Are you really not a "real nurse" unless you work in acute care?

St. George · Jul 8, 2015

Are all of you kidding? I began as a Registered Nurse in 1978. It has always been the case that acute care RN's consider themselves to be the only real RN's and that they are above RN's that don't work on acute care settings in hospitals. Intensive Care RN's consider themselves above all other RN's. I worked for 20 years as a RN on psychiatric units in acute care hospitals and RN's who worked on Intensive Care scowled at us if they had to come to our unit. I talked to a psychiatrist who admitted to my unit, and he said that doctors who had medical type patients did not consider psychiatrists to be "real doctors" either.

We just have to "get over it". RN's are people just like everyone else and are not immune to the standard human prejudices and ego centrism. Because I was a man in a woman's profession you better believe that I encountered many RN's who thought that men should not be RN's and were substandard RN's. I appreciate that someone has initiated this topic and given me the opportunity to share my views. Whatever specialty we are in, I firmly believe that to be an RN is a great privilege and honor and that we should be extremely proud that we are an RN no matter in what specialty we work. God bless you.

Lovely_RN, MSN · Jul 8, 2015

Hospital nurses are great and someone has to do it right? Well, that stated:

Some people have to tear others down in order to build themselves up. When I transfered from telemetry to outpatient my ex-coworkers gave me much grief. I was going to lose my skills, I was giving up nursing, and I would never be able to return to the bedside.

A few things: What I currently do is a skill set all of it's own. Hospital RN can't just jump in and do my job without training.

Skills? What skills are they referring to exactly? Does an ICU nurse have the same skill set as a SNF/LTC nurse? Do they need to have the same skill set?

Also, there is something called a refresher course if I ever get tired of always having nights, Sundays, and all major holidays off while still getting the same pay as the nurses on my old unit. I also do not have to give report to the next nurse because we are CLOSED after my shift and there are NO PCAs.

If you're happy at the bedside then by all means carry-on and I thank you for your service. If you're not happy at the bedside then don't let anyone make you feel inferior for your choices.

Libby1987 · Jul 8, 2015

Are all of you kidding? I began as a Registered Nurse in 1978. It has always been the case that acute care RN's consider themselves to be the only real RN's and that they are above RN's that don't work on acute care settings in hospitals. Intensive Care RN's consider themselves above all other RN's. I worked for 20 years as a RN on psychiatric units in acute care hospitals and RN's who worked on Intensive Care scowled at us if they had to come to our unit. I talked to a psychiatrist who admitted to my unit, and he said that doctors who had medical type patients did not consider psychiatrists to be "real doctors" either.
We just have to "get over it". RN's are people just like everyone else and are not immune to the standard human prejudices and ego centrism. Because I was a man in a woman's profession you better believe that I encountered many RN's who thought that men should not be RN's and were substandard RN's. I appreciate that someone has initiated this topic and given me the opportunity to share my views. Whatever specialty we are in, I firmly believe that to be an RN is a great privilege and honor and that we should be extremely proud that we are an RN no matter in what specialty we work. God bless you.

I can see RN's feeling that way in decades past but now it seems many acute care nurses are feeling like wait and clerical staff, not like professional clinical nurses.

St. George · Jul 8, 2015

I agree 100% that new grads should work at least 1 year in an acute care area as a "staff nurse" before deciding on a specialty area. I worked in 2 hospitals as an RN on medical surgical and surgical units and every minute of that experience was invaluable to me after I transferred to a psychiatric unit and discovered that, that was were I wanted to make my career.

Scot21t · Jul 8, 2015

I have heard this also. My background: fire, rescue and EMS moved to cardiac interventional unit as a RN and now as an emergency room nurse. I envy you nurses who are able to educate. If I place a foley I tell the patient to return for any problems instead of how to fix easy issues. Critical nurses place themselves on the edge of nursing scope of practice and depending on the doctor can be many times during a shift. The most important skill a nurse has is the ability to listen. Every other skill mastered or mastering is helping the body to do the job it was created to do already. Critical care nurses do what I call focused listening. We only hear what we need to take us to the next step in a patient's care. My wife is a pediatric cardiac nurse working both on the step down and ICU. She is not an ICU critical care nurse by her own admittance. She has the skills but not the attitude if I may be so bold. On her step down side she is able to know the patients and family. Shares things about a clinical present that I would never hear in the ER. She sees web pages dedicated to those patients/kids and family which takes me to the other end of nursing that brings forth trouble for us - knowing and sharing information about patients as if we are protecting the nation's secrets and 5 black Expeditions with 20 men/women in black with a HIPPA manual labeled "Bible" dragging us from our home in cuffs and shackles for talking about something posted on the net or a presentation. Some of the patients end up on her unit after ice seen them in the ER for their emergency. Crazy stupid abuse of rules. As for the original point: attitude is everything. Working together to use the strengths of each makes for better patient care and outcomes which is NOT many current office or hospital patient care models being used. Certainly most of you would not be the primary lifting person of a 300lbs person if you weighed 100lbs if some new 200lbs muscle bound nurse was present? My wife left office nursing in some fear she lost "nursing skills". Real nurses aren't the ones who die with the most skills or procedures under their belt. Real nurses care enough to change outcomes to those he/she serves!! Thanks/God bless.

mrclark0000 · Jul 8, 2015

I've been informed many times over the years by my "betters" that as long that I'm an Operating room nurse that I'm not really a nurse just a glorified technical helper.

Of course that opinion changes when they have to have surgery ðŸ˜€

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2015

@St. George...are you serious? Some perceived scowls, and you're able to speak for every acute care nurse and especially critical care nurse??

I'm sorry for any disdain you've experienced, truly.

That said, to make blanket statements attributing a character flaw to all of us is wrong.

I am a critical care nurse, mostly caring for stroke and level 1 trauma patients. I respect all nurses and have particular admiration for those in LTC, psych, and public health. I have said before that I credit my grandpa's LTC nurses with giving us two more years with him and for making them comfortable years for him. They are awesome. I also started out as a CNA in LTC with most of the nurses being RNs, and still remember how much they taught me, especially when I started nursing school (when I started working there I was in school for music.)

We all have our own skill sets. I have skills you don't, and you have skills I don't. It's not like you have a mastery of psych, while I have a mastery of critical care and psych and dialysis and rehab and med-surg and NICU and mother-baby and burn and oncology and procedures and ED..........

Please don't paint us with such a broad, ugly brush.

nurseactivist · Jul 8, 2015

You wouldn't think a pedi case manager would have a stressful day. I will never forget the day a Mom called me because she had removed her child's trache tube and then discovered she didn't have a replacement. Those days weren't common, thank God. However, I was glad my problem solving skills were intact.

mrclark0000 · Jul 8, 2015

Hate to say it the reason the "brush is large and ugly" is due to others(not you of course!) who we have had to deal with. It's better but still here. I've been an operating room nurse for 25 plus years and still run into that ugly behavior. I even get it from my brother who is A Pediatric nurse!

Grumpleweed · Jul 8, 2015

Ah the you are not a "real nurse" comment. As a psych nurse I get a lot of these ill informed comments and my usual response is to treat them with the contempt they deserve.

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 8, 2015

I get that a lot working in the OR. My thoughts? Meh, if someone wants to divide nurses into real nurses and not real nurses, maybe they're the one who isn't a real nurse.

MereSanity · Jul 8, 2015

Where would we be if there were only one type of nurse? Please.