“You’re the real hero!” That’s sweet.

But wrong. I’m tired of being called a hero. I’m not an angel in scrubs. I cuss. (A lot some days.) I have strong, and at times harsh judgements on other people, even my patients and their family members. I get things wrong. I forget your requests sometimes. Others times, even though I return shortly with a smile on my face, I simply didn’t want to do it and I internally grumbled the entire way. Sometimes, I make up answers to your questions because I’d rather get the info wrong than you lose faith in my care.

Maybe that story of the hairdresser and her picture of the nurse’s sneakers post shift got me thinking about this. I see those articles fairly regularly. I’ve always shrugged my shoulders at them because I never related to them. What is it about my job that makes me superhuman or heroic? Training the average layperson lacks? Willingness to get gross by changing a wound dressing or by doing high intensity tasks such as CPR? Eduction and personality.

I’m doing my job. That’s it. Sometimes I’m better at my job than other times. Sometimes I want to be at my job. Sometimes I don’t. I am getting paid to do what I do. And I enjoy it. I don’t do it out of empathy or compassion, I enjoy it. I understand those aren’t mutually exclusive. The majority of nurses, and other healthcare providers, use empathy and compassion with every patient. But that doesn’t make us saints. It makes us human. Or shouldn’t that be a human trait?

Teachers, construction workers, CEOs, graphic designers, bartenders, Uber drivers, cops, gas station attendants, journalists, computer programers, bankers, chefs, we’re all human. We all have empathy and compassion. We all have gut instincts. We all have mercy. Let’s bring it out a bit more. I’m a nurse, but I’m not in the only career field that needs mercy and compassion. And no one’s career choice should limit or define their humanity. Don’t be the basic bad guy from an 80s film. Be better than basic. Be merciful. Be kind. Be a human.

Also, stop calling nurses angels. We like to drink and we like to cuss. Among many vices.