Entitlement/ superiority attitude of some nurses?

[Infofreak411]

I work alongside nurses and am in the process of becoming a nurse myself.

While I have great respect for the profession and my coworkers as well as a passion for it (hence my reason for going to RN school), I've noticed nurses (many but not all) have this superiority attitude like their job is the only job in the Healthcare field that matters. They talk down to all the other professionals (respiratory therapists, social workers, occupational therapists, etc) and disregard any of the hard work they do and just expect a pat on the back for every little thing. I've even heard some nurses say they should get paid more than the doctor because their work is more important.

Also, I hear many nurses complain that they have too much to do, and then when anyone tries to give them a hand they have this turf battle and think everyone is trying to take over their job and isn't competent enough to do so even if it's something as simple as helping bathe a patient.

What's your opinion?

[Nurse Leigh]

ambobam said:

Nurses take an oath and vow to care for others.

Treating people like dirt doesn't fall under the scope of caring and healing.

First, I took no such oath. Second, I am there to care for the patients. So...

[Farawyn]

Nurse Leigh said:

First, I took no such oath. Second, I am there to care for the patients. So...

Not the stellar unit secretary?

Wow. I've been doing it wrong by being nice to my co-workers whilst being a nurse.

Who knew?

Wait. We are all mean, right? Nurses only. Treat people like dirt.

Maybe I should be a law associate? Are they mean too?

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

Joe V said:

(a non-nurse speaking)

Um...Joe...you aren't a nurse?

Mind. Blown.

OP - why the heck do you want to become one of us then?

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

Farawyn said:

I thought it was a new lady parts thing.

Me too. I wondering how to do it....only...you know. Without landing in the hospital.

[Jensmom7, BSN, RN]

ambobam said:

Nurses take an oath and vow to care for others.

Treating people like dirt doesn't fall under the scope of caring and healing.

I'm there to care for my patients-it really isn't my job to make you you always feel warm and fuzzy. Besides, there is no such oath.

That being said, I frequently surprise the facility CNAs by offering to help them bathe, change or reposition one of my Hospice patients. Sometimes they say yes, sometimes they they they're good. Either way, they say thank you and I thank them for their hard work.

Unit secretaries?? Generally the first people I get to know. Back in the old days, they ran the floor, and if they respected a nurse her life was much easier. If the nurse treated them like a second class citizen?? Let's just say it wasn't a very pretty picture.

This is what it boils down to:

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

ambobam said:

Nurses take an oath and vow to care for others.

Treating people like dirt doesn't fall under the scope of caring and healing.

There is no nursing "oath", but the basic jist of it is that we get paid to provide nursing care to patients who are paying us to do it. CNA/PCTs are also getting paid to provide care to the patients...specifically to provide the care that will free the nurse up to do the stuff only nurses can do. Should people be nice to each other? That would be the nice thing to do. I prefer to be nice because I like myself when I am nice and I like others to be nice and I like others to like me. I am, however, not always nice. I have noticed though that I am a lot nicer now that I am not a floor nurse. "Nice" was a tall order sometimes when dealing with what floor nurses deal with. My coworkers weren't always nice either. I tended to forgive them for it. It is a dirty, hard job on top of a difficult world outside the hospital walls. Nice takes effort in hospital job circumstances more often than people realize.

It is a tough job. Not everyone survives it, not everyone can do it and not everyone should. Maybe it isn't for you, maybe it is. You seem very capable of thumping your chest on the Internet. If that translates to real life, as long as you have wisdom to go with it you are going to be just fine. Nobody eats the smart gorillas. If you don't like us though, you can be pretty sure we won't be running down the street begging please don't go. Another will be lined up and yearning to get the shot you didn't want. Nothing wrong with that either.

One way or another, you will figure it out....are you one of us or aren't you? Either way, it will be okay. But we don't have to be bad in order for it to be a reasonable decision for you to not gel with this career. We are a tough bunch. Sometimes folks don't like that. They want bunnies and kittens with ACLS certification. It doesn't work that way.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Joe V said:

(a non-nurse speaking)

I think you are reading too much into their "attitude".

I don't know. Perhaps not just this one thread, but looking at OP's post history...

It is impossible for one to know the ins and outs of a job unless one had done it. You haven't worked as a nurse, and nursing school is not real world nursing. This is why many new grads struggle in their first job- they get one big whopping reality check. And several will eat humble pie about comments they've made about nurses before they were one.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

ambobam said:

Nurses take an oath and vow to care for others.

Treating people like dirt doesn't fall under the scope of caring and healing.

I don't treat people like dirt, but I am unfamiliar with this oath of which you speak.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

ambobam said:

Nurses take an oath and vow to care for others.

Treating people like dirt doesn't fall under the scope of caring and healing.

How's that oath working out for ya? Caring for others does not include being walked on by ANYONE.

Not being fuzzy and warm.. is a far cry from treating people like dirt.

Nurses need to stop being selfless.. and start taking care of themselves and their careers.

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

Jensmom7 said:

Unit secretaries?? Generally the first people I get to know. Back in the old days, they ran the floor, and if they respected a nurse her life was much easier. If the nurse treated them like a second class citizen?? Let's just say it wasn't a very pretty picture.

Yep. When I was a unit clerk "I ran the floor like a well-oiled machine." (Manager's words, not mine.)

If the unit clerk ain't happy, nobody's happy.

[OCNRN63, RN]

Nurse Leigh said:

Omigosh. The bathroom. You can't even take a potty break without looking up to see papers and charts grumbling about something over which you have no control. And your phone will ring almost without fail. Of course the caller probably wants info you have no access to, cause you're , you know, in the BATHROOM.

Yep, definitely underpaid. ?

I do not answer the phone in the bathroom...ever. I'm not working anymore, but I wouldn't have done it even when I was working. Whoever is calling can usually wait the few minutes it takes for me to pee; if not, then it sounds like an emergent situation that should be handled by someone else.

OP, those nurses you see on their phones owe you no explanation as to what they are doing. You take care of your work, and the nurses will take care of theirs. As a non-nurse, you have no idea all that goes into being a nurse; you may think you know, but trust me, you don't.

[ljaquez]

My experience with nurses is there are some amazing people out there and there are some that are burnt out and should probably find another job. There will always be annoying people no matter what job you have.