Are you ashamed of being a nurse?

Nurses Career Support

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Hi everyone. Please respond and offer feedback on whether you are ashamed of or embarrassed about being a nurse; becoming a nurse; or considering nursing as a career. If you are ashamed or embarrassed, why? If not, why not?

Specializes in Palliative, Geriatics.

after what i experienced last night, i am so darned 100% proud of this path i've chosen!

see nursing dicussion "exciting night.................."

:)

I am ashamed of being a nurse when I see other nurses acting unprofessionally. Or when I see them accepting bad treatment from physicians, hospital administrators or DON's. We will never gain the respect we deserve if we do not stand up for ourselves. :o

I am totally proud of what I do...so is my hubby...so is my mommy....etc... hehe

I've been in this career for a relatively short time - 3.5 yrs. I have already learned so much about myself in this short time. Nursing has really given me self-confidence and I've absolutely blossomed. It has also taught me what other people REALLY go through and to be compassionate and more tolerant of others than I was before.

:uhoh21: :uhoh21: :uhoh21:

never ashamed to say I am a nurse, I am proud to say I am a nurse. What is shaming to the profession as a whole is how we attack one another, the politics each unit can have, how nurses can gang up on the new grad, how nurses can treat student nurses, how we have not stood up for one another, how we turn our heads when one nurse behaves rudely and unprofessionally to another nurse feeling it is ok to degrade and be snide when one nurse does not have the knowledge of another, instead of educating. This makes inexperienced nurses afraid to ask questions or to go ahead with a procedure that they are unfamiliar with because they are afraid to appear stupid in front of others. What shames us is for nurse managers to be more concerned with the bottom line instead of patient care, and to in turn demand the impossible from their staffs, to let a physician rage at their staff instead of stepping forward and requesting that disagreements and problems be handled professionally, then going over the physicians head if the request is not met. Shame to the nurse that does not report, or stand up for those that do report unsafe patient practices, abuse or falsification of charting. Never should we be ashamed of being a nurse, only ashamed that we seem to have the inability to take care of each other with the same zeal that we want to take care of our patients.[/quote

AMEN It is sad that one person can ruin another person's career with cruel gossip and lies, as so often happens.

Unfortunately you risk your license and reputation by standing up for what is ethical and right. I have seen it too many times. If you think your coworkers will stand up for you, just sit back and watch the next time someone comes to your area that just one person doesn't like or is jealous of. Just one person can ruin a brilliant nurse.

Specializes in M/S, Onc, PCU, ER, ICU, Nsg Sup., Neuro.

I have been an RN for over 19 yrs and am not now nor ever have been ashamed to be or to tell someone I am a nurse. When I went to school I had a lady ask me if I was going to be a "male nurse" when I graduated from school, surprised when I looked her dead in the eye and told her, "no, they give us a sex change along with our diploma when we graduate".....

flaerman

I am not, never have been and never will be ashamed of being a nurse. :nurse: Becoming a nurse ranks right up there in the top 10 accomplishments of my life and one of the things I'm most proud of myself for. There are days when I come home feeling ashamed of the place I work but knowing that I did my best. I've never been ashamed of my profession or of my performance. I'm a good nurse and I work hard to take care of my patients and their families.:) I think if you answer that you are ashamed of being a nurse perhaps you should consider another profession.

I have been an RN for over 19 yrs and am not now nor ever have been ashamed to be or to tell someone I am a nurse. When I went to school I had a lady ask me if I was going to be a "male nurse" when I graduated from school, surprised when I looked her dead in the eye and told her, "no, they give us a sex change along with our diploma when we graduate".....

flaerman

There needs to be more "male nurses" You have my utmost respect. You are in a traditionally female oriented field, and we desperately need more real men like you.

I am very prroud to be a nurse, it is the wat we treat each other in our field that makes me angry, sad, ashamed, and just downright amazed at how the nurses I work with will go to any length to destroy anyone that gets in their way. Go somewhere else? I would love to. But with the only hospital within 75 miles of where I live it is just not practicle. I have put in for a transfer to another unit, but guess what? The hospital is "importing" nurses. I will retire in a few years, I will look back on the good and try to forget the bad. I will have the satisfaction of knowing at one time or another I made a difference. I saved a life, or maybe just stood beside the bed and held the hand of a dying patient. Prehaps I was the only smiling face that a person saw during a day. I Have cried through my shifts and have laughed a lot over the years. I hope the new nurses will remember that one day some nurse will be taking care of them, and will learn to treat all with diginity and respect.

Specializes in ICU, ED, Transport, Home Care, Mgmnt.
never ashamed to say I am a nurse, I am proud to say I am a nurse. What is shaming to the profession as a whole is how we attack one another, the politics each unit can have, how nurses can gang up on the new grad, how nurses can treat student nurses, how we have not stood up for one another, how we turn our heads when one nurse behaves rudely and unprofessionally to another nurse feeling it is ok to degrade and be snide when one nurse does not have the knowledge of another, instead of educating. This makes inexperienced nurses afraid to ask questions or to go ahead with a procedure that they are unfamiliar with because they are afraid to appear stupid in front of others. What shames us is for nurse managers to be more concerned with the bottom line instead of patient care, and to in turn demand the impossible from their staffs, to let a physician rage at their staff instead of stepping forward and requesting that disagreements and problems be handled professionally, then going over the physicians head if the request is not met. Shame to the nurse that does not report, or stand up for those that do report unsafe patient practices, abuse or falsification of charting. Never should we be ashamed of being a nurse, only ashamed that we seem to have the inability to take care of each other with the same zeal that we want to take care of our patients.

Sounds like you are in a toxic enviornment, why do you stay? There are so many choices for nurses. If you can't fix what is wrong, move on to something else. If, however, you find your self always moving from horrible places, maybe it isn't "them".

I love nursing.....have been an RN x 25 yrs and am very happy with my career choice. I can honestly say I feel proud to tell people "I am a nurse." Have always thought of nursing for me as more of a vocation. BUT....a few yrs after graduating (BSN) in 1979 when working in DC I was around some female nurses who were disgruntled at being what they thought was "just a nurse" while their friends were going on to be lawyers, docs, architects, vets, whatever. (which they could have certainly done too....) One friend complained that nursing was not really a profession but "blue collar work" since we had to clock in etc and she would be very offended when an older patient asked her where she got her "training." I never really understood the "just a nurse" sentiment because with all the options open to women today (besides nursing, teaching, secretarial work) I always thought it was very cool of those of us who CHOSE Nursing. But when we moved out of DC to a small southern city I couldn't believe the instant status I had as a nurse. Suddenly it seemed like the community I was living in really and truly valued and appreciated nurses. Instead of being asked "why didn't you go to med school?" my neighbors would say, "Wow! You're a nurse?!" as if I had landed on the moon. As far as the med school question, I never felt it was a question of intelligence...I just see Nursing as such a completely different profession......caring for a person holistically etc. Besides, it is a lot of fun...some of my most hilarious moments have been while at work :chuckle

One final thought...if any nurse is "ashamed" of being a nurse I would think that nursing is not the root problem......that maybe there are other self-esteem issues there. I think it comes down to one's internal sense of worth/purpose.

As a male and an RN I have mixed feelings.

I'm not "ashamed" of being an RN but it's hard when you are a guy and around other people that are uninformed about nursing. I dont use the term "nurse" because many people associate that term with a variety of menial jobs. I tell them I'm an RN. Even that doesnt register with many people. Of course being a guy I'm always asked "when are you starting med school?" or I get a veiled smirk and they say something like "oh you're a male nurse.." as if I'm a pariah or something.

Ironically, I have a great, high paying job in acute dialysis and probably make more money than many people in "professional fields"

I guess some of the problem is my own flawed male ego but I get sick of public perception. I even find myself telling people I'm simply in "the medical field" in passing conversation so I dont have to explain myself further or go into the "male nurse" fiasco.

Personally, i'm not ashamed of being a nurse. In fact, I wish the profession would attain a higher status both in classification and pay so that we would have better people staying in nursing thus better patient care.

:rolleyes: i'm so happy hearing positive feedbacks. we should be really proud in our chosen profession. what other profession can you think that can give care to a person holistically?...nursing! we nurse because we care.:)
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