Is Nursing in the Endoscopy Room Just About Rubbing Backs?
When I'm in the bath with my child, I always make it a point to ask, "How was school today?"
They reply with things like, "I hated studying!! Playing soccer at after-school care was fun. I took a test!"
The other day, for the first time, they asked me, "What did you do, Mommy?"
Huh? Mommy? What did I do?
Various things popped into my head.
I assisted with endoscopies, explained procedures to patients, took medical histories, managed narcotics and psychotropic drugs, and of course, checked vitals. I also wrote up records.
But all I could say was, "I helped with examinations called endoscopies, and I guess I rubbed some backs?"
It's hard to explain nursing work to a child. Maybe I should have just said something simple like I gave injections or measured blood pressure, but I ended up answering the way I did.
What is nursing, anyway?
Even after doing it for over 15 years, there are so many things I don't know.
Since then, I've been asked, "Mommy, did you work hard at rubbing backs today?"
It's hard for a child to understand a parent's job, but it seems they are imagining it in their own way.
I may not be a model nurse, but
at the very least,I want to be in a profession that my child admires.
