I realize that I may be watching too much of The Mindy Project. Today, Dennis pointed out that I was waving my finger in the air as I tried to make an argument about the life of nurses. Many people think being a nurse is glamorous. It's not. As a nurse, I am not trying to say that I dislike my job, because I do. But it can definitely be trying at times. Just like any other job it has its ups and downs but one thing for sure is that it is not glamorous. I want to clarify some common misconceptions. I do not get paid a lot of money. I do not know what people mean by "a lot of money" but when I tell people I am a nurse they automatically say, "Oh you must be rich then." WRONG. I am married to a nurse. We do not have any children or properties that can give us tax breaks. I make enough money that I find myself in a higher tax bracket and as a result, more money to the government. I am not just on the computer to be on the computer. I am actually doing work. A majority of my work is done on the computer. If I am not in your room, completing the tasks needed to be done throughout the shift, I am on the computer documenting said tasks. You may have heard nurses talk about charting and how they have to catch up on it. Story of my life. And don't even get me started when I am almost done with charting and somehow your computer shuts down. My line of work is not sad. There are many types of a nursing you can go into but I chose Pediatric Intensive Care. Whenever I share this information with strangers I feel like I gave them horrible news. Their faces get long and I hear "That must be really hard" or "Doesn't that make you sad?". It definitely takes a certain person to work in an intensive care. It can be incredibly stressful and more often than not, I go home worrying about things I may have missed. BUT, there is so much more good than bad. The kids persevere and they are such fighters. Nothing is more rewarding seeing a child being transferred to the more stable unit after needing such a high level of care. Go thank a nurse. Maybe hug a nurse. Show your appreciation.