Being a Robotic Nurse

CrufflerJJ, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Feb 3, 2010

Hi everyone, I'm a second year student in Malaysia. Currently I'm Enrolled to one of the best nursing school in Malaysia. Tutors,doctors etc etc has commented that Student Nurses or Fresh Graduates now has become Robotic that we followed doctor's order and do not know what to do when there is a emergency situation in front of us. Most nurses here are not outspoken enough that they do not correct the doctors or voiced out their opinions. My tutor said that Overseas Nurses are at the same level as doctors but we are below of them. I would like to have some opinion of it. Thanks.

Speaking as a new nurse (since last July), I think that your tutors/doctors are correct that most new grads & students do not know what to do (or might "freeze" & not act immediately) in case of an emergency. A lot of that comes with experience. I'm still at the "task oriented" stage of my nursing career. For the most part, I'm developing my skills as a nurse, so I work through my day task by task (item by item). With experience, I will be better able to see the "whole patient", and anticipate/react to problems.

As to how nurses interact with doctors, I can only speak about my facility here in the US. If I feel that a doctor is making a mistake, I would ask them to help me understand why they're doing things a certain way. I'm lucky to work with experienced docs, so I'm not working with newly minted "baby docs" or residents. If I truly believe that a doctor is about to harm one of my patients, I am expected to act to protect the patient. This might include getting my charge nurse, the chief nursing officer, or even the physician medical director of my hospital.

Your tutor's belief that "Overseas Nurses are at the same level as doctor"may be incorrect, at least in my country (the US). Training/skill levels are very different between nurses and physicians. That makes sense, since they do different jobs.

CuriousMe · Feb 4, 2010

Hi everyone, I'm a second year student in Malaysia. Currently I'm Enrolled to one of the best nursing school in Malaysia. Tutors,doctors etc etc has commented that Student Nurses or Fresh Graduates now has become Robotic that we followed doctor's order and do not know what to do when there is a emergency situation in front of us. Most nurses here are not outspoken enough that they do not correct the doctors or voiced out their opinions. My tutor said that Overseas Nurses are at the same level as doctors but we are below of them. I would like to have some opinion of it. Thanks.

A Doctor's education is obviously more rigorous than the education required for an RN. That being said, I wonder if what your tutor meant is that in the US, Doctors and RN's are on more of an even footing politically. In general, US society is less hierarchical than many other cultures around the world. This allows for an atmosphere where I can ask a Doctor questions about my patient (as long as it's done in a professional manner).

It wasn't always like this (and I'm going on what I was told, I'm just a nursing student). A couple of decades ago, RN's were required to stand and give up their seat if the Doctor came in the room. The two professions were not on an equal footing...it's no longer like that.