I love being a nurse and all that this profession was, is, and will be, but there is still something that deeply troubles me about this profession as a whole.
Working in a fast paced environment and a haven of knowledge I often find myself wondering what we could do better as a profession to keep up with the cutting edge.
My issue: nurses don't know enough.
From nursing school up to staff nurse, nurses just aren't taught enough.
I often find myself admiring just how much effort goes into a physician's education.
I love how doctors respect one anothers expertise and how their is a culture of teaching and learning in medicine. The chief teaches the resident or medical student, wealth is shared and the medical profession as a whole in turn reaps the benefits of shared knowledge.
Don't get me wrong we nurses can learn so much from each other, but are we? Do we share?
Sometimes I wish nursing school was longer and was less about the fluff and more about real time situations. Too much goes into learning how to pass meds and cleaning patients. Too little goes into how to monitor your patients, what signs to look for and basic bedside skills.
I was miffed when in my first semester of clinical we were sent to a nursing home to basically learn how to give bed baths and pass medications, as if that was all a nurse did. The next semesters were not much different at all, again learning how to pass meds, and look in charts.
I was also irritated on how little we actually learned about certain diseases, what to look for and tying that into the clinical aspect! (in regards to how lab data, patient presentation, medications, all rope together to help you think critically)
Sure nothing prepares you for the real world, but shouldn't you atleast be as prepared as you can be?
I'd love to be able to read CT scans/x-rays. I hate answering questions of worried patients/family member without knowing the entire picture. I hate saying ''oh the doctor has to tell you more about that'' because I lack the basic foundation doctors are drilled to have. Why should I be a bedside nurse for 10 years to know the things that a second year resident knows?
What bothers me also is how much more valued physicians are! Even physicians in training! Any given hospital has no issue paying a resident up to $70k/yr, a resident or intern who most likely won't stay at that hospital he or she trained in after they become an attending. But to train a new grad nurse or pay for continuing education for nursing staff is always a budget issue.
I love hospitals that value nurses enough to have something called a ''clinical ladder'' were a nurse is trained and prepared for a role of greater responsibility.
I love when a hospital puts time and money into training new hires, especially new graduates. I cannot tell you how enraged I was when I found out a prospective employer would only give a new grad nurse 2 weeks of bedside training for the ER of all places? With a crappy 4 weeks of classroom training to learn about paperwork!
I find myself wanting more. No, med school is no longer my dream. There is something special and unique about nursing, but I'm tired of nursing schools training students just to pass NCLEX, train us on how to be NURSES! I envision a nursing where nurses receive high quality education and training and in turn have a greater say in each and every single patients' care.
But until we value each other, our own profession, and our own value as professionals, nothing will change.
