Work Is Not Life

Most of us are getting paid to know and perform a fairly specific job probably for a company or large business - that is unless we are living off of other people's income or the government or are successful, daring entrepreneurs ourselves. Some workers perform repetitive tasks, make decisions about money or spend the bulk of their time in some form of communication. The occupation - some prefer to call it a profession - of nursing requires its own set of knowledge and skills with each practice area adding its own specific requirements. And so it should be with psychiatric nursing...but that is another blog. However, when I clock out and walk through the hospital door, my brain puts aside my "for pay" persona and duties. I am not a psych nurse twenty-four hours a day. Just as an accountant may have his or her spouse handle the family finances and the chef may have a bowl of cold cereal for supper, my relationships with family and friends are not the same as with my co-workers or my patients. At least I hope not! I am not involved with discussions on psychotropic medications or pathological behaviors, and I don't use the metric system either! It took a few career years for experience to be the best teacher, but now I am hardwired to be a psych nurse. I guess that is just how the brain works. The wiring turns on when I arrive at work. Long before I became a nurse, if I met a psychiatrist or a therapist, I wondered...can he tell what I'm thinking? Now I can say no to that question, unless they are getting paid to figure you out or listen and help. However if there is some glaring psychiatric problem, they (we) can't help but notice. But unless it's work, they (we) keep it to ourselves.