Are nurse's all that and a bag of chips?

[Nash3222]

I have been a RN for 11 years now, have seen much as many of you have. One thing that continues to irk me are nurses that think because they are a nurse are somehow a cross between Florence Nightingale and Jesus--and act like it. You know, "super nurse syndrome"

I was at my local gym and saw the a T shirt that said:

I sacrificed my life, so I could save your life. I am a nurse.

Really? You sacrificed your life to be a nurse? WOW, I never realized that going to nursing school and getting a job involved life sacrifice.( like so many 100.000's people that go to college to get jobs).

GET OVER IT ALREADY, your a nurse, your not mother Theresa, you don't walk on water and you DID NOT sacrifice your life to become a nurse.

Nursing school and how hard it is, another thing that people want to whine/brag about I get tired of hearing about. Really? I'll bet becoming a chemical engineer is very hard, I'll be learning computer coding is very hard, in fact I'll bet most any college degree--they just don't hand them out for showing up. You have to work for them and earn them---just like nursing school.

What I am saying is being a nurse does not somehow set you apart from the rest of the world, or make you a better person---just because your a nurse.

Doing your job, being courteous to patients AND coworkers AND people in general is what we and everyone else on the planet should be doing----we are all members of the human family.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I really want some potato chips now.

I'm actually eating some right now. Come on over- I'll share.

I would never personally wear a shirt that said something like that. It seems like those who do somehow feel inferior. They would benefit from Eleanor Roosevelt's saying: No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

[springchick1, ADN, RN]

I really want some potato chips now.

Doritos[emoji7][emoji7]

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

Doritos[emoji7][emoji7]

Nacho Cheese please!!!

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

"Wow, hi, congrats! You look so healthy for someone that sacrificed her life! My great grandpa sacrificed his life in World War I and he never worked out again after that."

*crickets* *mic drop*

On a related note, has anyone seen that ridiculous clipping floating around Facebook about how Guinness Book of Eorld Records has named the BSN degree the hardest degree? I can't believe the people I had considered fairly intelligent sharing it. I mean- every school is different and while it may be difficult, I am confident I would find an organic chemistry major harder.

[NightNerd, MSN, RN]

I mean, I'm proud of what I do. I look for work I find interesting and challenging. I enjoy telling the right people about it, and at the right time. And I do think nurses have a big job to do with very few resources sometimes. Being a nurse is important, and it's not for everybody.

But.

Being an engineer is not for everybody either. Or an elementary school teacher. Or a Marine. Those are jobs I could never, ever do, and it mystifies me that someone can do those things every day. I've got mad respect for other professions because, let's be honest, they all have something very difficult to them, and thank God someone has those skills and interests that I don't.

And if you've given all of your energy, health, time, and mental well-being to be a nurse,well, that doesn't seem noble to me; it's kind of dumb. I'm a better nurse for the days I spend simply being human, and really just a better person.

[Kimstwin]

My nurse shirt says something like "I'm a nurse: my job is to save your a**, not kiss it!"

[Jensmom7, BSN, RN]

Been a nurse since 1979. Have had a healthy skepticism of the godliness of physicians since then (I've gotten an MD coffee exactly once in the past 37 years and that was to get him to sit down and shut up so I could work on the things that had gone wrong before his patient could have a procedure done).

My nurse shirt says "Do you want to talk to the doctor in charge, or the nurse who knows what's going on?"

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

To answer the question in the title:

Yes, we are all that and a bag of chips!

For what we have to know and what we have to soon order to facilitate in a plan of care, yes...

But not for "sacrificing lives".

I clock out, I have a fulfilling life outside of my employer.

I prefer to be all that and a bag of doritios. They are cheesy and spicy......

[Kitiger, RN]

:

...

the very real possibility that a human being gets seriously harmed or even dies if you make a mistake and the frequent and close contact with human suffering, the various emotional manifestations of loss (of function, ability, health) and death sets healthcare work apart from many other professions. So yes, I think that it can be a hard job.

.

These are some of the things that set us apart. No, they don't make us better than other people; that T-shirt was out of line.

[dream'n, BSN, RN]

Yeah, I wouldn't be caught dead wearing that particular Tshirt. How ridiculous.

When it comes to education I personally don't think that a nursing degree qualifies as one of the more difficult ones. Of course it's all relative and different people find different things challenging depending on their individual strengths and weaknesses.

As far as the job itself, I do believe that it is a rather demanding profession.

I think that the mix of shift work (which is common in healthcare even if not everyone does it), inadequate staffing levels, the very real possibility that a human being gets seriously harmed or even dies if you make a mistake and the frequent and close contact with human suffering, the various emotional manifestations of loss (of function, ability, health) and death sets healthcare work apart from many other professions. So yes, I think that it can be a hard job.

If I'd venture a guess, I'd say that the rate of burnout and compassion fatigue is significantly lower among for example librarians and botanists (but what would I know, I'm neither).

So yes, I think that nursing has its challenges but you certainly don't have to sacrifice your life in order to be a nurse. I find that kind of martyrdom attitude rather off-putting.

Now a shirt that says, "I sacrificed my mental health for nursing" sometimes feels a bit true, LOL

[Nursynursenurse, ADN, RN]

It was probably a stupid gift someone got her so she feels obligated to wear it somewhere. Using it as a sweaty gym shirt is a perfect opportunity.

[Scrubs_n_sirens, MSN, RN]

Realistically that shirt should say "I sacrificed my bladder and lunch to save your life."

Because you know... "Breaks"