Experienced Nurses Only

humglum, BSN, RN · Oct 7, 2006

No one wants to "shut out" new generations of nurses. But occasionally, we would like a moment's piece when we don't have to put on the "Let's protect everyone from all bad feelings, unprofessional thoughts and utterances" face that stuffs all the true, good, bad, and often ugly inside....and eventially leads us to self destruct if we do not discuss. Especially if your SO is tired of hearing it.
Do I feel an obligation to "progress" nursing? Not if it requires perpetually putting on a fake angelic smile, and acting like everything is absolutely perfect. There are days, when it is doing everything I can TO GET THROUGH THE DAY with professional demeanor, without having to "progress nursing".
There is a point when we have to kick away the large amount of unusable things they discussed as theory in school and start dealing with reality.
It isn't about students being unworthy - it is about being able to discuss real things, without seeing the "Oh, this scaring me", "Oh, that's so mean", "Oh, my. you did it wrong....in class the other day ....". Or the "I think that the BSN should be mandatory because my instructor says.." from someone who hasn't cared for a patient on his/her own yet.
(PS. Could someone PLEASE send a memo to every instructor of every NS in the USA. Include a threat for them to beaten to death by used C-Diff bedpans if they EVER assign another student to do a paper on RN/BSN/ADN and suggest them to use nursing BB internet sources to do it with)
And as far as "snooty attitudes", "Rolling eyes", and "tattling", students/new grads do quite a bit of that to older nurses also.
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To the OP:
Some of us go to less moderated forums, where some such discussion is considered acceptable. Of course, some people find such BBs difficult, because they only want "their" opinion uncensored, but have trouble dealing everyone else's uncensored opinions..
Or there are BBs that may be more geared to experienced nurses that may be a comfortable. option.

Excellent points, as usual. Are there any BBs you would recommend (aside from the one we have both frequented)? I have a blog on livejournal and belong to a few nursing communities there but they aren't terribly active.

I'd also be more interested in communicating with practicing nurses than with students completing homework assignments.

PANurseRN1 · Oct 7, 2006

Probably exactly what you need to do.
There are so many veteran nurses that post on this board regularly about nursing issues that it can't be that hard to find a thorough discussion about XYZ. If it bothers you so much to wade through posts from people who are not experienced RN's this probably isn't the place for you. Not to mention that a veteran nurse could be an LPN. I have been on these boards for over 3 years when I was "just a prenursing wannabe" I learned a lot about the profession, different aspects of the job and different fields that I had no idea about. I learned from the vets like Tweety, Spacenurse, Sharon, Steph, Smilingblue eyes etc... They have been a vital part of my educational process in my humble opinion. I am now a nursing student and the posts that went completely over my head before are now starting to make sense. I can learn about new ways of doing things and rationales for treatments. I can get ideas on how to handle office politics. What makes the site fun, informative and a great place to post is that many people are welcomed here and because of that freely post and keep the site alive and kicking. Creating exclusive forums may seem like a good idea, but a lot of useful dialog and conversation can be missed. I would hate to think that students have no place in discussing general nursing concerns. Afterall that is what we live andbreath day in day out for 3-4 years. We might not have the experience and we may live in an ivory tower while in school, but so did you and every other nurse that is on this board. That is the process that you have to go through to get the license. Why not use your generous experience and education to teach the students instead of complaining about their "grammar" ( I corrected your spelling by the way because that seems to be a major cause of panic for you). In other words lighten up!

There are plenty of forums for students to learn from or participate in. We are talking about one forum...not much different from the forums for Phillipine nurses, Native American nurses, etc. We're not talking about general nursing. We're talking about problems/concerns unique to those who have been in nursing for several years.

And your finger-wagging and lecturing is exactly what those of us who think a separate forum is a good idea are trying to avoid...a student who doesn't know what it's like to be in our situation lecturing/taking us to task for expressing how we feel.

We need the opportunity to vent without lecturing/hectoring. Believe it or not, it's not our job to always be "on-duty" for students, to always have to be in teaching mode. Most of us wouldn't have dreamed of being so demanding/intrusive toward other nurses when we were students. We need some down time too. Just because we may be on an internet forum doesn't mean it's "open season" on experienced nurses, you know.

NurseLatteDNP, MSN, DNP, RN · Oct 7, 2006

I would hate to be on the same unit during my clinicals with the OP. She/He would be probably so annoyed by all the students.

barbie90210 · Oct 7, 2006

after being an rn for more than 20 years i came upon a site called http://www.aboutmyjob.com. stories are posted about professions and there are many stories from nurses. the comments to those stories are posted on http://www.aboutmytalk.com. these stories are frank and suprising. for more than 20 years i thought that i was the only one who felt this way - at times totally frustrated and overwhelmed. it was only after reading those countless stories that i felt better about myself and no longer felt alone. it was like - my god - others have been enduring this and it isn't just me! when we are working with others we see only the surface but there is no time to talk about it. if you float on a regular basis you don't really develop the intimacy necessary to share these deep feelings. it was an eye opener and has caused me to grow and view the world a lot differently. regardless about how someone feels about venting the fact is that it is part of another person's experience and should be treated as such. it should not be judged or criticized. that's why people are afraid to talk about how they feel. the reason that some people do not want others to honestly say how they feel can be varied. one is that they are responsible for recruiting others into a profession that has lost many and continuing to lose more. others do not practice at the bedside - and there is a reason for that (more than the "it works better with my schedule" - believe me). others are students who have time and money invested. however, when you become a nurse you will still have time and money invested, you then create a lifestyle based on a certain income, and possibly discover thorns in the bed of roses. i only wish i had a forum like this to reference before i became a nurse. my perception is that this forum is relatively tame and seems to be saturated with quite a few students and loyal members of the profession. it is a good support system and source of information. however, it seems there is an opportunity for someone to put up another web site that specifically for practicing rn's and lpn's. it could be entitled "the burnout zone". if you do not want to post constructively to someone's post that upsets you i suggest that you don't post at all. arguing on these sites is a waste of time and that emotional energy can be better invested elsewhere. again, i see nothing wrong one part of allnurses that is specifically for experienced (i believe she means practicing) rn's and lpn's. students and others should not be prohibited from reading it and perhaps it would be a good thing. :heartbeat

PANurseRN1 · Oct 7, 2006

Agreed. It could be similar to how the Premium Forums work; if you're not a premium member, you may read but not post. I don't mean that you should have to be a premium member to post on a forum for exp. nurses, but it should be only experienced nurses (RN & LPN) who may post.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Oct 7, 2006

How can the Admin/Mod staff really know if you are a LPN or RN when you sign up here unless providing us with your license number....then there is the need for someone to verify information....reverify active license status etc.... How about retired nurses without active license. These are issues we face when trying to "limit" discussion to LPN/RN.

What purpose is an "experienced" nurses forum to hold that cannot be accomplished on the other 200 forums we have???.....

Princess74 · Oct 7, 2006

Ridiculous!

barbie90210 · Oct 7, 2006

i know - that's what i said. it would not be possible to verify and would have to rely on the honor system. maybe creating a specific venting or support forum where the rule is that postings are to be supported by offering support instead of criticism or value judgements is the answer. it could be called the stress release zone or the burnout zone. i think the original poster is interested in an exchange with experienced nurses who understand what they are going through but everyone can offer support. it may be a compromise. :mad:

texas_lvn · Oct 7, 2006

i know - that's what i said. it would not be possible to verify and would have to rely on the honor system. maybe creating a specific venting or support forum where the rule is that postings are to be supported by offering support instead of criticism or value judgements is the answer. it could be called the stress release zone or the burnout zone. i think the original poster is interested in an exchange with experienced nurses who understand what they are going through but everyone can offer support. it may be a compromise.

great idea!!!! and we could start all postings with bz---"(post name)" so those of us who use the 24 hour pull down will be aware that is what it is. great idea. :jester: :monkeydance: :lol2: :bowingpur :bowingpur :flowersfo :smiley_aa :yeahthat: :yelclap: :yeah: :cheers:

barbie90210 · Oct 7, 2006

that's a good idea. just put "bz" before the post in the subject line. i guess the moderators have to make some announcement to that effect - not sure how. thanks texas lvn - you solved the problem pending approval by those who run the forums! :yelclap:

LaxNP, DNP · Oct 7, 2006

When I first started nursing school my teacher said that nurses don't eat thier young...with this post I think that you all have just proved that wrong. And for those who have stated that spelling errors show how well you are educated, studies have shown that a persons intelligence is not measured by their spelling.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Oct 7, 2006

I am in agreement with Miranda's previous post, and I have to sometimes keep in mind that it takes all kinds to make a world. I don't love students, but I like 'em, and wish them the best- they are welcome to show up and post IMHO.

The posts that get under my skin are the "The computer stopped at xxx questions- did I pass???!" WE DON'T KNOW. I come from the days of the two day marathon and months long wait, and despair at the instant results society we have created.

The people that I am not happy with are not the unknowledgeable, but the perfect ones. Whether they are students, patients, or nurses with 20+ years of experience, if I am having a bad day I already know it, and don't need anyone else to point out my flaws. If I crab about how the person that peed on the floor five times ruined my day I don't need anyone to say that the peer could possibly have a medical problem, or had just had 2L of fluid for an ultrasound, or maybe had a dancing alien in their bladder. Don't care if they do. I just don't like cleaning up pee.