Are you insulted????

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Okay, I do not want to insult anyone or step in a hornets nest here, but I have a serious question. Recently my hubby had surgery, and everyone at the hospital would ask"are you a nurse?" to which I would reply "No, I am a CNA". Most of the time it was accepted and the nurses, techs, etc were happy to let me do most of the care for my man, and were very appreciative. There were 2 or 3 nurses that asked me "why not continue my education and become a "real nurse"? I gave my reasons for not wanting to, in a mild tone, without judgement.

The reasons I listed are 1. I am very satisfied with my life. I was in nursing school when I gave birth to my first child and chose to be a stay at home mom to my 2 boys, so decided to not finish. 2. Nursing has changed considerably over the last 26 year, so I chose to return to school and go the CNA path and am quite satisfied. I have much respect and admire good nurses, as I do good teachers, but chose not to pursue either path.

The responses I got from these 2 or 3 nurses was off the charts over reaction. They were so insulted and rude. One even told me she did not believe me, that all CNAs and TECHs say that , but they are really just frustrated with their jobs. So my question is this: Are you insulted by this as a nurse? Does it bother you that some would choose not to continue on the education path and be "just a CNA"? Does it insult you as a nurse that I feel like your job is not the job I aspire to and I am happy where I am? I work 2-3 shifts/wk. and truly enjoy my low key, 3-11 position. What are your thoughts, please. Did I say something wrong????

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No you were not wrong. You have a right to pursue or stay in whatever position you like. Personally I wouldn't have become a nurse if I had it to do all over again. I have met several PCTs & CNAs who are happy doing what they do and have no desire to become a nurse. Of course those satisfied techs & nurses don't happen to work on our unit :lol2:. Seriously what kind of nuts work at that place your husband had surgery at? Who are they to be angry or rude to you because you don't want to be a freaking nurse? They should NOT have had you taking care of your husband just because you're a CNA. You have more than enough to do at your own job and when your husband was d/c to home. They were on the clock so it was their responsiblity to see to his needs while he recovered. They get a big FAIL for being rude and lazy.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/urology.

This question is very similar to some of the posts in the thread "CNA's/PCT's are worked real hard"..which I must say, sort of got ugly very quickly. :(

Anyways, I am in nursing school, and am also a CNA. Over the last 2 years, I've met a lot of aides who just simply do not aspire to be a nurse. Some say it is because of financial reasons, others say they do not want the responsibility that being a nurse entails, and others are just simply happy being an aide. Whatever the reason, it is their business & no one should make them feel bad for what their reason might be :)

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Specializes in NICU.

I personally think it's human nature for people to assume other people are going to keep trying to continue to move up on the ladder instead of just enjoying where they are now. As soon as I finished my bsn, my family kept wanting to know when I am going to pursue my master's degree. I am very happy "just" being a bedside nurse, but there are always people asking what my next career plans are. Same with me and my hubby, it took six years to get engaged, and then 3 years to get married. Now my friends and family keep asking when we are going to have kids? Ahhhh! So no I am not insulted (just a little annoyed), so be happy where you are now and if you want something new, change it on your own time. :)

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Specializes in Cardiac.

I think you handled the situation very well and those nurses that you spoke to were rude and immature. This reminds me of a similar situation from work last night: I work as a CNA at my hospital and I am working on pre-reqs for nursing school. I work in the nursing resource float pool and was working on our cardiac PCU with one of my resource nurse co-workers and after we were finished giving care to a pt she complimented me by saying that she really enjoys working with me because I'm very good at what I do and I will make a great nurse one day, I replied that I appreciated the compliment and she said that there really are some "not-so-good" CNAs that she works with and then said "but they're JUST CNAs.." I was a little offended and said "well, I am JUST a CNA, too." She replied "No, you're a nursing student." and I explained that I'm only in pre-reqs and not a nursing student yet. Furthermore, I'm good at my job because I care about my pts, and try to "think like a nurse," if you want to call it that. I don't just go through the motions, I take pride in knowing my job well, knowing why I do the things that I do, and growing in my profession every chance I get! This is what sets me apart from the rest. I'm not JUST a CNA. I'm a CNA and darned proud of it! Be proud of your profession and don't let rude, or ignorant people bring you down. :up::yeah:

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Thanks for making me feel better about this. I just read the other post and responded to it. My hubby had a cardiac procedure at Tufts University Hosp. and I wanted to be the one to care for him as much as possible (I adore that man! ). I was very appreciative of all that attended him. I just thought perhaps I might have not realized that I had said something wrong.

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Specializes in Cardiac.
I personally think it's human nature for people to assume other people are going to keep trying to continue to move up on the ladder instead of just enjoying where they are now. As soon as I finished my bsn, my family kept wanting to know when I am going to pursue my master's degree. I am very happy "just" being a bedside nurse, but there are always people asking what my next career plans are. Same with me and my hubby, it took six years to get engaged, and then 3 years to get married. Now my friends and family keep asking when we are going to have kids? Ahhhh! So no I am not insulted (just a little annoyed), so be happy where you are now and if you want something new, change it on your own time. :)

Great advice.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Your reasons are valid and personal. No one should judge, and it isn't feasible for everyone to want to pursue higher education. Your work is valuable, and, while I am a nurse who respects her colleagues, I think some of these nurses should mind their business and focus on their own lives.

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I know several Nurses who wish they had STAYED CNA's!!

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Specializes in Oncology/Hematology, Infusion, clinical.

It's not insulting. If it were, nurses would be insulted by everyone but other nurses. And from what I've seen, many nurses can't seem to get along with each other. I notice some people can turn anything into an insult. I just turn everything into a joke. It's way more fun to laugh my orifice off than to feel insulted. Unless I slip up and laugh about the wrong thing in front of the wrong person...

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Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
what are your thoughts, please. did i say something wrong????

no, i am not insulted. if you want to go off to medical school or become a dental hygienist i will say, "more power to you!" i do not encourage people to become nurses who do not want to be. i get asked to tell kids to become nurses by parents often.

i look the kid in the eyes and ask, "do you want to be a nurse?" if he/she says, "no." i can care less what the reason!!! in front of the parents i continue, "good. do not become one."

yes, parents are shocked... i suppose they must be used to nurses imposing his/her will on kids and teens upon request. i don't because i am not threatened by the career choices of others. nursing is not for everyone. in fact, a career in nursing is not even for many who are nurses!!!! thus, if you are happy with a career as a cna, then good for you and god bless!:up:

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

If there wasn't people that were happy being cna's, than where would that leave things? Everyone has a place and is needed somewhere, better to be at a job you like. Even if it's "just" a cna ;) patients get better care when people are happy with their jobs. Don't let people decide what's best for you. If you are happy where you are at than that is what matters.

Shoot I keep trying to convince the husband that I really want to work at the movie theater or block buster so I can see movies early and for free. He says I need to leave those jobs open for the teenagers and to be serious, I was serious!!!

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