Nurses are the real heroes ?

[Joe V]

I just posted the following photo on our allnurses.com facebook page... and someone left the following message:

Quote

Nurses are great but they aren't heroes. Heroes rush into life threatening situations without regard for their own safety. Heroes wear dog tags or badges. That's right, heroes include the members of our military, police officers, firefighters and EMTs. Drs and Nurses are after the fact and provide care from a position of safety. They are not heroes!

Do you agree?

[youngguy]

I remember when I had to go to a hospital for an allergic reaction. I wasn't in shock, but I needed to get IV'd some Benadryl. I was lying down in the room and the first person that I met was the nurse. I had already had my vitals, weight and patient history taken. So I was just waiting for them to treat me. The first person I saw was a nurse, who was really respectful and friendly. Then the doctor came in. He told me that I had to get into a gown. I didn't want to take my clothes off and didn't want to wear the gown- it looked demeaning, uncomfortable and unnecessary. He started to get really rude and said 'You have to!' I kept saying no. He said 'OK, just call security'. That's when I started to get loud. 'Call security for what?! You f$%$#% piece of s#$%!' I just hated how he thought that he could threaten me into doing something like that.

Well, after some arguing and a lot of four letter words, he finally left. The nurse came in and told me not to worry. She said that she didn't know why he would act like that. She got them to get me a different doctor, who was very respectful and actually listened to me and didn't try to force me to put a gown on.

Well, that nurse was my hero. If she hadn't been there to calm me down and step in, I would have kept being treated like that. There's some patient advocacy for you.

[JZ_RN]

Nurses provide care from a position of safety? I've never been totally "safe" at work, thanks!

[studentdrtobe]

Heroism is individual.

No profession as a whole consists of heroes. Just because you're a nurse or a doctor or a firefighter or an EMT or a policeman, etc, doesn't mean you're automatically a hero. Doing your job =/= heroism. The only people I would even consider close to being "heroes" are those who go way above and beyond what's required of them.

Merlyn said:

I'm not a hero, I'm just a guy doing a job for money. If they didn't pay me I wouldn't be a nurse. Getting a little tier of nurse Hero thing.

Agreed. I don't see why there's a need for getting patted on the back for doing your job. In any profession.

[umcRN, BSN, RN]

Today at work a nurse was the first to start chest compressions on a 3 year old who coded, a second nurse drew up and gave the epi that got him back...2 heroes.

Another nurse came into work tonight overtime to provide consistent care to an infant whose life support was discontinued yesterday though 30 hours later he was still hanging on...a hero in my mind and his family's mind.

A nurse flew in a helicopter and picked up a baby in distress at an outside hospital, she stabilized her to the best of her ability, comforted the parents and took their first born in a helicopter to get the life saving treatment she needed. That nurse then waited around until the family made it in to tell them their baby had done well in transport...another hero

Three nurses admitted post op open heart kiddos, they stabilized their patients, kept the doctors updated on their conditions, intervened before the patients spiraled downhill all the while reassuring the parents, answering their questions and being there for them.

Today no less than 23 nurses from two different units on the hospital came to visit (from work and home) and say their goodbyes to the little guy lingering in his last moments and his family

Today a nurse helped a dad hold his infant son for the first time. At the same time, in another hospital, I am sure a nurse was comforting that baby's mother because she could not be at his side.

This is on one unit, in one hospital, in one 12 hour shift.

Nurses are heroes in so many ways!

[NO50FRANNY]

"SAFETY?"

Tell that to the triage nurse who was stabbed 12 times by a patient who jumped off an ambulance stretcher, chased her into the waiting room and wrestled her to the floor. It's compelling to read about her thoughts and feelings as she read the expression on the surgical residents face while he was prepping to (possibly) crack her chest.

Tell me I was safe when an intoxicated pt. climbed over his bedrails and wobble walked toward me and while trying to stop him falling over, punched my lights out.

I guess I would have to say that heroic actions define a person as a hero, not a profession.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Quote

A hero (heroine is usually used for females) (Ancient Greek: ἥρως, hḗrōs), in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion.[1] Later, hero (male) and heroine (female) came to refer to characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice--that is, heroism--for some greater good of all humanity.

That is the Wikipedia definition of hero. Nursing seems to REALLY fit there!

Definitions of heroism are subjective.

I have never thought of myself personally as a hero. But I do feel, that in my role as a nurse.. I go to great lengths to serve my fellow man.

That's why I became a nurse. I sacrifice MY comfort and my families comfort to take care of others.

Yep, I get compensation for those efforts. I'm not Mother Teresa. However, the ideal is still there.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

VivaLasViejas said:

Hmm.......we usually consider people who rush to the rescue and save lives as heroes, do we not? And are doctors and nurses providing care from a "position of safety" when we're dealing with a 250-lb. maniac who's high on PCP and God knows what else?

That said, I certainly don't think of myself as a hero, even though I've done those things and more. Me, I'm just doing my job. What say you?

The "maniac" only weighed 250? Piece of cake ?

[Merlyn]

minnymi said:

I agree, but I don't consider police officers or even our current military to be my hero either.

Some people consider their mother, father, or grandparent to be their hero.

Anyone CAN be a hero, but to declare an entire profession is a little egotistical IMO.

How about the US congress they start the wars. They sign the checks that patriotic men and women have to pay for with their lives. How many of those slobs in congress ever wore the uniform of this country. Very easy to condemn the military, when it's those bums in congress that are to blame. When I was in I worked among heroes. A GI doesn't have a say in what war he will fight and die. Presidents start wars and then just ride off into the sunset.

[Merlyn]

minnymi said:

The current military are not heroes to me. That's correct.

Maybe they are heroes to the women in iraq. I don't know. I can't speak for others.

As I said previously, I don't consider anyone doing a job for a paycheck to be heroic. they are doing a job. A job and a paycheck are self serving...not selfless. Heroes are totally selfless. that's my opinion.

Military for a paycheck? You ever see a military paycheck. They do it for a lot of reasons but please not for a paycheck. How about the solders that never see a battle. That fight a war of nerves the ones that are in the silos on top of enough nuclear power to vaporize the world, the ones sailing around the world trying to keep the waters safe, how about the cost guard rescue. Yeah they do it for a paycheck.

Civilians sicken me.

[Tragically Hip]

minnymi said:

I don't know that I would consider anyone doing something self serving (such as working for a paycheck) to be a "hero."

If a regular guy walking down the street jumps in and stops a gun toting robber from holding up a bank....he is risking his life and getting nothing in return. that would be a hero IMO. If a security guard who is working for a paycheck does the same thing then he is a security guard doing his job....not quite a hero.

What if the regular guy got a reward for his actions? Would that nullify his hero status?

The nurse who takes care of the Ebola patients, knowing that there is a very good chance that she will contract the illness from a patient, is she a hero even though she gets a small paycheck?

Where do you draw the line? At $0.00? Is there even a gray area?

[JDougRN, BSN, RN]

Sorry- as an ED nurse, I can personally testify that we aren't "Safe" at work. I have had a pt hit me in the face and give me a lac bad enough to need stitches, have been attacked and in physical altercations with I can't COUNT how many psych/Drug/alcohol patients- Have had my foot broken and had a pt. try to stab me with my clamps- Seriously? I don't know any nurse who has been working for any length of time who hasn't had verbal/physical abuse directed at them.

But is that necessarily your definition of a "Hero?" WHat about people who blow the whistle on higher ups, who see corruption and graft but risk job/career to do what is right? Norma Rae was a whistleblower, who endured a TON of abuse because she chose to stand up for what she thought was "Right."

What about the people who donate blood? Their actions save a life.

What about the teacher who risks bodliy harm to teach in a bad area/school?

I personally have saved an unknown amount of peoplels' lives- Because I'm a nurse. Their families wouldn't agree that nurses aren't heros.

Sadly, it sounds as if we have a few TROLLS on this thread. Anybody who states the military isn't composed of heros- well, IMHO, you should move the heck out of the US, or any OTHER country where your rights are defended by the military.

[minnymi]

Tragically Hip said:

What if the regular guy got a reward for his actions? Would that nullify his hero status?

The nurse who takes care of the Ebola patients, knowing that there is a very good chance that she will contract the illness from a patient, is she a hero even though she gets a small paycheck?

Where do you draw the line? At $0.00? Is there even a gray area?

If a regular guy got a reward for his actions? he would be getting compensated AFTER he did whatever action made him a "hero." he would've acted without the knowledge or expectation that he would be getting anything out of it.

That's much different than signing up for a JOB in order to get a paycheck and then wanting hero status for fulfilling the very job description you signed up for.