So in school we're taught to keep professional relationships, not giving too much of yourself to your patients and becoming a friendship (which by the way is blurred by countless anecdotes of nurses sharing how they are good friends with former patients).
And that's fine. I keep my relationships professional, I don't spend extra energies trying to please a particular patient or have a deep interest in personal things (though some nurses feel comfortable with this and this builds the trust, that facilitates the nursing yadadada)
But more and more I'm finding that in our text and classes that nurses are expected to be knowledgeable, proficient and caring.
It's hard to explain why this bothers me. Knowledgeable and proficient I completely agree with, but caring, it's can be such a vague word. Ugh...I can't explain it. though other nurses understand what I'm talking about.
BUT...that's not where the lines are the blurry.
WHERE THE LINES BLUR is when you're a friend first and a nurse second. And more and more I'm realizing that it's hard for me to be a friend first to friends who could use some "caring", nursing and more than nursing.
and I'm having trouble seeing where God fits in mental health. I want to see healing in my friends, because I'm not the one to fix the problems, and nursing is not the cure all.
I'm frustrated. But slowly I'm sharing my load with God because his yoke is easy and his burden is light.
Isn't it wonderful that we have someone to turn to with problems bigger than us and know that he is much more interested in them than we are?
God is the Great Physician
(and he is the Great Nurse!)
1 comment:
It is always difficult to know where to draw the line of professionalism and friendship when you have such an interactive and social job.
Caring without becoming too 'intimate' (for lack of a better word).
I think you will find the peaceful middle someday.
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