Is this the publics perception of nurses?

Nurses General Nursing

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i am a charge RN in a cvicu. yesterday i took care of a man that was pod1 5 vessel cabg on a balloon pump and multiple drips. i had post op'd the pt the previous day so i had developed a repor with he and his family. he was telling me that his daughter is a physical therapist and works in a DR's office yadda yadda, yadda. he then asks me if i make good money beings that i have no college degree. i informed him that i did have a college degree and was very well educated in my field. he stated that he was unaware that you needed to go to college to be a nurse.

i was shocked! this was a very sick man and needed detailed care! is this the perception of the public that anyone can walk in off the street and get a job as a nurse? do they think it is like checking groceries or something? and this was a very well educated man himself. i am still just shocked and offended! has anyone else had this happen?

thanks for letting me vent

Specializes in LDRP; Education.
Originally posted by SmilingBluEyes

psstttt. This is no secret.... LPN's are nurses too...and no one is misleading anyone when he/she is an LPN and states he/she is a "nurse".;)

REALLY?! No offense, but DUH.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Suzy, you learn about those things by going to a library, checking out a book and reading about them. It costs a hell of a lot less and not what I PAY for when I pursue a NURSING education. That's how I do it, anyhow. NO formal education and big$$$ outlay to do it. Thank ole Ben Franklin for that, I sure do.

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Originally posted by Susy K

No, but if you read my post I can't do time-travel, or ANY travel. The best classroom would be if I didn't work and traveled the world. But I can't now can I?

How do you suppose I learn about the Roman Empire?

How do you suppose I learn about the Revoluntionary War?

How do you suppose I learn about Dante, the Romantics, Post-Modern art, the Spanish Revolution or....Mother Therese's encounters? Life experiences? C'mon. I READ ABOUT THEM. Not once did I say I have to read them in a classroom setting. Not once. All I said was that I was grateful for the NON-nursing courses because at age 18, I probably wouldn't have taken them if I wasn't "forced" to. And now am glad I did because there is more out there than nursing - and maybe my life is limited, but MY life experiences are NOT all life has to offer, and is NOT all that encompasses the human race. If I relied on my whittle life experiences to educate me on all there is, well, unfortunately for me I guess I'd miss out on alot.

GOD FORBID someone read something not required!!! Susy K, someone might LEARN something!

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Mish, for RESPECT is the answer. WE all want it...but need to GIVE it too..and give credit where it is due, despite the level formal of education a nurse may have. Simple yet difficult concept, I can see for many of us.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

MIsh see my post regarding the library. I do a LOT of reading, just don't wish to pay $1000s in tuition to do it. I can do it w/o someone telling me how to analyze it, thanks.

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Originally posted by SmilingBluEyes

MIsh see my post regarding the library. I do a LOT of reading, just don't wish to pay $1000s in tuition to do it. I can do it w/o someone telling me how to analyze it, thanks.

I agree with you.

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Originally posted by SmilingBluEyes

MIsh see my post regarding the library. I do a LOT of reading, just don't wish to pay $1000s in tuition to do it. I can do it w/o someone telling me how to analyze it, thanks.

Just read it...I wasn't necessarily referring to college courses, but reading about anything! I agree with you 100%!

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I like your tagline, MISH! It says it all!

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Get, your flame throwers ready, here I go. I have read through all of the posts on this thread. Everyone has been very articulate. However, I have a few new things to add, and I mean no one disrespect.

First of all, who can argue that in the very beginning of nursings history, nurses were not formally educated. Then we began with formal training which eventually led to the development of formal education in nursing. While most of us are familiar with that history what would lead us to believe that the population at large would be educated about this. We live in a society that cannot remember the name of the Vice-President, much less remember the educational requirements of a nurse. I would be willing to bet that most teenagers today could give you the biography of most of the singers in 'N Sync (add your own pop icon here), but would have no idea of what a nurses job entails. And why is that? MEDIA. Pop culture has learned to use media to it's advantage and as nurses we are content with a few commercials produced by Johnson and Johnson or on a News program such as 60 minutes. Forgive me for saying this, but when are we going to stand up for ourselves. We have large organizations such as the ANA and NLN. When are they going to start using some of their money to start educating the public about the profession of nursing. And perhaps we can think about little things we can do ourselves. How about visiting schools on Career days (I believe that some of them still do that ). Some one mentioned that most people don't know that a NP has a masters and believe that a PA is more educated. That is because the PA is backed by the AMA. When will the ANA become as powerful a voice for nurses as the AMA is for physicians.

As for respect. How can we expect the public to respect us as a profession, if we can't even respect ourselves. All of this bickering amongst ourselves about who is better Diploma/ADN/BSN seems to me to be a mute point right now. WE are in the middle of a SEVERE nursing shortage that is threatening to get much worse and instead of uniting to come up with a solution, we are bickering with each other about which degree it is better to enter the profession with. I will agree that it would create a lot less confusion if there were only one point of entry into the profession, however, we shouldn't argue with ourselves about this. I have been both an ADN and now a BSN and let me tell you I have been ridiculed about both. When I was an ADN I was told by a BSN that he was much more prepared to move forward than I was. When I made the decision to return to school for by BSN I heard whisperings that those who couldn't cut it on the floor went back to get their BSN so they could move off the floor. That isn't why I went back for my BSN. It was a personal goal. But that is neither here nor there. My point is that it is time that we all presented a united front and celebrated each others strengths as nurses and stood up side by side to fight for our profession!!!!

that's just MHO

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Specializes in LDRP; Education.
Suzy, you learn about those things by going to a library, checking out a book and reading about them

Yes, I know that. Remember? I said:

I READ ABOUT THEM. Not once did I say I have to read them in a classroom setting. Not once.
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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Excellent post, Missdonita. Well Suzy, then you see why I wish to pursue a BSN but NOT pay big $$$ for classes I have NO interest in or have NADA to do with my career. It's just my opinion, and I may be wrong, but it is how I feel. Thank goodness, the online RN-BSN bridge program I am pursuing respects that and my experiences a nurse, already. To me, it's about Universities milking millions of $$ a year, not about making BETTER nurses in the long run! Most generic BSN's don't (and can't) do what my online RN-BSN can for me. However...

I concede; You have valid points. One of them being: One-point entry. On the surface, It makes sense, but it must be pursued carefully. And like I said before, give credit where it's due.....a person's experiences need to be respected, not just how many hours he/she has spent in a formal classroom, ESPECIALLY In nursing! The ONLY reason I go round and round w/you Suzy, is I respect your arguments and the articulate way you make them. I just happen NOT to agree much of the time. But I enjoy it nonetheless.

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Susy, Susy, Susy - you are so nieve. Do you really expect us to believe that you meant you were reading this material outside of school? You meant the non nursing classes you took in college. This is what I meant when I said that you IMPLY your meanings into your posts. It seems you do this so that later you can bend what you say to fit the situation. You are very narrow minded in your thinking - I am not flaming you, I am only stating my opinion. Do you think you can put yourself in someone elses shoes for just a minute? True knowledge lies in the ability to see beyond oneself, and also to know what you don't know. And, my dear, you have a long way to travel.

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