Blue or white collar? - Page 5

Register Today!
  1. Guide
    May 22, '12 by
    I'm an ADN, but consider myself white-collar because I'm in management......that is, when I think about pigeon-holing people at all.
    nursel56, sharpeimom, and Been there,done that like this.
  2. May 22, '12 by
    Quote from Been there,done that
    The difference is... drum roll..Even if they have the same NUMBER of years in their education.. they do not have the same RESPONSIBILITY!!.

    LIFE and DEATH!
    I mostly agree with you. However, a bad mechanic can kill you. Brakes fail--not a pretty sight; then those people become our problem. When you take your car in, you're trusting him or her with your life. Kinda scary when you think about it. Just nit picking, like I said, I mostly agree..
    Last edit by Aurora77 on May 22, '12 : Reason: punctuation fail
  3. May 22, '12 by
    Quote from Aurora77
    I mostly agree with you. However, a bad mechanic can kill you. Brakes fail--not a pretty sight; then those people become our problem. When you take your car in, you're trusting him or her with your life. Kinda scary when you think about it. Just nit picking, like I said, I mostly agree..
    Umm,, look at car. Look at brakes, put in correct brakes.

    Yes , the need for the brakes can lead to a life or death situation.

    However.. it does NOT require critical thinking skills, or an instantaneous decision as to how to intervene when a life is on the line.
    Please, don't compare us to mechanics.
  4. May 22, '12 by
    Pink-collar. A women's dominated service profession. I used Wikepedia for my definition. White-collar usually refers to office workers and Blue-collar refers to manufacturing.
  5. May 22, '12 by
    I think of white collar as more management/supervisory positions. So as nurses, I consider us blue collar since we are in the trenches doing physical work. If I were a nurse manager or a chief nursing officer I would consider it white collar.

    Not that the distinction really matters at all. it's just semantics.
    Aurora77, nursel56, and workingharder like this.
  6. May 22, '12 by
    Quote from Been there,done that
    Umm,, look at car. Look at brakes, put in correct brakes.

    .
    Actually, the two things are quite similar. Both automobiles and bodies are complex machines. Health of vehicles and living things rely on a million tiny things to go right, and the smallest malfunction can cause a huge problem. And, I'm sorry, but critical thinking is the very essence of being a mechanic.
    Obviously the life or death aspect is a bit further removed from us than actual medicine, but I think you'd be surprised how many similarities there are between the two.

    Perhaps the men complaining about the name "nurse" should consider calling themselves "Body Mechanics!"
    Last edit by Stephalump on May 22, '12
    Aurora77, Purple_Scrubs, workingharder, and 1 other like this.
  7. May 22, '12 by
    Uh, most of us punch time clocks and wear work uniforms just like any other blue collar factory worker. Without a doubt we are blue collar.
    TheCommuter, justami, roser13, and 1 other like this.
  8. May 22, '12 by
    Quote from obprof
    Pink-collar. A women's dominated service profession. I used Wikepedia for my definition. White-collar usually refers to office workers and Blue-collar refers to manufacturing.
    Do not ever tell me nursing is a "Service profession" right up there with waiting tables like pink collar implies.
  9. May 22, '12 by
    Quote from Been there,done that
    However.. it does NOT require critical thinking skills, or an instantaneous decision as to how to intervene when a life is on the line.
    Please, don't compare us to mechanics.
    *** To be fair most nurses will never make instantaneous decisions to save a life. If we subtract those nurses who work ICU & ER type jobs most nurses just arn't often faced with life or death situations.
  10. May 22, '12 by
    Quote from Do-over
    I get paid by the hour, and wear my name on my shirt (or badge, anyway). I clean up nasty, nasty things. I work nights, weekends and holidays. I am a blue-collar worker. And I have no issue with that label. I don't consider what I do a "profession" I consider it a "skilled-trade" and I am finally feeling like a journeyman (or journeywoman, I suppose).

    I wouldn't say that ALL nurses are blue-collar though. Professors, manglement, researchers, etc. I would say are white-collar.
    The doctors I work with have the exact same name tag I do, often have to deal with nasty things (rectal exams, gross wound abscesses, etc), work nights, weekends, and holidays. Are they not professionals?

    A skilled trade is something that can be learned on the job or in grad school. It's also something you generally stop learned after you know how to do it. I have a bachelor's degree, almost a master's degree, and am learning new things constantly.

    To replace me with someone off the streets would take a minimum of 4.5 years (4 years to get a BSN- my facility doesn't even look at ADNs anymore) and 6 months of orientation. That doesn't account for my experience or my OCN or my ACLS or any of the classes toward my master's degree. That is because I am an educated, professional.
    Been there,done that likes this.