A nurse is a nurse is a nurse. Is that true?

[exairex]

I know you have heard this phrase. What are the characteristics common to all types of nursing that make a nurse is a nurse is a nurse?

[AznMurse]

a nurse is a nurse is a nurse is indeed a nurse! Regardless of our specialties, we are all nurses because we will always see things through the filter of the nursing process. i.e. assess, identify problems, do something about it, then evaluate if it worked. We think and act systematically. We don't work on crisis mode regardless of the crisis at hand since it increases the likelihood of committing mistakes.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

This is where I think we nurses shoot ourselves in the foot. When we concentrate on the tasks we are able to perform we are saying, in effect, "anyone can do this if they learn the task". Our practice and documentation ought to indicate that we are continually learning and have expertise in our field. That will convince people that we are more than warm bodies. Practice professionally to be treated professionally.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

sorry guys. let me clearify first. this is a topic of my bsn class.

my opinion, right after we get out of school, i think we are all about the same. we studied the same material to prepare for the board exam, and learn the basic techniques prepare us for practice. but after we work as nurses for sometime, we tend to be expert in what we practice everyday, but become unfamiliar with the stuff we don't see everyday. just like if a physch nurse is getting pulled to an ob unit who have not done that since school, then a nurse is a nurse is a nuse would be false statement.

but there is something in common between all type nurses that make it possible for floating. i need opinions from you to help me answer the question.

thanks for the reply.

"a nurse is a nurse is a nurse" is a theory often espoused by management to explain how they can justify pulling a cticu nurse to feed babies in the nursery, a psych nurse to pass meds on a med-surg floor, an ob nurse to a pediatric floor, etc. unfortunately, it's an untrue statement. a nurse is not a nurse is not a nurse, unless you're talking about newbies fresh out of school. and even then, who would you rather have looking after your baby: the brand new grad who has 13 younger siblings and has been looking after them since she was 6? or the cticu nurse with 30 years experience who last held a newborn in 1958 when her sister came home from the hospital?

[snowfreeze, BSN, RN]

We all have the same basic skills but specialize in different areas. Experience and skills vary as do personalities and ways of interacting along with organizational skillls. Even with any number of years of experience every nurse entering a new area receives 4 to 12 weeks of orientation.

The theory of all are alike could be applied to any profession. Would you want a corporate lawyer representing you in a divorce or a pilot with experience flying twin engine planes being "pulled" to fly you to Germany on one of new Airbus supersized planes? That type of "stuff"(keeping the language clean) does not happen in other professions so why in nursing? Even a frenchfry graduate for McDonalds would never be asked to do a task he/she was not properly oriented to...and why? because people expect a certain competency from those they are paying for any service.

When we as nurses get pulled to an unfamilar unit and then there are complaints from patients or families we as nurses are "spoken to" about the complaint because we were not able to instantly pull the needed skills from thin air.

[nickola]

Ohhh... I hate that we only have 5 minutes to edit now.

I think all nursing specialities have the same core nursing prinicpals and ethics. What is different is the skill set and technical skills. So take away our specialties and the technical skills along with them (but keep the nursing process)....then a nurse is a nurse is a nurse.

I really hope I didn't just slaughter this thread and make it more confusing. I tried to edit my above post and couldn't.

LOL, I hate the editing rule too! I think one thing nurses share is compassion. There are good nurses and so-so nurses, and nurses who can multi-task and those w/tunnel vision, --I've learned from them all; but there are always those patients who "get" to you, for whatever reason- you just bond w/them. That is why I love what I do!!

[showbizrn]

what's common to all rns is the nursing process---our unique problem-solving technique.

but a nurse is a nurse is a nurse?

no way!!!

this ain't poetry

and a nurse is no rose.

but we're suppose

to care

where others

don't dare

tread

for the sick in bed

don't let it be said

that we're all the same.

we don't play that game.

all nurses are different!!!

all nurses make a difference!!!