Don't Blow My Cover

RN. That's me. I worked hard to be able to put that RN behind my name. And in my profession, it does give me certain degree of credibility and clout, if you will. People listen to what I have to say or ask me questions about medical issues, hoping I have the answers. I like that aspect of my job. I feel it is what I was called to do. God gave me a sharp mind and lead me through school and gave me what I needed to in order to put those credentials behind my name.

But when my youngest was sick this weekend and I feared it was strept throat, I had to decide whether or not to blow my cover and display my credentials.

I really did struggle with this. What was my motivation for telling the nurse or the doctor that I was a nurse? Did I want to foster comaraderie and medical professionalism, as we, the mom and medical professional along with the staff, determine the nature of the illness that was plaguing my son and thus decide on the best course of action for his treatmant? Or did I want to wipe away the smug look and the condescending attitude I sensed from the urgent care nurse?

I feared it was the latter. So, I bit my tongue.

The nurse asked about symptoms and I described them: sore throat, fever, no cough, lethargy and irritability. I think I sounded intelligent without sounding like a smarty-pants. But when she asked what his temp had been, I said, "Well, I didn't actually take a temp but I figured it was fairly high...around 102." (Insert the condescending look here. And I imagined the nurse was thinking, "Well, it probably is just a little above normal...and WHY didn't you take his temp?")

A mom knows. She knows her child has a temperature because his face is also extremely flushed, his eyes look glassy and he is miserable. This child also had a febrile seizure a year ago and I am not too inclined to let him spike a temp, so I give him Motrin early on. HA!!!

But I didn't say these things. I kept my cover. And I bit my tongue. But I still struggle with my attitude. Maybe it is pride because I do have these initials that follow my name when I am in my professional realm. In the real world, the line between profession and motherhood is a little blurred. I have knowledge from nursing school but I also have a lot of knowledge about my kids and have always had a good sense when they were sick and needed to go to the doctor. It's expensive to go for every sniffle and I don't go running in for every skinned knee or bumped head. I use my judgement and spend money wisely. However, on occasion, I would like to blow my cover and announce to all who can hear that I am:

Mom, RN