Nurses Deserve More Respect! - page 4

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Hello All, Does anyone else feel like there is a stigma that comes along with nursing? Like, do you ever feel like people are judging you based on your career choice? Do you feel like nursing isn't as well respected in society... Read More

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Oct 21, '10 by MJ415

Quote from linearthinker

FWIW I am a nurse who is more interested in the puzzle. I probably would have liked being a physician, but I'm not interested in an 80 hour work week, so I opted out of medicine.

Amen!
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Oct 21, '10 by linearthinker

I don't know any happy physicians, and I can only think of one still married to his/her first spouse and whose children don't hate him/her for serials absences. I have the utmost respect for their education and knowledge, but hells no, I don't want that life. Not as a student, and certainly not for a career. Not worth it by a long shot.
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Oct 21, '10 by NYLady

Quote from MassED

I actually view every patient as a puzzle and try to put together the pieces, independent (and usually much earlier than a doc), because I'm with the patient longer and oftentimes see the lab and diagnostic results first).

The nurses definitely have a puzzle to solve but I hear you thinking about the person ("because I'm with the patient longer") and you seem to be interested in hearing more of the person's story. For many of us, that's why we prefer nursing. It is about solving the puzzle for the sake of the person...not solving the puzzle for the sake of the puzzle.
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Oct 22, '10 by whodatnurse

Quote from natasharostova

Thanks everyone for the awesome replies! I feel much more encouraged now

Yes, my family is full of engineers, doctors, lawyers, and professors. I've been told that the "least" I could do is become a prof. And yes, they'd be willing to pay for (most) of med school. But that doesn't change the fact that I really want to be a nurse and deal directly with people. The people, not the puzzle.

I feel like I'll be much more prepared the next time someone asks me why I didn't go to med school. Thanks all for your help!

Love, -NR

There's a lot to be said for giving thought to the kind of LIFE you want to have.

I thought you would appreciate this article I just read at Huffington Post on 'slowing down':

Elizabeth Killingsworth: Slowing Down
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Oct 22, '10 by nopainNurse

I can totally relate. My family is very similar.

I grew up thinking my aunt was a nurse (was told so by her and various family members). When I decided to go to university to become a RN, the aunt responded by saying, "Why would you go to school to clean up poop?" Hmmm... Got me thinking and I started asking questions. Turned out she was (is) a care aid in LTC. Aside from being bitter and hating her job, she also never even finished high school, but considered herself a nurse. No wonder my family couldn't understand why I would go to school for this career!

Over the years, my family has learned more about what a nurse does, but I highly suspect they still don't really understand.

My own take on it is to do your best, have respect for yourself and your own profession and otherwise let them think what they want.
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Oct 22, '10 by linearthinker

My husbands aunt had a competition thing with her sisters (my husbands mother) family. My MIL was a nurse. She had 2 sons, both of whom married nurses. Her sister married a doctor and they had 4 kids, all of whom became doctors. When I met her for the first time, she told me no one in *my* family would ever consider nursing It is either medicine or law for us. Seriously, what would miss manners say, lol? I just said "Wow, that is really great. You must be so proud." She was a fuknut.
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Oct 22, '10 by flyingchange

Interestingly, I've only gotten "why would you want to be a nurse?" from nurses, and one mild acquaintance who was in-between chemo tx with a poor prognosis.

Everyone else in my life has been incredibly supportive and proud of me, particularly those who know how hard I've worked to get here. Especially to my program which, in my intake, accepted less than 15% of applicants.

In my family, nurses are highly respected and recognized for the hard work they do.
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Oct 23, '10 by sunnycalifRN

Well, I went to med school way back in '74, quit after 2 yrs and then became a nurse about 30 yrs later. My folks never comment on my zigzag career path because nursing is career change #5. Looking back over my life, I think to myself . . . "dude, you were pretty confused!!"