling between strings of 12-hour shifts. Too often I hear myself say, “I wish I could but I am so tired. How about next week?” Then next week becomes next month. Before long, old friends stop calling.

Do you find yourself sleeping or merely “vegging” on your days off while your well-intended “to do” lists go untouched? Has your circle of friends changed over time?

In order to maintain our perspective, we need a wide range of friends, including non-medical associates. But, it can be hard. Medical friends share our viewpoint and feel, firsthand, our perpetual exhaustion. They are quick to join in our elation over a life touched and share our sadness over a life lost. We share mutual laughter over odd circumstances and revel together in our camaraderie.

Yes, I have changed since becoming a nurse. And, my real friends (non-nurses and nurses, alike), understand that I love what I do. They gently remind me to pace myself and to focus on the genuine benefits of my job. Nursing may not be for the faint of heart. But, its rewards to the heart are immense.