Have you ever had a week when everyone and their brother comes to you for advice about healthcare? This week has been one of those weeks for me. Questions about pertussis, community acquired MRSA, H1N1 and the flu vaccine, ALS (Lou Gerhig's Disease), sinus infection, allergies, and acne, just to name a few, were asked of me by my family, friends of my family, and acquaintances.
I'm sure many of you have had the same exact experience. Why do they come to us? Because we're nurses and they know they'll get the truth from us. They know if we don't know the answer, we will point them in the right direction. The Gallop Poll every year, except after 9/11, has found nurses to be the most trusted profession over physicians, clergy, police officers, and used car sales men (okay, that one isn't unexected).
It makes me proud to think this wonderful profession is recognized by people all across the U.S. and around the world, as the the "honest and trustworthy" profession. It's understandable when patients ask us to tell them the truth about things even after their physician has just spoken to them.
So next time I get a call late at night from a family friend who just wants to know the truth about a diagnosis, instead of thinking "couldn't they call in the morning;" I will stop and think how lucky I am to be a part of one of the "most trusted professions" in healthcare today.
By Anne Dabrow Woods, MSN, RN, CRNP, ANP-BC
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