Nurses who become the parent of the patient

How often have you received a nursing report on a pediatrics unit and heard or overheard, "The Mom (Dad) is a nurse and drove me crazy all day?" Or perhaps your own child has been hospitalized and you remember feeling frustration and anger when you think about the experience. What are the dynamics involved in these two situations? What do we as caring professionals really understand about the emotions involved? What emotions might we feel if our own child needs hospitalization? The following anecdotal dialogue was written by two professional nurses whose lives were unexpectedly disrupted when their babies each needed hospitalization. Together, involved in the care of one child they found their emotions and professional beliefs interwoven in such a manner as to make this article possible.