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.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
funtimes said:
I've noticed this mindset in Nursing as well. It just seems like modern nurses see themselves as the center of the universe. It's what drove me away from Nursing school and into Respiratory therapy. I hate to say this, but from working as a tech and EMT for many years I gradually realized that I just didn't like Nurses very much. Gone are the days of people who get into the profession because they genuinely cared for people. Now its all ME ME ME.
I like being an RT, and loved working EMS, because I was around people who didn't just do it for the money, and who had a team mentality. I don't see that in Nursing at all. I think its a profession in crises, and I think maybe other health professionals need to step up and reduce the role of RNs in health care. They will always be necessary of course, but they've accrued way too much power and influence and patient care is suffering as a result.
Flunked out of nursing school, did we? Go ahead and reduce my role. I'll hit a bathroom and maybe even get a coffee break.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
Nurse Leigh said:
I could put on my resume that I can troubleshoot printers, copiers, and other office machines. We learned how to order certain supplies (though I'm sure day shift had way more of this to do.) Putting charts together? Oh yeah did that.
I think we have a *** and Ditch on our hands. The OP is nowhere to be seen.
MIA.
Maybe the OP was content to sit back and watch the RNs responding prove his/her point.
He/She obviously isn't going to get a very sympathetic response on this forum, which is why they probably just did this to stir the pot, but there are a lot of people who feel the same way.
Nursing as a profession has lobbying power and influence that goes well beyond what other health care professionals enjoy, so many RNs are totally oblivious to other opinions and views, especially since many other allied health occupations are made up of quiet professionals who aren't as vocal and defensive as Nurses, but trust me, the OPs opinion is shared by many in health care, including a lot of people with MD by their name(quite possibly the majority of them).
I've noticed this mindset in Nursing as well. It just seems like modern nurses see themselves as the center of the universe. It's what drove me away from Nursing school and into Respiratory therapy. I hate to say this, but from working as a tech and EMT for many years I gradually realized that I just didn't like Nurses very much. Gone are the days of people who get into the profession because they genuinely cared for people. Now its all ME ME ME.
I like being an RT, and loved working EMS, because I was around people who didn't just do it for the money, and who had a team mentality. I don't see that in Nursing at all. I think its a profession in crises, and I think maybe other health professionals need to step up and reduce the role of RNs in health care. They will always be necessary of course, but they've accrued way too much power and influence and patient care is suffering as a result.
So you, a non-nurse/non-nursing-student comes to a nursing website to insult the entire profession? Methinks you have way too much time on your hands.
WTH? So who's doing what they used to do? It's one thing not having paper charts to keep up with. But what about the other stuff?
That other "stuff" would be entering physician orders.. now entered by physicians where the NURSE views the via the EMR. Answering phones.. that the NURSE does directly by assigned cell phone... directing visitors and all other inquiries... that are now assigned to the NURSE.
Get my drift? The NURSE has been forced to assimilate the unit secretary duties.
I've noticed this mindset in Nursing as well. It just seems like modern nurses see themselves as the center of the universe. It's what drove me away from Nursing school and into Respiratory therapy. I hate to say this, but from working as a tech and EMT for many years I gradually realized that I just didn't like Nurses very much. Gone are the days of people who get into the profession because they genuinely cared for people. Now its all ME ME ME.
I like being an RT, and loved working EMS, because I was around people who didn't just do it for the money, and who had a team mentality. I don't see that in Nursing at all. I think its a profession in crises, and I think maybe other health professionals need to step up and reduce the role of RNs in health care. They will always be necessary of course, but they've accrued way too much power and influence and patient care is suffering as a result.
Sounds like arrogance and entitlement isn't limited solely to the nursing profession.
As to the statement that nurses have "accrued way too much power and influence": That's just laughable. Funtimes, you have no idea what you're talking about. Clueless, just completely clueless.
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.
funtimes said:
I've noticed this mindset in Nursing as well. It just seems like modern nurses see themselves as the center of the universe. It's what drove me away from Nursing school and into Respiratory therapy. I hate to say this, but from working as a tech and EMT for many years I gradually realized that I just didn't like Nurses very much. Gone are the days of people who get into the profession because they genuinely cared for people. Now its all ME ME ME.
I like being an RT, and loved working EMS, because I was around people who didn't just do it for the money, and who had a team mentality. I don't see that in Nursing at all. I think its a profession in crises, and I think maybe other health professionals need to step up and reduce the role of RNs in health care. They will always be necessary of course, but they've accrued way too much power and influence and patient care is suffering as a result.
Considering the nurse role encompasses everything the RT role does and more, it is far more likely that RTs will be phased out or into a smaller role rather than the other way around. In fact, once upon a time RTs did not exist and nurses did all that. There is noise about doing that again. Trust me, we don't want that, but it could easily come to pass. However, RTs could never be made into nurses without additional schooling.
My opinion? You don't know what you are talking about.
Nurses are the very backbone of healthcare. We make up the largest workforce in the health system and we are central to patient care. We are the last stop/barrier to the patient. We are the patient's advocate. A hospital, clinic, nursing home, etc, could not function without a nurse.
I have absolute respect for other healthcare professions, and I look to them for their area of expertise. But make no mistake. They don't have to put up with half the crap that nurses have to as they are not "chained" to the patient and the family for an entire shift.
I have never heard a nurse say he/she should be paid more than a doctor...ever. And the vast majority of nurses I know would LOVE to have more ancillary staff to help out with simple tasks such as ADLs so that they may focus on things that only a nurse can do.
For someone who wishes to be a nurse, you sure seem to have a low opinion of nurses.
OP was only asking a question. I didn't perceive any hostility or haughtiness in her question. I, as usual, don't understand why some of you here, as happens a lot, have bitten her head off just for being a learner.
Am I just naive and don't see horribleness where it exists in every question someone asks?
I do think nurses are the backbone of health care. Without us, the doctors and Administration wouldn't last a day. I do think we are as smart as any doctor and deserve far more money, time for a free lunch, and a reserved parking spot. But I don't get this anger and hate toward OP.
I may be off but it seems like this entitled attitude is prevalent with this early 20's generation right now. Some are so rude, and they all want to charge after being a nurse for a day.
I watched an SI nurse lay into a rad-tech for moving a patient ad raising their HR/BP. I was astonished. #mindblown
I personally think the days of "nurses eat their young" are slowly dying. At least I hope they are.
Are you kidding? OP being eaten alive. And as I have said before, we old birds get ground up terribly, too. Don't forget though, someday you who are young or in midlife will also get old!!!
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.
Many schools, usually at pinning, recite the Nightingale Pledge
TriciaJ, RN
4,328 Posts
Flunked out of nursing school, did we? Go ahead and reduce my role. I'll hit a bathroom and maybe even get a coffee break.