Not a real nurse huh?

Specialties School

Published

You are reading page 5 of Not a real nurse huh?

nurse4sale

61 Posts

Specializes in Med/Surg., Geriatrics, Pediatrics..

Hi, Kkrlaa, it sounds to me you're doubting yourself. Who cares what others think. If you're happy with you life and it's fulfilling, then why the rant? Do you need validation? Do you need to hear from others how important your job is; will that make you feel better? Your job is important, not only that, you're surrounded by 1000's of tiny little germ carriers and I give you all the credit in the world. Good luck and believe your job is important.....you don't need to hear it from us.

kkrlaa5512

3 Posts

Wow! I logged on this afternoon hoping to maybe see a few words of encouragement and I got to see all of this!! Thank you all. I'm new to nursing and new to this site and the sense of support I already feel is astounding. This really lifted me up and gave me that push to keep on keeping on and just further fueled my fire to keep doing what I love.

Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.

Before I became an RN, I worked for over 20 years as an LPN. I remember during one orientation to a new hospital, the education nurses repeatedly referred to the team members as nurses AND LPNs. What do you mean by "nurses AND LPNs? The N in LPN stands for Nurse, you idiot!" Of course, being the professional that I am, I didn't say that out loud but I knew right away this was not a place I planned to spend most of my time. I was VERY offended! As I see it, if the position required education in an accredited school of nursing and a valid unencumbered nursing license, you ARE a real nurse regardless of what other people think. That's why you have the job and they don't. I would love to be a school nurse and as soon as they get rid of the kids, I'm gonna apply! (LOL!)

I had an instructor long ago who said that OR nurses weren't really nurses. People say a lot of dumb stuff, don't they?

Before I became an RN, I worked for over 20 years as an LPN. I remember during one orientation to a new hospital, the education nurses repeatedly referred to the team members as nurses AND LPNs. What do you mean by "nurses AND LPNs? The N in LPN stands for Nurse, you idiot!" Of course, being the professional that I am, I didn't say that out loud but I knew right away this was not a place I planned to spend most of my time. I was VERY offended! As I see it, if the position required education in an accredited school of nursing and a valid unencumbered nursing license, you ARE a real nurse regardless of what other people think. That's why you have the job and they don't. I would love to be a school nurse and as soon as they get rid of the kids, I'm gonna apply! (LOL!)
Sounds like you'd better wait til the adults are gone, too, LOL!

I have been a school nurse for the past 11 years and I LOVE it! There is no other specialty where you get to do it all--dealing every day with so-called healthy kids, some of whom have some really serious chronic stuff going on, handling all sorts of emergencies, being the surrogate parent to tons of kids, and being the resident expert who gets all of the faculty and staff questions and concerns. It really drives me crazy when people say we aren't REAL nurses. We see more variety than most specialties, and our kids love us. I hated the turnover in the hospital--just when I got to know a patient, they were gone. Now I get to know the whole family. I know I'm appreciated AND--SUMMER OFF!!

uthscsa2011

106 Posts

I'm almost forgot as I was reading your story that this wasn't me speaking, and someone else! LoL! My situation was the EXACT same as yours. I was a new grad 1 year ago, and didn't get hired at any hospital. A school called me back and I took it! I get teased now and again about it not being "real nursing", and that i'm not "a real nurse". It hurts because I worked so hard for my BSN, but if I'm happy here who cares. I love my weekends, holidays, spring breaks, and summers. I may get paid half of what hospital nurses get paid, but I don't have shift-work disorder, heart problems, stress-related medical problems, ect. I can go to the bathroom when I need to do(most days lol), get my lunch at the same time everyday, and all of it lol, and it's relatively stress free.

caregiver1977

494 Posts

I always thought that school nurses were "real nurses" but it really hit home when I started working at a public elementary school. We had an emergency happen on the playground that included two fractured bones. The child was in a lot of pain, and a lot of the school staff was really rattled because there was blood and the child was in a lot of pain. THANK GOD FOR OUR SCHOOL NURSE!! She was calm, she knew just what to do, and she gave us good instructions without being bossy. She was great!! And yes, later, I told her just that. That was the best moment I have seen with her, but 99% of the time she has been just great.

I would never say that my school's nurse wasn't a real nurse. She deals with insulin-dependent diabetics whose blood sugar levels stay in the 300s, she deals with children who have seizures, pass out for no known reason, and many other things that would have the regular staff saying "duh." Many children are on serious medications and have to have them administered at school. I wouldn't want just anyone doing that

jbrmdr

9 Posts

I have been a med surg floor nurse, in charge with 8 patients and no secretary, worked ER, CCU, SICU, MICU, CVICU, hospice, pediatrics, med-psych and am now a school nurse. I was not one of the hateful, know it all ICU nurses because I remember how it felt to take a patient who was crashing to the ICU only to have the ICU nurse try to belittle me when I gave report to them. So that made me a kinder ICU nurse when patients came to me crashing.

I know that I had been guilty of thinking that being a school nurse was just bandaids and ice and I thought I would lose my IV skills, ability to calculate critical drips, help with intensive procedures and the like. However, I developed a new set of skills when I became a school nurse. I love it and the hours and the schedule are wonderful. I have to make decisions and assessments on my own, without a colleague or a doctor to back me up and give me a second opinion. I care for children in wheelchairs, have cared for many children while they had a seizure, diabetics with insulin pumps, tube feedings, urinary catheterizations, and recently had a child who developed pneumo-mediastinum from blowing on his band instrument and ended up in PICU. I deal with parents, the doctors, the health dept, social services, and teachers.

There are so many children who do not get proper or any care at home and this is the only time they see anyone in the health care field despite our best efforts to get parents to take them for physicals, etc. I am glad I can help them in this way and try to help educate their parents as well in their care.

We are all "Real Nurses" no matter what specialty, I have always thought that many nurses don't support each other as they should and I hope this will change in the future.

ian_onymous

68 Posts

Specializes in MedSurg.

After reading some responses here, I'm considering to be one once I get my license here in Manitoba. All the perks of being a school nurse seem exciting esp you get summer breaks! Yay!

+ Add a Comment