Dear Nurse

[kurisuchine08]

Quote

To do what nobody else will do, a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through; is to be a nurse.

Dear Nurse,

I hope you get the time to read this one because its written just for you. I know you can never have enough time to do all you have to do, let alone to read this letter but I hope you can sit awhile and ponder on these words. You are tired. You are frustrated of all that is going on in your life. You feel that you are not appreciated let alone noticed for what you are doing. You are wrong.

You are noble, nurse. You are an angel in scrubs. You are hope with a stethoscope. You come in with your healing touch when the medications and treatment fail. You touch the lives of your patients and affect them in more ways than one. You have held in your hands the precious gift of life. You are care personified.

If you think that nursing is a thankless job, you are not alone. But then again, nursing is never a job, it is a calling- a vocation. you dedicate yourself to what you are doing. it is not for heartless, cynical people. It is for those who have a great deal of love to give to anyone, everyone who needs it. if you are a nurse, you have to have a BIG heart and a longer thread of patience.

You have been abused by patients and even doctors. You may have been sneered at by your peers because of the things this field requires you to do. You are the under dog among the health care providers, but remember this: "the first test of a great man is his humility." No great man has ever become who he is without going through difficult tasks that tested his patience and endurance. You are not perfect nurse, but you are great. you are human but more than that you are a compassionate one.

Dear nurse, do not be troubled when your good deeds become unnoticed. When eyes have turned away from you at the time you needed them to see your worth. do not be discouraged when your support system has failed you. Our God sees everything. He knows what you're going through. He has sent millions of reinforcements for you. how many nurses are there? Probably, more than you care to think about. So, never think that you are alone.

Quote

A good deed is never lost: he who sows courtesy reaps friendship; and he who plants kindness gathers love. - Saint Basil

[kurisuchine08]

hi. i just wanted to know if i mentioned something offensive or untrue in this article. i have been warned that this article might jeopardize my work as it may be taken as a form of protest. i wrote this to inspire other nurses not for any other reason. i just thought to make myself clear on that. thanks.

[highlandlass1592, BSN, RN]

I've read your article a few times now and need to share that my opinion doesn't match many of the others. I recgonize the fact you are speaking from a sentimental standpoint but I fear that your comments actually demean the profession of nursing instead of lifting it up. Let me share some thoughts:

You speak of nursing as "a vocation, a calling". You also speak of nurses as "angels in scrubs". That type of thinking actually drags our profession down. I am NOT an angel, I am a PROFESSIONAL with years of training and years of experience. I have a variety of skills I bring to the table which includes top-notch assessment skills. I am not a nurse because I have some warped sense of altruism but because I support the nursing model, feeling that it is the only model that looks at the patient as a whole person, not the sum total of a disease process.

You go on to speak of nurses who are "abused". I recognize the issue that lateral violence is all too common in the healthcare world. But when you go on to state "the first test of a great man is his humility" which in my reading seems to justify the idea of the nurse as being all-suffering and willing to undergo abuse at the hands of both patients and other health care providers. I can't begin to emphasize how much I disagree with that idea. NO ONE has the right to abuse me as I attempt to do my job. Period, end of discussion. And nothing under the sun can justify that type of behavior.

You go on to cite God in your discussion, stating that even though others may not recognize all we do (I'm paraphrasing here) God does, and will reward us. I have no problem bringing a faith base into such a discussion but again, this reinforces the idea of the "altruistic nurse", one who is not entitled to earthly rewards for their sacrifice.

All of this type of thinking attempts to keep nurses in their "place". As we shouldn't expect to be recognized for our skills and contributions to health care, we need to look to heaven for validation. That type of thinking is used by hospitals across the WORLD to justify not paying nurses a reasonable salary, giving them adequate staffing to be able to care for their patients as their patients deserve to be cared for, it is used by the AMA to say that Advanced Practice Nurses can't successfully manage patients because they aren't "true" health care providers, they are only angels in white....to be kept in the background and not to be taken seriously.

I used to be lulled into the idea that I was an angel...long-suffering, having to forge on no matter what. Looking at the idea of nursing as a "calling".....not a job or profession. As I've grown older, I have come to realize just how dangerous this idea truly is. Look at nursing history, look at how long we've been subjugated. If you study nursing history, you can clearly see how we've surrendered our profession to others to maintain this idea of "angels". We have signed over our realm of authority to others who have NO idea what it means to walk in our shoes, who couldn't do our jobs for an hour-let alone an entire shift! While doctors may give us a desired outcome nurses are the ones who truly carry out making that outcome happen. Many physicians have no idea what we do and constantly belittle us thinking because they lack this understanding, what we do can't possibly have value.

I hope I've given you some points to think about. I'm not trying to attack your personally but I grow tired of this perception of "angelic nursing behavior" being used to oppress fellow nurses. Suzanne Gordon authored a book "Nursing against the odds..." which brings many of these concepts forward. I'd encourage you to read it. We are LONG overdue for reclaiming our profession and demanding a seat at the healthcare table, demanding that we be taken seriously, demanding recognition for our skills that we bring.

[azrn88]

"To do what nobody else will do, a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through; is to be a nurse."

Dear Nurse,

I hope you get the time to read this one because its written just for you. i know you can never have enough time to do all you have to do, let alone to read this letter but i hope you can sit awhile and ponder on these words. you are tired. you are frustrated of all that is going on in your life. you feel that you are not appreciated let alone noticed for what you are doing. you are wrong.

You are noble, nurse. you are an angel in scrubs. you are hope with a stethoscope. you come in with your healing touch when the medications and treatment fail. you touch the lives of your patients and affect them in more ways than one. you have held in your hands the precious gift of life. you are care personified.

If you think that nursing is a thankless job, you are not alone. but then again, nursing is never a job, it is a calling- a vocation. you dedicate yourself to what you are doing. it is not for heartless, cynical people. it is for those who have a great deal of love to give to anyone, everyone who needs it. if you are a nurse, you have to have a BIG heart and a longer thread of patience.

You have been abused by patients and even doctors. you may have been sneered at by your peers because of the things this field requires you to do. you are the under dog among the health care providers, but remember this: "the first test of a great man is his humility." No great man has ever become who he is without going through difficult tasks that tested his patience and endurance. you are not perfect nurse, but you are great. you are human but more than that you are a compassionate one.

Dear nurse, do not be troubled when your good deeds become unnoticed. when eyes have turned away from you at the time you needed them to see your worth. do not be discouraged when your support system has failed you. Our God sees everything. He knows what you're going through. He has sent millions of reinforcements for you. how many nurses are there? probably, more than you care to think about.so never think that you are alone.

Dear Nurse,

"A good deed is never lost: he who sows courtesy reaps friendship; and he who plants kindness gathers love."

-Saint Basil

This is really awsome

[kurisuchine08]

I hope I've given you some points to think about. I'm not trying to attack your personally but I grow tired of this perception of "angelic nursing behavior" being used to oppress fellow nurses. Suzanne Gordon authored a book "Nursing against the odds..." which brings many of these concepts forward. I'd encourage you to read it. We are LONG overdue for reclaiming our profession and demanding a seat at the healthcare table, demanding that we be taken seriously, demanding recognition for our skills that we bring.

thank you for this. i'm sorry if you took my article in that way. i agree with you that we nurses should be recognized for our competence and should be taken seriously. hospitals won't function without us. but i should also point out that being a professional nurse doesn't mean we should give up our caring attitude because i believe that caring is the core of nursing. i emphasized on humility not because i want us to remain being trodden on by other healthcare professionals but because if we became boastful and arrogant, we would end up like those people we loathe. those people who act like Gods, claim to know everything, refuse to recognize that they need the help of other healthcare providers, thus putting our patients' lives in jeopardy. being humble doesn't mean we have to endure abuse but rather being able to handle abuse with grace. its means having a soft heart with a spine of steel. i may seem too idealistic for you, sorry. but if i get time i would take on your advice and read the book. again, i appreciate this comment. :)

[highlandlass1592, BSN, RN]

I think the problem with the idea of humility is having a true understanding of the concept. Too many people think humility = not being assertive, not standing up for yourself, which historically is a problem nursing has had. Instead of bringing up that concept again, I feel strongly that we need to be changing the conversation, but that is my opinion.

You speak again about caring being the core of nursing. I'm not sure personally that I can agree with that statement. Again, I feel it sets the nurse up to be viewed as altruistic and not a serious professional. We need to remember that truly, ALL disciplines in healthcare are about caring. I think nursing's unique persective is one of assessing the whole patient, not just the disease process the patient is suffering from. You speak of other health care providers having a God complex and I agree, NO ONE in healthcare should have that attitude. And I am privileged to work with some physicians who realize this and actually listen when I'm discussing issues with their patients and making recommendations. But unfortunately, we can never change someone else's attitude, we can only change the way we respond to them.

I would encourage you to read the book I mentioned (which you said you would try to do). I am so fired-up with this book, I can't begin to tell you. Ms. Gordon puts into words many of the feelings I've experienced over the years, I'm recommending it to all my friends.

I honestly have no problem with idealism-but it should be tempered with reality. The reality is the perception of nursing by the public and even by other health care providers is a shambles. No one really knows about nurses, what we TRULY do and how important it is. I feel purpotrating the "angelic nurse" idea continues this public misconception. I think it's also important to start changing the conversation NOW...we've spent enough time giving our profession over to others...good luck to you in your practice.

[SnowShoeRN]

To the OP, thank you for sharing that. There are parts of your letter that I find very beautiful. And I certainly agree with you on many of your points regarding humility.

However, highlandlass1592...you have kinda blown my mind a little. :) You articulate SO WELL what I've been trying to say to many of my colleagues and friends and family members when they comment on my "caring nature" or how "cute" I look in my uniform. Thanks, I guess. I'm glad I'm caring and cute, I suppose. But that's REALLY not how I want to be seen. Or what I want to be emphasized in regards to my being a nurse.

When a patient calls me an angel I usually find myself saying something along the lines of "Well thank you. But I'm not an angel. I'm a medical professional with a lot of education and a lot of experience." That word, although it's meant as a compliment, personally really bothers me.

Nursing is unique in that it does combine knowledge of human anatomy and disease process with a level of vulnerability (on the part of the patient) that I don't think other medical professionals get to be privy to. So in that respect, I am proud of the fact that we get to see life begin and end and that we get to really know patients, their families, their joys and heartaches along with assessing them, the situation, and creating and implementing a plan of care.

But you're absolutely right. Until we, as nurses, AND the public begin to think of us as more than angels or martyrs for our cause our profession will never be elevated to the status it deserves.

Thank you to both of you.

-Snow

[gracedRN, BSN, RN]

So nice. I love this. Thanks.

[CountyRat]

dear op:

thank you for your kind and well intended post. i know that your intentions were the very best, and i appreciate your taking the time to offer us something uplifting. unfortunately, this does not change the fact that some of the beautiful and gracious things you say are not accurate. highlandlass said most of it, so i will limit myself to three brief observations:

1. i do not have a "healing touch," nor do i believe such metaphysical powers exist. i have knowledge, skill, and a capacity for hard work-intellectual and physical. healthcare is not magic, and i am not a shaman. healthcare is applied knowledge. if you want to compliment me, acknowledge my professional ability, not some imaginary "healing touch" that is actually not any part of what i do.

2. i am not an angel. if i was, calling me an angel would be a compliment; but calling me something that i am not is actually dismissive, not complimentary. i am a man, no more, no less. i want to be appreciated as a man, not told that i am expected to be something that i cannot (and need not) be.

3. tolerating abuse can be virtuous in some contexts. however, in most situations, including nursing, tolerating abuse is moral cowardice. it is not a virtue to stand by passively and allow evil to go on without a response. it is morally superior to confront the abuse, and strive against it.

that said, i thank you again for your sincere offer of encouragement. we seldom hear "thank you," much less the beautiful praise that you have offered us, and i am grateful to you. your kind words are appreciated, even though not completely accurate.

best wishes,

countyrat, rn

[rollerskatingrn]

Thank you for that bit of encouragement. I really needed that today after the day I had yesterday.

[kurisuchine08]

dear op:

thank you for your kind and well intended post. i know that your intentions were the very best, and i appreciate your taking the time to offer us something uplifting. unfortunately, this does not change the fact that some of the beautiful and gracious things you say are not accurate.

i appreciate the comments and respect your opinions. i wrote this to uplift the spirits of my colleagues, not to belittle them nor to encourage them to endure abuse from patients and other healthcare providers alike. i take fault that i failed to include in this literature the importance of acknowledging our professionalism but it does not mean that i don't share your sentiments on this one. thanks again for the comment.

[CountyRat]

i appreciate the comments and respect your opinions. i wrote this to uplift the spirits of my colleagues, not to belittle them nor to encourage them to endure abuse from patients and other healthcare providers alike. i take fault that i failed to include in this literature the importance of acknowledging our professionalism but it does not mean that i don't share your sentiments on this one. thanks again for the comment.

kurisuchine:

you have nothing for which you need to apologize. your post was elegant and uplifting, the responses from many grateful nurses proves that it was valuable to them, and the thanks i offered to you in my response was sincere. i have strong feelings about these matters because of my perception of challenges in our profession about which i am passionate. that is nothing for you to apologize for, especially when my comments are mere reflections of a different point of view, which is not necessarily better than your point of view.

please keep posting!

[kurisuchine08]

kurisuchine:

you have nothing for which you need to apologize. your post was elegant and uplifting, the responses from many grateful nurses proves that it was valuable to them, and the thanks i offered to you in my response was sincere. i have strong feelings about these matters because of my perception of challenges in our profession about which i am passionate. that is nothing for you to apologize for, especially when my comments are mere reflections of a different point of view, which is not necessarily better than your point of view.

please keep posting!

can i ask you a question? what do you feel when patients thank you whole heartedly and repeatedly call you a "blessing"? yes, they might not be focusing on the professionalism of the care you rendered, but they felt grateful because you cared for them. i say that nurses are "angels in scrubs" not because i am a nurse myself. i said this coming from the heart of a daughter who is very thankful of the nurses of took great care of my ailing mother. i was far away from home when my mother got very sick. i wanted to come home very badly. but i consoled myself that my mother is in good, capable hands. she's being taken good care of by my colleagues. all i can think about that time is how lucky the world is because there are nurses in it. my mother died, but i can never forget her wish that i thank all the nurses for her when she cannot do it anymore. i feel strongly about this. i meant every word in my article, though for you they are not really accurate, for me and other patients as well, they are the truth. they are, in no means written to make you feel as if im encouraging to endure abuse from patients, to tolerate the ungodly hours, and to accept the meager compensation that they are paying us with. thank you for airing your concerns on the topic. thank you for being a nurse. :)