Nursing Conspiracies - Do I Need a Tinfoil Nurse's Cap?

[KeepClimbing]

I know it's human nature to want to place blame for our misfortunes, and instead of realizing the complex nature of things, we like to find the "real reason" for why things are the way they are. That brings us to conspiracy theories. I have seen that Nursing has its own collection; many of which have been presented and discussed on this forum. Like all conspiracy theories, they usually have some bit of truth to them (sometimes not!), and they can be entertaining. But, to a newcomer like myself, they can be misleading. So, what do you think of these conspiracies?

Here are a few examples:

1)

Who's out to get us: Nursing schools and hospitals

They are conspiring to get: Money from students and lower wages

They are manipulating us by: Lying about an imaginary nursing shortage

2)

Who's out to get us: Doctors

They are conspiring to get: All the respect and power

They are manipulating us by: Treating us poorly and casting us in a bad light

3)

Who's out to get us: BSN Nurses and hospitals

They are conspiring to get: All the jobs

They are manipulating us by: Taking a few extra theory classes at an expensive 4 year school

4)

Can you name some more??

I'm definitely no expert, just a guy from the outside looking in at this point. I start NS in a few months. But, my distance from the field may lend some clarity? I don't know... but, have some fun with it!

[lyceeboo]

Perhaps one's opinion of conspiracy vs. reality in any of your given scenarios is proportionate to how deeply one's own life has been affected by the negative factor (i.e., MD abuse, severe shortage of nursing positions, misrepresentation of employment possibilities by for-profit nursing schools)?

And BTW, all of those factors do exist.

And I'm NOT a nursing student, just a nurse.

Agree. All those factors do exist in reality. (Imo) Some students on NA seem to think drowning out the voices of nurses who have experienced these things will somehow make the realities go away. I think it's better to go into things knowing what the problems are ahead of time. Then students can make informed choices and maybe avoid some of the built in pitfalls should they decide to forge ahead.

[jlpsu]

Agree. All those factors do exist in reality. (Imo) Some students on NA seem to think drowning out the voices of nurses who have experienced these things will somehow make the realities go away. I think it's better to go into things knowing what the problems are ahead of time. Then students can make informed choices and maybe avoid some of the built in pitfalls should they decide to forge ahead.

I'm glad your voices aren't going away. As a soon to be nursing student, I've gotten tons of things to think about from being on AN - good and bad - and for that I am truly grateful. And you are right I'm not a nurse yet, so perhaps I shouldn't speak to the overall level of 'conspiracy'. Maybe I'm just not a conspiracy theorist in general....

I think all colleges and all schools are out to make a profit....and I am very much a buyer beware type of person. So, I make sure to really look into the situation before I proceed. Perhaps if everyone did that there would not be a large portion of very surprised nurses at the end of their education (or Art History, or Pottery, or literally ANY other major at any college - as right now, all jobs are hard to come by). Anyone going to school now needs to be aware of the economic climate...so, I'm glad there is AN, because it is certainly not hidden here. I can make educated and calculated decsions, and in the end, hope for the best.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

I don't beleieve for a second that there is an overall conspiracy for nursing schools to churn out nursing grads who can't find jobs. It's supply and demand. They are nit responsible for vetting out your career choice. Only YOU are! They simply offer the option. No one has to take it. The lawyers suing their law school is ridiculous as well. If all schools had to worry about ensuring a job schools would be even MORE expensive because they'd be covering their buts with insurance! The Art History or Pottery majors would put every college out of business!

I do think colleges should offer realistic job placement statistics, not obscuring the truth by counting all jobs that are part-time or have absolutely nothing to do with the programs (nursing or law) to inflate the actual employment figures. When you are investing thousands of dollars into an education and potentially making yourself into an indentured servant, you deserve to know the truth about graduation rates, board passing rates, real job employment statistics, student loan default rates. Then armed with that info, you can make the decision whether or not to gamble and go for it! When student loans can be the size of mortgages you deserve to have realistic info about your career options!

When law schools lie and claim 90-98% job placement rate, when the real rate is closer to 50-60% that is a dangerous deception and lives and dreams shattered because of it! America pushes education as the utopia for all the problems in our country. Just get an education and you can have the American dream of a good job and wonderful life! Then when the people buy into that and their dreams don't come true they are villified for not succeeding!

I'm all for education, but a person should know the financial risks so they can protect themselves from financial ruin! When people take out thousands in student loans for professional programs and then can't get the jobs they trained for, they may default on their student loans and find themselves in a quagmire they cannot get out of, discovering they no longer have any chance of working in the professional field because they are then penalized for the default by taking away the license they need to practice. They deserve to know the truth before they are in hock!

Just take a look and check out the website http://www.studentloanjustice.org and see the tragic outcomes of people blinding pursuing the American dream!