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.
The threads you speak of don't correlate anything. They are just filled with anecdotal evidence which is worth NADA.
But this isn't a 'Why are C students jealous of the rest of us' thread so let's stay on topic eh...
No one is jealous,I'm a B students however this semester I only had one score below 90,so I can be an A student if I want but actually I'm pretty lazy....so please one more time no one is jealous of your grades,and secondly I rather rock at clinicals than have a A on my transcript...
No one is jealous,I'm a B students however this semester I only had one score below 90,so I can be an A student if I want but actually I'm pretty lazy....so please one more time no one is jealous of your grades,and secondly I rather rock at clinicals than have a A on my transcript...
What's wrong with saying that the best nurses are those with compassion, who care about people, who are organized, get the job done with a strong work ethic and have brains, and decide that nursing is for them because it offers a steady income and decent benefits?
What's arrogant about that? Granted we all miss the mark on some days, but it's the nurse I strive to be.
And I have seen straight A student in my class who totally stinked at clinicals and I wouldnt let them come near me.Actually according to my experience the really smart ones are the worse one in the clinical and I seen many threads on this board that correlate to what I'm saying.
I've seen posts by YOU that say that...oh, and maybe a few others that aren't nurses yet. We'll discuss this at length when you are and have something to offer that is substantial.
I worked in Med/Surg for A LOT of years before I went in to the ICU. Let me be succinct in stating that M/S is not my favorite floor to work. It is a different animal than Critical Care, but it is STILL a nursing animal. If you were to visit me and bring me a cup of coffee while I was working on Med/Surg unit, I would be a little growly 'cause I don't want to be there. You would certainly get a much different response from me if you were to bring me that cup of coffee while I was working somewhere in critical care. The patients may not notice a difference, but you would, and I would too, because I got burned out on Med/Surg, and being back in that environment makes me want to leave nursing forever. I don't feel that way in Critical Care because that is where I'm able to feel the most challenged and can do the 'nursey' things that make my career choice more rewarding.
I don't think it's fair to send the general message out to those who have not found their niche in nursing that they should just throw in the towel and get out of nursing now.
If you're unhappy doing the kind of nursing that you're doing, Google nursing careers and find a workshop near you that gives you some fresh ideas on what else you can do with your current skills set. There are many options.
I'm glad to see so many people disagree here. Its always bothered me that people who get overly wrapped up with certain ideals about nursing have a tendency to be somewhat "anti-money". I'm not suggesting that they don't want to be paid, just that they tend to get offended when people place a high level of importance on monetary concerns. I really feel like this kind of attitude does a huge disservice to the nursing field, in general. While its all well and good to have a passion for what you do, there comes a point where you have to acknowledge reality and recognize that your "calling" doesn't put you above discussing dollars and cents. Also, I think there are some in the nursing community that place far too much importance on "compassion" (however you choose to define that) and talk about it as if it were the be-all, end-all deciding factor as to whether or not someone is a "good" nurse (again, define that however you like). Don't get me wrong, a compassionate nature is a very nice thing to see in a nurse, but when it comes down to it, all that really matters is whether you can safely and competently look after your patients' health. As long as you are safely doing your job, I personally don't think it matters what your motivations are.
It takes so much more than just "compassion" and feeling a "calling" to be a good nurse. It also takes brains, above average organizational skills, and the hide of a rhinoceros. It takes the patience of a saint to deal with some of the patients, families, supervisors, and coworkers without going absolutely bonkers.
Making it through nursing school and passing the NCLEX might make you a nurse, but it won't make you an outstanding nurse.
Some of the worst nurses to follow on my unit practically poop compassion, and I'm sure would tell you that nursing was a calling for them. But every single time, they throw me a big stinking pile of poo to clean up (figuratively speaking). Sure, the patients love them because they are so "nice", but what the patient doesn't know is that that stat lab draw didn't get ordered correctly and the "nice" nurse didn't follow up, or that the patient didn't get their warfarin that day because the "nice" nurse didn't bother to read the progress notes and notice that warfarin had been ordered daily but somehow it was missing from the MAR, or that the reason respiratory has not been in to give them a treatment is because the "nice" nurse didn't make sure a respiratory order was put in. None of this has a thing to do with compassion or being called to nursing, but rather, with attention to detail and a drive to do a good job.
So no, it doesn't bother me if someone chooses nursing for the job security and decent wage, so long as they do a good job.
Exactly. I think its time certain nurses recognize that compassion/being "nice" is not a substitute for, or anywhere near as important as, actual knowledge and skill. Since one's motivations for entering a given field do not determine actual ability, one's personal reasons for becoming a nurse do not determine how well one does one's job and , therefore, shouldn't be anyone else's concern.
And I have seen straight A student in my class who totally stinked at clinicals and I wouldnt let them come near me.Actually according to my experience the really smart ones are the worse one in the clinical and I seen many threads on this board that correlate to what I'm saying.
Well, gonna take great exception to that comment. I don't believe being an "A" nurse or a "C" nurse in class gives me any idea of what kind of nurse you are going to be in a clinical. I have seen the best of both in clinicals, everyone comes with strengths and weaknesses, but to say that because someone is bright in class means they are going to be the worst ones in clinical is a judgement that no one has the right to make.
In fact, I have worked with a large number of nurses, and it would never dawn on me to ask them how they did in class ... were they an "A" or a "C". I wouldn't ask because it is totally irrelevant.
I think that there is a huge assumption by people here that people who get into nursing for the money are incapable of showing compassion, empathy and are just going to be nasty to patients or drop out of nursing school. And that if your doing it because you feel it's a 'calling' the your going to be a wonderful nurse who will do 110% everyday for your patients. This is such a simplistic way of looking at things, I prefer to be a bit more open minded and less judgemental.
I think that anyone who is doing nursing for the money and job stability may also be ambitious enough to do what it takes to go higher up the food chain. So that means doing the best job they can, getting more positive feedback from patients etc to advance their career.
And I have seen nurses who believe they were 'called' to this profession because so disillusioned by the lack of funding, horizontal violence etc that they become burned out and are unable to cope because their idea of nursing does not fit the reality of nursing.
Now if I were a patient and I had the choice over the angelic nurse who will fluff my pillows, run around ragged trying to please every patient etc over a less 'nice' nurse with more knowledge and efficiency I'd prefer the second option.
Well, gonna take great exception to that comment. I don't believe being an "A" nurse or a "C" nurse in class gives me any idea of what kind of nurse you are going to be in a clinical. I have seen the best of both in clinicals, everyone comes with strengths and weaknesses, but to say that because someone is bright in class means they are going to be the worst ones in clinical is a judgement that no one has the right to make.
In fact, I have worked with a large number of nurses, and it would never dawn on me to ask them how they did in class ... were they an "A" or a "C". I wouldn't ask because it is totally irrelevant.
I think its possible that the comment you were responding to is just an example of someone who feels like behaving in a stubbornly contrary manner. Off topic, argumentative statements like that one are often made by individuals who are frustrated by the fact that they are unable to successfully debate a difference of opinion with people more eloquent than themselves. Perhaps its better not to waste your time responding.
I apologize if this seems like an attack, but I can already see this turning into another "C students are nurses, too" thread....
to the pile....
Atheos
2,098 Posts
The threads you speak of don't correlate anything. They are just filled with anecdotal evidence which is worth NADA.
But this isn't a 'Why are C students jealous of the rest of us' thread so let's stay on topic eh...