Comment that really ticks me off.........

[CardioTrans]

Ok, maybe Im just being petty, but the other day I went to see a patient whos neighbor was visiting..... we were having a nice conversation then the neighbor asked me "Where did you get your training ?"

I have seen the subject debated over different entry level degrees and such, but the word "training" just ticks me off. When I told him that I graduated from "XYZ University", his comment was "Oh you had to go to college?"

Why is it that people do not believe that nurses actually go to college?? I mean I can understand if the patient and his neighbor was 80+ yrs old, I know that years ago, nurses did not go to a university setting........ but these 2 men were in their early 40's!!!

What is the difference in nurses taking specialized classes in pharmacology, anatomy, chemistry, etc than a person who has a degree in computers taking specialized classes in programming or networking, etc.....

Those people are considered educated at a college level, but nurses are just trained

Is it just me, or do any of you see this too??????

[actioncat]

Your're right. Something about nursing. I remember taking one general ed class-- it was for a writing requirement and we had to do a presentation of our final paper. I have to say, my paper/presentation was (I feel) superior to the others. I used lots of scholarly sources (rather than the internet), wrote more stylishly, and my paper was more narrowly focused.

Well, I had to sit and listen to one student make his pell-mell, poorly articulated presentation and speak about traditional female jobs such as clerical work and nursing that are "low status and low paying". This coming from a student who could barely put together a coherent sentence! This student had some vague business related major. I wanted to tell him when my fellow nursing students graduated they would already have well paying jobs. The same was probably not true for him.

[talaxandra]

Yeah I hate this type of thing. Everyone asks me what I'm doing, and I say I'm in nursing school.

What about "I'm half way through a nursing degree"? (Or whatever you're up to, of course :))

[mavnurse]

^^^Ah, that might be good. Depending on who I'm talking to, I'll usually include the name of the school, too. Before I knew much about what other people think of nursing school, I just assumed that they would know it was a real education. *sigh

[nursemaa]

I've always disliked the word "training" too. And that includes using it for nursing education, inservicing, etc....I don't know, it always makes me think of doggie obedience school!

[smk1, LPN]

what about those people (usually friends and family) who always ask "why would a nurse need to know that?" or "give me an example of when you would actually use that information?" My smart@ss answer is always "i need to know it because it is part of the curriculum, and I will use it to pass my tests and graduate." Furthermore i usually tell them, medical students are required to take gross anatomy and physics, go ask your doctor a physics related question the next time you see him and see if he remembers any of it. Go ask him to name all the bones in the body and the lines and grooves and protuberances on those bones and see if he remembers more than just names of the bones. Same thing with muscles and insertions and innervations. Nobody in any profession uses and remembers EVERYTHING they learn in school, but the fact that you mastered it at one time showed dedication, responsibility, usually intelligence, the ability to locate and synthesize information, memorization skills and attention to detail, which are all qualities that professionals need. I used to go launch into long drawn out explanations about histology and muscle physiology and why a nurse would need to know these things, (sometimes i still do just to take some of the air of superiority out of them) but half of the time you just get a blank disbelieving stare back at you. It absolutely burns me up that people are so clueless and rude.

[DidiRN]

This reminds me of my own mother, when I was in nursing school 20 years ago, used to tell everyone how I was in "nurses' training". Used to get under my skin too. Well, at least she said it with pride :)

Sherri

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

I cant see taking any offense to what he said, but maybe Im just not that sensitive. When I was a young nurse everyone automatically assumed I was a homosexual. Fussing over words like training versus education seem very minor in comparison to my mind anyway

[Rustyhammer]

You may have just asked him what he did for a living and then asked him where he was "trained". Might just have done the trick.

There are not too many docs in this area who act so superior to nurses. I like it when they ask "what do you think?". Actually realizing that A) we CAN think and B) They value our judgement. It didn't used to be that way.

-R

[prmenrs, RN]

Someone told me once that you "train" dogs, you educate people. Something to think about.

[S.N. Visit, BSN, RN]

I'm personally not offended at the word "training". :Santa3: I think the usage/meaning also depends on your geographical location and your generation but I totally agree with you for being irritated at the reaction you recieved when you told him that you were educated through a university.

I also think those commericals for becomming a medical assistant are misleading to the public. There is one commercial that broadcasts here from a local college, it portray's this woman who looks like an ex-stripper. She say's she's a single mom who wasn't very smart in high school and say's going to school for 12 weeks was the easiest and best decision of her life, If she can do it any one can!

Not that I think I'm better than any ex-stripper - single mother's who weren't intellegent in high school, it's just that I think it does a disservice to the nursing profession. The public see's this MA in scrubs, with steth around the neck doing a blood pressure and thinks..."nurse," who's education consisted of only 12 weeks. :icon_frow

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

The public see's this MA in scrubs, with steth around the neck doing a blood pressure and thinks..."nurse," who's education consisted of only 12 weeks.

So true! People really need to be educated as to exactly who is a nurse and who isn't. After all, when they can call anyone who works in a doctor's office "nurse" and never be corrected, what else are they to think?

Never mind that it's a little like seeing your supermarket butcher and calling him "Surgeon."

[mattsmom81]

I cant see taking any offense to what he said, but maybe Im just not that sensitive. When I was a young nurse everyone automatically assumed I was a homosexual. Fussing over words like training versus education seem very minor in comparison to my mind anyway

Yes it seems minor to me too Tom seeing how many huge problems we have to deal with in the world in general, and our nursing world.

But then I am only a lowly diploma RN....apparently trained , not 'educated' by some standards. So I guess I wouldn't understand.