Are nurses really that important?

[silentRN]

I googled this question today, "are nurses really that important?" I got tons of links to websites that have articles on nursing saying that we nurses are important. I've noticed that the majority of those articles were probably written by the outside world and not by the medical community. My question to you is, you as a nurse, do you really feel that significant? I ask this because I as a nurse don't. I work in a teaching hospital in Tucson where it seems like the residents have no respect for nurses nor do the patients. Most of the time I just feel like a pill pusher, pushing pain meds all night long. When the physicians round in the morning they don't even come to speak with you, even though you had just spent the last 12 Hours with the patient over night. When I was in school I thought that being a nurse would be an honorable job. 13 months later of being a RN, reality kicked in. The truth that I have learned is that no one does respect you. Well, I'm transferring to the ICU next month. I hear that nurses are looked upon with higher regard there. We will see. I love what I do. I just wish patients would stop asking me if I'm gonna further my education to become a doctor and stop asking me why when I say no. And I wish both patients and doctors would actually take the time to understand what a nurse really does besides fluffing pillows and retreiving water.

- David RN

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

It depends on what day.

9 days out of 10, I feel respected by others around me. 9 days out of 10 the docs and I get along fine; they know I'll call them if I need them, and they know that when I do call, it's not because I just want to chat. The residents I work with by and large appreciate a good catch, or a good save, or a heads-up on a pt's condition.

I've found that I get so much further with the docs (residents AND attendings) if when I call, I state exactly why I'm calling, exactly what the patient's assessment is, and exactly what I want done about it. This works whether I just need a MOM order, or I have a postpartum hemorrhage in the works, or a crumping newborn, or an antepartum that needs to go to L&D. 99 times out of a hundred this works like a charm.

Most of the patients know that we are their advocates. I encourage them to ask questions when the doc is on rounds, but a large part of my job (mother/baby/antepartum) is education anyway. I don't mind teaching, and if I don't know, I find someone who does.

On the one day out of 10 that neither the docs nor the patients appreciate what I do, I remind myself that what I do is important. My hands are the first (and sometimes the last) to touch the tiny fetal demises that we deliver on the floor. I get to show parents how to get their newborn baby from frantic to sleeping in a span of minutes. I get to watch moms go from "No way I'll ever be able to do this" to "Man, this is so cool!". I get to listen while new moms and scared high-risk pregnant moms spill their guts at 0200.

Not trying to sound all saintly here. Just saying that even when it doesn't seem like you are making a difference, you are making a difference.

[Murse7]

http://www.medleague.com/Articles/medical_errors/sbar.htm

My ER recently focused on this to help with exchange of information.

[Healsalot, BSN, RN]

It used to be awesome to answer the question "What do you do?" with the response "I'm a Nurse!". These days I'm feeling incredibly more jaded, burnt out, and worthless than ever. I hate to admit this because I worked so hard to get here, was so determined, and in love with the profession when I first started. It hasn't taken long to feel that I'm more of a glorified waitress, or expensive nursing assistant (not to undermine AT ALL the work these folks do, in fact I was an NA for several years) than a college educated RN. Its hard for me to go to work everyday and feel that my nursing skills are secondary to the work I routinely do. I recently transfered to the CVICU after almost 4 years on a cardiothoracic step down unit due to increased feelings of burnout. I was convinced that by working in the ICU I would be utilizing more of my critical thinking and nursing skills, and putting that 4 year degree to work. It was quite the awakening when I learned that we, the RN's, give the baths, change the linens, toilet the patients (assuming they aren't sedated and can get up to a commode), and feed those patients that have been cleared following intubation. And as much as I like to say "I'm a nurse, not a butt wiper", I do the majority of the the butt wiping for my paitents. I'm most definitely not of the mind set that I am above any of these said duties and feel that as a nurse you WILL partake in this kind of care, but I really feel that it dominates the bulk of the work that I do. I'm then struggling to do my acutal nursing work in-between these duties. I did less of this while working on the floor believe it or not. Its frustrating to me because lately I wonder if I followed the wrong path in health care. But part of what drew me to nursing was the hands on, continuous contact with patients. I just don't feel that what I do is all that mind blowing these days when I look back at what I thought I would be doing as a nurse. Its hard to feel respected by other members of the health care team as well(Physicians, PT, OT etc) when they walk in and you're elbow deep in an all out code brown. I'm in no way trying to offend anyone. Just feeling a little less that "important" these days. Maybe its just part of the "cycle" and I'll feel differently after some R and R...who knows.

[Eliseinalaska]

Yes, I am.

I work in a small hospital on a small island in Alaska. I know our four doctors, and they know me. Many of my patients know me as well. I walk down main street, and I hear "Thank you so much for the care you gave my dad when he was sick". Yes, I feel important. Can you tell I love living here?

[ToxicShock]

And yet when I tell ppl--often including other healthcare workers--that I work in a LTC/TCU I get little respect. Few people realize the hard job that we do in our facilities, and even fewer make it more than a few months. Poor pay, high pt load, and "stable" pts (ha!) do not earn us a lot of respect. I always said I never wanted to work in an LTC facility, and I find that I love it.

I've gotta say, I'm not sure what kind of people everyone is talking to that gives them a negative reaction when told they are nurses. I've told plenty of people - family as well as strangers - that I'm going to be a nurse, and I've always received positive responses and reactions. Mostly stupid ones like "oh, you'll have a job for life!", but it's positive nonetheless.

Now that I think of it, I did have relative who once asked me "have you ever considered being a doctor?" To which I responded, "maybe as a child. But now that I'm older, I've found that nursing is best for me. The intimate contact nurses have with their patients is so important, if not better, than the contact that the doctors have with them. And that's what I want - to connect with my patients." This particular person didn't realize how important nurses are and said, "wow, I never realized that. Good for you!" (not a sarcastic response either.) They walked away having more respect for nurses and were very impressed with my decision to become a nurse. Score!

But aside from that, I've always had positive responses. And I'm thankful for that. So to answer the question, YES. Nurses are very important, even if they don't always feel that way.