How long does it take before you feel like you’re a “real” nurse? Orientation may be long behind you, yet you’re still not 100% confident in everything you’re doing. We seem to be missing that official rite of passage or seminal event that allows us to recognize ourselves as fully competent, skilled professionals. With that in mind, I thought I’d share the top ten signs you can use to determine if you’re officially a “real” nurse yet:

Sign One: You have seriously contemplated asking Pharmacy to send up some Superglue to keep your combative patient from ripping his Foley out…again!

Sign Two: A trip through a Halloween Haunted House or viewing of 1001 Grossest Things Ever reveals that you’ve permanently misplaced your gag reflex. Testing this by opening random dishes in the staff refrigerator can confirm the loss, but does run the risk of releasing toxic airborne pathogens native to abandoned tuna sandwiches. Proceed with caution!

Sign Three: You buy SCUBA gear and take lessons even though you live in landlocked Kansas, solely so you can go find and pull the plug on the Gene Pool.

Sign Four: You have to physically restrain yourself from doing violence to a colleague who uses the dreaded Q* word to describe the unit. Read more…