what is a nurse?

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Five years ago I graduated from nursing school and this August will mark my 5 year anniversary of working as a Registered Nurse. "Nursing week" has made me think about what nursing means to me and how the concept of what a nurse is has changed for me over time.
In April of 2017 I left hospital beside care and took a position in an outpatient surgical clinic. It was sort of scary to leave the bedside. Was I still a nurse if I wasn't juggling 5 patients, an admission, and a transfer? Was I still a nurse if I wasn't putting Foley's in, assessing patients head-to-toe, and monitoring vital signs? Was I still a nurse if I wasn't inserting IVs, teaching my patient about their new discharge medications, and assisting them safely to the bathroom? Was I still a nurse if I wasn't helping other nurses turn, lift, move, transport, assess, and code a patient? Would I still be a nurse?
Last September I left direct patient care completely and took a position in the Quality Department at the hospital I work for. It was sort of scary to leave patient contact completely. Was I still a nurse of I never took a patients vitals or examined their wounds? Was I still a nurse if I wasn't returning any patient phone calls or giving a patient any direct teaching or instructions? Was I still a nurse if wasn't assisting a doctor during a procedure or holding a patients hand when they were scared or upset? Was I still a "true" nurse?
Webster's defines a "nurse" as "a person who cares for the sick or infirm; one that looks after, fosters, or advises."
I still work with fellow nurses everyday. These nurses are reviewing patient records to make sure they accurate and complete, they are looking into every complaint the health system receives, they are following governmental guidelines and reporting mandatory data, they are measuring system successs and marking areas that need more improvement, they are researching evidenced based literature for best practice methods. Nurses do so many things that go unknown and unrecognized by most of society.
Whether in at the bedside, clinic, or office - nurses are there, and our goal to care is still the same and our focus is still the patient.
I'm a nurse and I'm proud to be.

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