Friday essay: Saints or monsters, pop culture's limited view of nurses

This essay examines the shadow side of nursing – that is, the dark side that is not motherly or angelic, sacred or self-sacrificing but is, instead, flawed, impatient, ambivalent or nefarious. This is important because it is just as much a part of nursing as the virtuous aspects of the profession. By bravely turning to this hidden part, nurses have the potential for transformation and to become better humans, who are self-aware, and knowledgeable about our strengths, limitations and vulnerabilities.