Kristy Rodriguez, BSN, RN, works as a nurse in Florida.

As a mother and a nurse, I have often found myself with the dilemma of whether to inform others in a health care setting that I am a nurse. I say this because it can go either way: some look at it as a blessing that they can easily explain things to you using medical terminology, while other nurses may take it as a threat. And I understand these concerns. As a nurse I have come in contact with both attitudes—the helpful and the threatening—among family members and patients who work in health care. It has been helpful to have a family member or patient who understands at least the basics and is eager to learn. Then, on the other hand, it can be a nightmare with the patient or family member who uses the statement “I’m a nurse” as a kind of threat.

A son’s troubling symptoms.

My story all started about three years ago, a day that my son’s life would forever be changed, and mine with it. It was the spring of 2012 and my son was 12 years old and developing as a normal boy should develop. A stomach virus had recently swept through our house and sickened my son and […]