Is it just my idealistic view of what a nurse should be or does this bother other nurses? I have heard several times lately and have read articles of people who are going to nursing school, not because they want to be a nurse but because they want the paycheck and a stable job. My sister in law is one of these people. She said to me, " I really don't want to be a nurse but I figure that I can work as a nurse while I go back to school." I find that mentality very frustrating. I worked very hard to become a nurse. I worked as a nursing assistant before I became a nurse so I could make sure that I knew what I was getting myself into, I shadowed nurses when I was in high school. I really feel that this is what I was put on this earth to do and to hear people talk like this who have absolutely no concept of what they are getting themselves into and who have no respect for the profession just boils my blood. I feel like these people, who have no intention of staying in nursing for an extended period of time just make it harder for the nursing student who actually wants to make a career of nursing because they take up spaces on the wait list for getting into nursing school.
Maybe some of these people will be excellent nurses and will contribute well to the profession but I personally would not want a nurse to take care of me who only got into the field because they wanted a stable paycheck.
Don't you agree that to do well in nursing you have to have some desire to be here in the first place? These are people's health and lives that we are dealing with. This field isn't just about a paycheck!!!
I know I'm probably being naieve and idealistic when I say this but I really feel that nursing is a calling, not a JOB!!! I've been doing this type of work for going on 10 years now and I have felt that way about it from day 1.
What do you think? Does it bother you that people are getting into nursing who have no desire to actually be a nurse? Just wanting to hear other people's perspectives on the issue.
Huh? Just because I choose to respect other people's motives and I don't take a self-righteous, holier-than-thou position doesn't mean that there's something wrong with me. I happen to have a strong interest in nursing, I just thought it was important to point out that people who are financially motivated can still good nurses based on a strong work ethic/ belief in earning their pay. Not everyone becomes a nurse for the same reasons as you, and that's OK. Your personal motives are fine for you, but they aren't the gold standard for nurses everywhere....
Honestly, I never had any real desire to become a nurse. Shame on me, yes I know. Just wanted another way to earn a living. That make me a bad person? I don't believe so. Made a logical decision at the time to go through the program. Took 9 months after graduation to take the NCLEX, last in the class. However, everyday the people I'm assigned to are cared for to the best of my ability. Not having the "calling" does not make a person a less compasionate nurse. It sure changed my life.
Famous Quotes:
*Only a life lived for others is a life worthwile.
*A human being is a part of a whole, called by us _universe_, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
*Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. - - - - Albert Einstein
Huh? Just because I choose to respect other people's motives and I don't take a self-righteous, holier-than-thou position doesn't mean that there's something wrong with me. I happen to have a strong interest in nursing, I just thought it was important to point out that people who are financially motivated can still good nurses based on a strong work ethic/ belief in earning their pay. Not everyone becomes a nurse for the same reasons as you, and that's OK. Your personal motives are fine for you, but they aren't the gold standard for nurses everywhere....
Thanks for clarifying that..I thought that you chose nursing based on the income.
I guess what I'm wondering (and I did skip over a few posts so maybe this has been mentioned, but...) is why people assume that those with a "calling" to be a nurse should have a corner on be caring and compassionate. My husband isn't a nurse, be he is kind hearted and decent, and cares about other people. Should he, then, be a nurse? You couldn't POSSIBLY pay him enough to do what I do though.. Y'all see what I'm saying? I on the other hand, used to think this was a calling to me, but recently have revised that..kinda just think I'm well-suited to my job, nothing more. I'm not one of those nurses that little old ladies sing praises on for their sweetness, but I'm kind enough, and you can bet your a$$ that I'm the one that they want in their room if things go bad...Does that make me less of a good nurse? None of my colleagues seem to think so..
You can take that statement 1 of 2 ways. Option 1: I've always knew Id be a nurse, b/c this is my calling. Or Option 2:I do not see anything else in these college catalogs that I see myself doing,
(chem:physics:engineering:cpu science too much math), (biology;majors do not get respect or good job until you've reached graduate level), (music: there's no guarantee, I'll make it big time, etc), (Social worker: do not get paid enough money)
Oh look, Nursings left. They make descent money, get a little respect, good job opportunities, I don't mind dealing with blood & other bodily fluids, it's better than being stuck in a lab all day or wondering if I will have a job..
Patient's pain level is 10/10.
Hi my name is Gcupid I will be your nurse today. I stumbled upon nursing using the process of elimination, Would it bother you if I took care of you?
Patient yelling, "Just give me something for the Pain, Lord have mercy!"
And your point is? I honestly don't understand what you're saying here ... could you clarify, please? Thanks.
We had a guy a few years ago. Administration thought he was WONDERFUL!! Always were singing his praises to the rest of us because he would come in whenever they called, night or day, and go to any unit they asked him to without complaint and take the sickest patients. I finally got a chance to work with this paragon of nursing virtue. Once I followed him and he left a big mess. I couldn't understand it and thought he just had an off day. The second time he was under me as I was charge. He disappeared without a word to me, for 45 minutes each time. Once he was in the cafeteria, it turns out, and the second time for a prolonged smoking break. When I complained about him I was met with a deaf ear. A few weeks later I picked up the paper and saw he was busted for buying meth. The point is, he is someone who obviously had no compassion and I will never know if he had skills or not. Yet he faked his way very successfully to those in charge and would never have quit. He just opted out of the work. So I don't think not having caring and compassion would necessarily make someone quit nursing.
We had a guy a few years ago. Administration thought he was WONDERFUL!! Always were singing his praises to the rest of us because he would come in whenever they called, night or day, and go to any unit they asked him to without complaint and take the sickest patients. I finally got a chance to work with this paragon of nursing virtue. Once I followed him and he left a big mess. I couldn't understand it and thought he just had an off day. The second time he was under me as I was charge. He disappeared without a word to me, for 45 minutes each time. Once he was in the cafeteria, it turns out, and the second time for a prolonged smoking break. When I complained about him I was met with a deaf ear. A few weeks later I picked up the paper and saw he was busted for buying meth. The point is, he is someone who obviously had no compassion and I will never know if he had skills or not. Yet he faked his way very successfully to those in charge and would never have quit. He just opted out of the work. So I don't think not having caring and compassion would necessarily make someone quit nursing.
I dont understand your point?????
That seems to happen often.....
Janhetherington was responding to the assertion that those who enter nursing for the money, but lack caring and compassion, will soon leave nursing or their own accord. Perhaps the emphasis I have placed on the last part will clear things up for you.
[if it didn't, the the point was that some people who are all about the paycheck and don't care about their patients will find a way to keep their job while doing as little actual work as possible.]
ETA:
While I'm sure that nurses like the one described above do exist, I don't believe they represent the majority of those who are financially motivated. In my opinion, very few people who are this lazy or unmotivated would have had the determination necessary to make it through nursing school and pass the NCLEX.
What are you talking about,do you even take your precious times to read my response,I stated very clearly I'm not no mule and wont work for free...
Do you lack reading comprehension?? You're having a LOT of trouble understanding more than MY posts.
My post was perfectly clear although you may need dictionary.com to understand it!
You have made clear your stance on having some "calling" to nursing and initially put down any that went into nursing because of job stability/income. It's only in the last few posts that you've come down a notch and said salary was important to you, too.
Troll Pot Pie
1 troll (should feel light for the size...they're full of hot air, ya know)
Marinate in ignore overnight. Then let stew in own juices until tender..this
could take several hours to days depending on age/experience of troll.
Skin, debone and shred troll. Place in prepared pie crust with the following:
1 tsp excuses
2 Tbsp borrowed logic
2 tsp unaccountability
Dash of spite
1 Tbsp obtuseness
1 heaping cup arrogance
1 dollop immaturity
Bake in preheated oven (as hot as it gets) until dark brown. Garnish with sprigs
of poison oak. Throw the whole mess away because nobody likes troll.
Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.
I'd like to suggest if people want to confront each other rather than the topic, that they do it in private messages rather than in the public forum....
I'd like to suggest if people want to confront each other rather than the topic, that they do it in private messages rather than in the public forum....
Good luck with that.
Sorry I have no nerves left for some posters to get on....yeah, my bad for replying in kind.
I dont think anyone could work more than 6 months on a ward/floor, let alone get through school if they didnt develop some affection for the nursing profession, and caring for people.
I could not work on an oncology ward, yet love the ED and have been there 30 years.
I have repeatedly said the cure for the nursing shortage is to PAY nnurses for working weekends, nights, holidays, and dealing with our health care system.
Y'all see what I'm saying? I on the other hand, used to think this was a calling to me, but recently have revised that..kinda just think I'm well-suited to my job, nothing more. I'm not one of those nurses that little old ladies sing praises on for their sweetness, but I'm kind enough, and you can bet your a$$ that I'm the one that they want in their room if things go bad...Does that make me less of a good nurse? None of my colleagues seem to think so..
lovehospital
654 Posts
Well to be honest,that too...