i'll probably get flamed to the moon and back for this but..

[elijahvegas]

does anyone else get tired of hearing (from other SNAs/hopefuls/vets) what we nurses are "suppose" to be like ?

i read through thread after thread of how if you're not "compassionate to the core" and "really into nursing" and all this other stuff, you won't do well in the program or as a nurse in general.

is it really that big of a deal that some use the profession as a fallback option, or as a way to get by while trying to pursue something they'd really wanna be doing, without having to work something that provides just above minimum wage to make ends meet ?

i often hear people being scolded because their "heart" isn't in nursing, and for taking a seat away from others who "really" want to be there. Are any of us less deserving because we went through the same prereqs as everyone else but were competitive enough to actually secure a seat ? Is this something i should apologize for ? Should we be barred from applying simply because we have different prospects for the horizon ? Say med school ? or a field outside of healthcare altogether ?

Is it wrong to consider this profession a job ? one in which i will do my best to do well as i would with any other endeavor ? I go in with an attitude to make sure all of my duties are done, everyone is accounted for, and everything is the way it should be from the time i arrive until the time i clock out. Does it make me a bad nurse that i don't cry with a patient when they're going through a hard time ? Please dont take this as an implication as me directing negative or rude comments towards the patient. I'm attentive, and consoling, but i'd rather not have my emotions tie me up in knots to the point where i start to make clinical errors, which in the end is truly the most important thing to me.

Don't mind me, just my Tuesday morning rant for the day. I'm curious to see who else feels like this. I know im the minority but i can't be the only one

[elijahvegas, ASN, RN, EMT-P]

LOL...I've been a nurse approximately 8 years and have lasted longer than many of the righteous people who claim to have entered the profession for all the 'right' reasons.'

Just so were clear you do know that statement was saturated in sarcasm right ? My second quip went on to say how I agree with your lifestyle wholeheartedly

[Alnitak7]

Sometimes the caregivers who say, "I love them all," can turn right around and call a patient "a jerk." The "jerk" might be having pain but so what though.

I've felt like telling them, You're not a vessel of love.

My first R.N. teacher kept saying, "some more than others," as far as which patients you care about.

I do feel strongly that a sense of fairness is of great importance even if you're not always in touch with your heart.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

LOL...I've been a nurse approximately 8 years and have lasted longer than many of the righteous people who claim to have entered the profession for all the 'right' reasons.'

Don't you know by now that it's only the cold-hearted, lazy nurses who cut corners that make it in this business?

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

As I understand the Original Poster -- and please correct me if I'm wrong -- he's venting about the idea that you must have a "calling" to be a nurse, and that if you don't have the calling you can't be a GOOD nurse. Furthermore, if you don't have the calling, you shouldn't be taking up space in a nursing program that could be taken by someone who DOES have a calling.

I'm right with him on that one. I've always been leery of "the calling" and the nurses who insist that they have one. At 35 years in, I suspect that I've outlasted a goodly number of nurses with "the calling", even though I myself have never professed to have one. The "Compassion, Empathy, Understanding and Love" group gets on my nerves, too. Sure, all of those are great qualities to have in a nurse and in a human being, but they are not the be all and end all. Without the ability to understand and remember complex policies and protocols, think critically, calculate drug dosages, do a rapid, focused and accurate assessment and put it all together to communicate to the provider, all of the compassion, empathy, understanding and love in the world isn't going to make you a competent nurse.

I also don't think it's my business whether nursing is your Plan A, Plan B or Plan Z. But I am having difficulty with all the newbies entering the profession these days who tell me they don't need to know how to calculate drips because the pump will do it for them, and they're going to anesthesia school in a year anyway. I'm getting tired of the new grads telling me that they don't need to learn to clean up poop because they're in NP school. And the two nurses in the last year who told me that they're going to stay at home and raise babies as soon as they get their MRSDR degrees really infuriated me! (Not the least because they seemed to spend most of their shift working on that MRSDR.)

Oh, well. I'm a proud member of the Crusty Old Bat Society, so I'm sure someone will pipe up and tell me how wrong I am.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

As I understand the Original Poster -- and please correct me if I'm wrong -- he's venting about the idea that you must have a "calling" to be a nurse, and that if you don't have the calling you can't be a GOOD nurse. Furthermore, if you don't have the calling, you shouldn't be taking up space in a nursing program that could be taken by someone who DOES have a calling.

I'm right with him on that one. I've always been leery of "the calling" and the nurses who insist that they have one. At 35 years in, I suspect that I've outlasted a goodly number of nurses with "the calling", even though I myself have never professed to have one. The "Compassion, Empathy, Understanding and Love" group gets on my nerves, too. Sure, all of those are great qualities to have in a nurse and in a human being, but they are not the be all and end all. Without the ability to understand and remember complex policies and protocols, think critically, calculate drug dosages, do a rapid, focused and accurate assessment and put it all together to communicate to the provider, all of the compassion, empathy, understanding and love in the world isn't going to make you a competent nurse.

I also don't think it's my business whether nursing is your Plan A, Plan B or Plan Z. But I am having difficulty with all the newbies entering the profession these days who tell me they don't need to know how to calculate drips because the pump will do it for them, and they're going to anesthesia school in a year anyway. I'm getting tired of the new grads telling me that they don't need to learn to clean up poop because they're in NP school. And the two nurses in the last year who told me that they're going to stay at home and raise babies as soon as they get their MRSDR degrees really infuriated me! (Not the least because they seemed to spend most of their shift working on that MRSDR.)

Oh, well. I'm a proud member of the Crusty Old Bat Society, so I'm sure someone will pipe up and tell me how wrong I am.

Future Crusty Old Bat Society member here, and I completely agree with you! There is so much more to being able to be a nurse than Compassion, Empathy, Understanding and Love. How exactly is that going to help a patient who is circling the drain? That patient needs Cool-Headed, Competent, and Knowledgeable.

As for those working on their MRSDR degree, who the heck wants to be married to a doc anyway? Long hours, constant pages (I get enough of that answering surgeons' pagers during surgery, thankyouverymuch), and at least with the docs I work with, fidelity is not a strong attribute.

[TopazLover, BSN, RN]

I went into nursing and felt that was the only path I wanted. Perhaps you could say it was a calling. I loved nursing and, in general loved my patients. I was kind considerate, professional, etc. The bad part about that was I always felt I should know more. It always left me feeling somewhat inadequate, as if compassion meant that I did not have enough skills.

You don't need the total passion, perhaps it is better if you don't have that degree, especially as a new nurse. Burnout will be a real issue if you don't change as you grow older. All you have done is waste years. Nursing is special, but it is not the only way to go. Now I do something totally different and love that also. Soon I will be changing again, and I will enjoy that. At this point in my life I think I have learned to enjoy many things and recognize I have many skills. Nursing is one that will remain close to my heart, but I will not return to nursing. I will gladly have someone else take responsibility and I will happily shuffle papers.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

I enjoy being professional. To be a person of character. To be weeping and carrying on at bedside perhaps is not the best choice--I have a tremendous amount of coping skills--however, ya gotta keep that professional level of communication. Empathy. But when I am done for the shift, I am all set. I have other fish to fry.

Otherwise, I wish I had a sugar daddy, shopping and lunching and mani-pedi-hairdo kind of days. One foot in the grave the other on a banana peel--and a golf obsession so that my afternoons are free......

But instead i have a boat load of kids, just as many bills, a messy house, a sarcastic wit and I am a nurse because I am good at it. (so they tell me).

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

But I am having difficulty with all the newbies entering the profession these days who tell me they don't need to know how to calculate drips because the pump will do it for them, and they're going to anesthesia school in a year anyway. I'm getting tired of the new grads telling me that they don't need to learn to clean up poop because they're in NP school.

And the two nurses in the last year who told me that they're going to stay at home and raise babies as soon as they get their MRSDR degrees really infuriated me! (Not the least because they seemed to spend most of their shift working on that MRSDR.) Oh, well. I'm a proud member of the Crusty Old Bat Society, so I'm sure someone will pipe up and tell me how wrong I am.

I think you are...right, Ruby.

There was a percentage of the generation of nurses from the early 2000s at least where I worked at that was ALLL in it for the money; one person that was a classmate of mine was VERY blatant in switching her major from business to nursing because "that's where the money is".

Belch.

In my area at that time, they were giving bonuses up front 10,000 and 10,000-20,000 on the back end if they stayed for 1 year; and a percentage were those who treated nursing "as a job" took the money and RAN, so my bias may be towards individuals who do treat nursing as a job; it set up for the many who do see it as a career and want to have longevity in an extended capacity at the bedside rather difficult to get started-that includes me, since I became a new RN (after 7 years of LPN experience).

I feel as though I rather have less people who think of it as a "job" an treat is as such; ones who do "tasks" complain, yet don't get involved with solutions, whine and moan and want things to change, yet when asked for input, are MYSTERIOUSLY SILENT when the opportunity arises...

The worst nurses I have seen are those who treat it like a "job" and miss important aspects; I have cleaned up many messes and "near-misses" from individuals like that; it has left a bad taste in my mouth and any respect for them was diminished because they didn't respect the gravity of their position; this isn't a cashiers job (though I feel their is a great responsibility in that job, in terms of money management ) or filing (even though there is some responsibility that are important at that job as well including important documents) or any "job" that could be considered, shall I say, a "job" that people sniff at or roll their eyes about, in terms of respect.

I also have a bone to pick with the "compassion" crowd or having "heart" :barf:

Competence WINS in this business. A good competent nurse doesn't want to be remembered for her "heart", at least I don't; but I have been known for my nursing judgement and my competence and for taking the bull by the horns to at least change my workplace-successfully.

One ex-employer/co-worker recently as a new grad told me I had "heart"; I wanted to slap her...but the I looked at myself, and had to have a come to Jesus moment with myself...I had WORK to do...I'm all good now thank goodness! But I digress.

I've worked as a nurse in this business for almost 10 years; I can see myself in this business for another 20; there's so much more I can do to grow as a nurse, and in 20 years I'll still be young enough and smart enough to make a semi retirement plan-which includes giving back to nursing; I do NOT want to worry about my nurse not being competent enough to the point I will be titrating my own meds-it has happened before to me as a pt. Yet the nurse had "compassion" albeit faux compassion and "heart" to "understand" ...so I'll do my best to try to make an impression on the generations of nursing.

I guess my take is this: there are FAR more "jobs" that pay just as well as nursing; if one can not see working at least 10 years in the business, then one has to have a come to Jesus moment on whether they can invest the money and time to work in this business, or do something else that can give them the time they need to pursue their interests.

[TraumaSurfer]

I can see your conflict based on your other posts and rant threads (size, grades, not what you expected etc). You are still not adjusting to the idea of being a "nurse" and your way of coping is by just considering "nursing" to be a job. You have stated you are a Paramedic and the nurse thing is probably just another patch on your way to something else even if it is still to be a Paramedic. I would imagine you are not an easy student to be around for your other classmates and educators. Yeah nursing doesn't seem to be what you thought it would be and the world is not as tight as a few Paramedic students who probably have a similar background. I bet your nursing class is a lot more diverse in cultural backgrounds than the Paramedic class in your part of Florida and different cultures do take their life's work more seriously than just a passing job. You have some adjustments to make and that includes not comparing everything to the past. Deal with the present and then move on to something else if that is what you want to do.

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

Eh...people are going to do what they want to do and say what they want to say. It is a double edge sword. The people who tout their calling are the ones who will quickly become disillusioned by the reality of nursing, and those who don't have a modicum of interest will be the first to jump once the gravy train has crashed.I look at nursing this way; compared to all the fields out there, nursing is by far the most diverse and flexible. There is so much one can do that most nurses are bound to find something they like or at the very least tolerate. Nursing isn't my dream. If I had it my way, I would be the next JK Rowling or G.R.R. Martin, traveling the world, learning instruments, writing books, and having a bunch of babies. That being said, I do think regardless of the career choice, a person should at least be somewhat interested because thirty, forty years is a long time to work in a field you don't care for.

[babygirl3374]

I love it! You made my day!

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

LOL, I switched from working in dentistry for MANY years before going to nursing school. I'm not sure why you'd say dental hygiene is easier!

If I had to choose a "job" I wouldn't pick nursing. I would pick something easier like respiratory therapy or dental hygiene. However, even though nursing is difficult at times, it gives me great satisfaction. Nursing is a tough job and if you love it to the extent that it's considered your career, it makes it easier for you and for the patient.[/quote']