I would like to first say that I come from a family full of nurses, both sides (so I've seen the fight to show that nursing is a professional field first-hand, 1970's onward).
I also have factory worker relatives, and I have respect for hard working people. I am not trying to diss on someone who works in a factory -- it's difficult and honest work. It's not an easy way to make ends meet.
However, where I live in Ohio, something strange is happening. All the trade schools, community colleges and even some universities are push, push, pushing displaced factory and auto workers into nursing due to (you guessed it) "guaranteed employment, plenty of jobs etc." (yeah, RIGHT!)
There's practically an LPN or RN evening/weekend program on every corner, and all the websites show a guy (God forbid they show a female nurse) who lost his job in the auto plant last week in scrubs, putting up an IV or something like that (you should surf the web and see some for yourselves!). Some of these guys look kind of unkempt or need a shave (sorry, not trying to be mean!).
Of course I am very happy for someone who gets a new career in this terrible recession, and works hard to earn a nursing credential. That deserves recognition and respect. But sometimes I wonder if the profession of nursing, which has fought so hard since the 1970's to be considered a white-collar, professional occupation, is going to suffer a big image hit due to these fly-by-night colleges PUSHING "get your RN, get your LPN, make money" to literally everyone with a pulse and then flooooooding the market.
There are lots of news stories up here in Ohio that contribute to this image of "Anyone can do it! Easy money!" They always interview a guy who barely graduated from high school, got laid off from the factory, uses poor grammar, and now he almost has his RN license.
Again -- that's is wonderful for him, and I respect that. If he can pass the courses and the tests, kudos to him! He deserves his success! But it worries me that this situation is going to make nursing look like a non-professional occupation in the future.
People should not go into anything just for the money, especially nursing. You need to have a passion. There are no sure-fire recession-proof jobs anymore; it really doesn't matter what you choose in college (I know first-hand due to a derailed librarian career that was booming in 2000). So, choose your calling!
I hope I did not offend anyone. I just wonder what will happen in the future. My aunt was the head nurse in a large hospital in Columbus, and she was one of those people who fought like hell to let people know that nursing is a professional medical occupation -- not a glorified bottom-wiping job!
Nurses know as much or MORE than doctors. I worry that people are going to forget this.
I live in Michigan.... and I am proud of our automobile factory workers. Although it might not have been your intention, it does sound like you are stereotyping when you post a thread titled "Factory worker one day...nurse the next?" and then go on to explain how they look decrepit and un-kept. I too have family in the auto industry, and I can't say that they fit that profile. That being said, I can understand what you are concerned about in your post outside of just making it sound like taking jabs at autoworkers.
I am a 1st year nursing student, and I completely understand what the nurses in our past had to go through to make it the profession it is seen as today. But there are people in ALL professions that are unprofessional and then there are those they hold what they do in great honor. So, it is not simply the "factory worker made nurse" who is causing harm to the profession. I can understand what you are saying when you speak regarding "these fly by night schools". In that regard, they take students money and guess what? do they pass the NCLEX? probably not... especially if you take classes from an non-accredited, here today, gone tomorrow type institution that "pops" up. It is unfortunate that people fall into that trap. It may be because they are so desperate for work.
As far as too many people flooding the marker for RN's.... At least in my area, the number of open student slots remains the same. They may have added a slot of two for someone to fill, but they do not have the number of MSN teaching nurses, or nurses who want to teach to fill those positions. They cannot continue to be an accredited school and have a massive teacher to student ratio... For me, I was accepted, beating out over 2,000 other fiercely competitive applicants. There are people I know that are on 1-2 year waiting lists. So how is that solving their immediate need to become employable? Especially in the Metro Detroit Area where there are huge cuts to not only the factor yworkers, but huge lay offs in auto suppliers, car dealerships, and even in places like Civil engineers because our state doesn't have the money to pay for road updates because everyone is "laid-off"
I consider myself extremely blessed to be in a place in my life that I could be the best nurse possible. I honestly can say, I could not have done it at 18 or 19. Because I did not go into nursing when I was 18 or 19 does not make me "not worthy" of becoming a nurse. A sentiment I feel many people make. I am more than worthy, and in each patient/family encounter I feel extremely honored that humbled that I can be of service to them.
ppl she is not trying to dis factory workers all she is trying to to say is that nursing is not a profession that just anyone should enter and it has nothing to do with being educated or not..it takes a special person who actually likes nursing to become a nurse...would you rather work with a nurse who likes her job or a nurse who always ***** about her day...? I for one believe that not everyone is MEANT to be a nurse and cant stand the fact that some ppl go into nursing strictly for the income..hello what about other aspects? I dont imagine myself in a career that pays well but is boring to me or just simply does not interest me..why so many people get aggrevated by the OP,really I'm clueless.. What about couple years ago??? I still remember so many open open seats in the nursing program...everyone went into other health care programs like ultrasound etc while nursing schools were even lowering its standarts just to recruit people...now all of the sudden all the slots for other healthcare programs are "taken" and everyone is rushing to enroll in nursing school-remind me of a chicken factory farm.Maybe all of us should become police officers next
ElectricHellfire Re: Factory worker one day ... nurse the next?
In my unit (ICU) we have no LPNs. Everyone either has a BSN or is working to get a BSN. We don't even hire LVNs anymore.
It ain't easy money and postions are available but experience is required. I am not sure what to make of the male vs female comment since I am a male AND I have a beard.
Nursing is a second career for me and I did get into nursing because its a steady choice. I didn't pick it because I like to clean diarrhea and vomit all day. It pays the bills. I dont know anyone who doesn't work to get paid.
Well, I'm an LVN who just retired with $5,600/mo. According to you, I retired at just the right time. Appears that the RN vultures are out to pluck the LVN's out of the sky. I say get rid of all the LVN's & CNA's and let the God-Almighty RN's wipe them asses. This in addition to their charting, nursing care plans, etc.
I am a factory worker now a nurse, automotive plant too, I made A's in nursing school and have been a nurse little over a year now. All my patients tell me they thought I have been doing this for all of my life, and what a great nurse I am. I am not patting myself on the back, but us factory worker grunts know hard work and doing your job right the first time and on time, I have seen some of the long time nurses that have no pride in their job and are just there for the paycheck. So before you make judgements about us lowly factory auto workers , check us out we have work ethic needed in this job.
ppl she is not trying to dis factory workers all she is trying to to say is that nursing is not a profession that just anyone should enter and it has nothing to do with being educated or not..it takes a special person who actually likes nursing to become a nurse...would you rather work with a nurse who likes her job or a nurse who always ***** about her day...? I for one believe that not everyone is MEANT to be a nurse and cant stand the fact that some ppl go into nursing strictly for the income..hello what about other aspects? I dont imagine myself in a career that pays well but is boring to me or just simply does not interest me..why so many people get aggrevated by the OP,really I'm clueless.. What about couple years ago??? I still remember so many open open seats in the nursing program...everyone went into other health care programs like ultrasound etc while nursing schools were even lowering its standarts just to recruit people...now all of the sudden all the slots for other healthcare programs are "taken" and everyone is rushing to enroll in nursing school-remind me of a chicken factory farm.Maybe all of us should become police officers next
I don't think the OP clarified whether she thinks that the "factory workers" would diminish her beloved proffession or if the image that the fly by night nursing programs projected would. Regardless your statement irritated me even more. Living in a rural area almost everyone I meet is an industrial worker. Let me rephrase that- an out of work industrial worker, and I have known many who have gone on to NS bc they want a job that would provide for their families. They are NOT the ones who bi**h about their jobs. Everytime you talk to them, they are THANKFUL for the hard work they put in and now are rewarded with a stable career. The nurses who bi**h are the ones who have never worked in any other proffession and had ideas of grandeur in their scrubs and hospital setting. The industrial workers who I have had the honor to know throughout life who have gone on to be nurses have nothing but good things to say about the proffession and have a work ethic that leaves most first career nurses in the dust.
ppl she is not trying to dis factory workers all she is trying to to say is that nursing is not a profession that just anyone should enter and it has nothing to do with being educated or not..it takes a special person who actually likes nursing to become a nurse...would you rather work with a nurse who likes her job or a nurse who always ***** about her day..
1) I can agree that not just anyone should enter nursing, however, I am yet unclear what that has to do with someone being a scruffy ex-factory worker. You (and the OP) say it as if the type of person she described won't make a good RN because of their background. I'd argue that and say that a factory worker who has struggled to provide for his family, decided he liked nursing enough to go to school, study, and pass the NCLEX after losing the job that supported himself/herself and his family may just make a better nurse and a damn hardworking one at that.
2) Yeah, sorry but you absolutely need to be educated to be a nurse. You can be the sweetest, nicest, most caring person in the world but if you don't have the education to manage meds, disease processes, and everything else that goes along with nursing you are going to be SOL.
I for one believe that not everyone is MEANT to be a nurse and cant stand the fact that some ppl go into nursing strictly for the income..hello what about other aspects?
Strictly for the income? No, I would say that isn't going to make the best nurse. But if income wasn't important, we would all be working for free. Maybe you love you job enough to do it for free but as much as I love what I do, I have 3 kids, a husband, and a mortgage. I need a paycheck and that factored into my path to become a RN. It doesn't make me a less caring nurse because I decided I'd make more money doing this than I would getting an English degree.
Also, as far as nurses not wanting to be considered blue collar; personally I am damn proud to be a hard working, scrub wearing, a$$ wiping, blue collar RN.
I read your OP several times to make sure I wasn't just doing a knee jerk reaction and I find your OP highly offensive to me and quite a few of my factory worker friends. I am also a Buckeye (GO BUCKS!) and I find nothing wrong with being on the line building parts for automobiles one day, go to school, then drawing blood the next. I spend 20 years in the automotive industry working my way up from the bottom while going to school to learn computers. I then kept working in the automotive industry as a white collar worker. For you to say (insert job title here) shouldn't be a nurse because they lost their job, well I say BULL. What makes you think they weren't going to find the path into nursing and just needed the little push to get them motivated? I am proof that a person can have several callings in a lifetime and job security is only one reason among many for me to go back to school to earn my nursing degree. Besides, there are so many facets to nursing and plenty of jobs outside of the hospital/acute care setting. I say more power to anyone that takes charge in changing their life!
The OP had nothing against factory workers - just worried that the influx of workers will be damaging to the nursing professions.
I am an engineer, who happens to work in the automotive industry, in MI. Although I have a B.S. Degree, I still consider myself "blue collar" and I am proud of it. I work on the plant floor in assembly plants and have 20 years of experience. I also have a minor in Physics. I want to get out of my chosen profession for a variety of reasons and find nursing to be a great transition for me (it is hands on, science based, challenging, etc).
I am disappointed at what I have encountered from my future peers in the nursing profession so far. There seems to be nothing but negativity towards new students. I understand that the market is competative and that schooling will not be easy (neither was engineering school).
I can only speak for myself when I say that I am not looking for the "easy way out". I am completing my pre-req's for an accelerated 2nd degree. At the age of 40, I face at least 1 1/2 years of wait time to get into the program, then I must quit my $80K/ year job to attend school full time for a year, just to start all over again in a new profession with no tenure and no guarentee of employment and most definately less pay. I am saving now, so that I can afford my mortgage payment during this time period. This is not the path to riches or easy street... but a personal choice to go into a profession based on my passion, rather than just a paycheck.
I have encountered several students in my classes with similar backgrounds and stories, who are working professionals with a stable income. I am just hoping to clear up the misunderstanding that many of us are looking for an "easy" high paying job.
OK, first off, all you folks with extra unemployed nurses send 'em to southeast Missouri. We sure need them.
Now, as for factory workers. Let's not turn folks away from nursing because of where they come from. I've oriented some previous factory workers at work as new LPN's. One tried my patience like u wouldn't believe because she was so insecure about every little thing. But I didn't eat my young. I kept trying. She's one of the best psych nurses now. Her down to earth personality has really paid off in psych.
My BFF's DH just finished LPN school. He's an ex military ex factory worker - now think about that. He's obese, he's loud, and he's proud. Oh yes, he is. And he just found his calling in a nursing home. The residents can HEAR him - yep, and his military organization has paid off with so many residents to keep up with. His factory days created a nurse who doesn't show up late or ***** about hard work. Hmmmm, I think there's a place for lots of kinds of nurses, they just have to find it.
There's lots of areas in nursing outside the hospital. Nursing homes, home health, dr's offices, health depts, schools, prisons, factories (yep, get out of the factory and go back as a nurse). I understand that nurses should look professional, and act professional, but that's like beauty - in the eye of the beholder. Give them a chance, and set a good example. They will learn and learn to be professional if they really want it.
I live in Southern Illinois, first we had coal mine closures in the 80's and 90's, with some of them going into nursing. Then factory closings from the 90's on with some displaced workers also going into nursing. I was a displaced worker, as was my husband, I went into nursing. I've been a nurse for 16 years, first as an LPN then an RN and I just recently got my BSN. Of the men I know who went into nursing, very few fit the sterotype you describe, some of the men did well and had great careers, others went on to do something else, not everyone is cut out for nursing. Some of the guys decided it was too much work.
I worked in a factory for 15 years, and truth be told, THAT was the job that I took for the money. I was a single mom with no education and needed a job that would provide me and my daughter with a steady, livable income and medical benefits. It wasn't my dream job but it paid the bills. When the factory that I worked in closed, I took the opportunity to go back to school (at 37!) and graduated at the top of my LPN class. I was also chosen to speak at graduation. I didn't go into nursing for the money (obviously!) but I won't complain about having some stability and job security, either. In my opinion, having new nurses that come from such diverse backgrounds is a very good thing. We can relate to blue collar patients on a different level, because we've been there. We know what it's like to make difficult decisions and wonder how they will affect our families. We've been through alot, but our journeys have brought us all together, and I would love it if our fellow nurses could welcome us into our new profession and appreciate all that we have to offer.
First off, we need to understand all the laidoff workers are going to school on the taxpayer ticket. Of course they were tax payers once also and have earned this.
On the other hand we must also understand that the historical data indicates that most nursing students leave the trade the first year after graduation. I believe this is mostly driven by the fact that most nursing students are searching for a good paying career only to find a career, that in most cases, is so physically demanding that they do not have the personal drive to continue it. This testifys to the fact that not everyone is suited to nursing. Everyone can study, take a test and graduate from a school, but it will be 2 or 3 more three years before we will know if the taxpayers money was well spent.
Yes, this is a blue collar job.
I wish these new nurses good luck and I just hope a few of them have the work ethic and personal drive to make this tax payer investment a worth while one.
What about couple years ago??? I still remember so many open open seats in the nursing program...everyone went into other health care programs like ultrasound etc while nursing schools were even lowering its standarts just to recruit people...now all of the sudden all the slots for other healthcare programs are "taken" and everyone is rushing to enroll in nursing school-remind me of a chicken factory farm.Maybe all of us should become police officers next
MichyMich
111 Posts
I live in Michigan.... and I am proud of our automobile factory workers. Although it might not have been your intention, it does sound like you are stereotyping when you post a thread titled "Factory worker one day...nurse the next?" and then go on to explain how they look decrepit and un-kept. I too have family in the auto industry, and I can't say that they fit that profile. That being said, I can understand what you are concerned about in your post outside of just making it sound like taking jabs at autoworkers.
I am a 1st year nursing student, and I completely understand what the nurses in our past had to go through to make it the profession it is seen as today. But there are people in ALL professions that are unprofessional and then there are those they hold what they do in great honor. So, it is not simply the "factory worker made nurse" who is causing harm to the profession. I can understand what you are saying when you speak regarding "these fly by night schools". In that regard, they take students money and guess what? do they pass the NCLEX? probably not... especially if you take classes from an non-accredited, here today, gone tomorrow type institution that "pops" up. It is unfortunate that people fall into that trap. It may be because they are so desperate for work.
As far as too many people flooding the marker for RN's.... At least in my area, the number of open student slots remains the same. They may have added a slot of two for someone to fill, but they do not have the number of MSN teaching nurses, or nurses who want to teach to fill those positions. They cannot continue to be an accredited school and have a massive teacher to student ratio... For me, I was accepted, beating out over 2,000 other fiercely competitive applicants. There are people I know that are on 1-2 year waiting lists. So how is that solving their immediate need to become employable? Especially in the Metro Detroit Area where there are huge cuts to not only the factor yworkers, but huge lay offs in auto suppliers, car dealerships, and even in places like Civil engineers because our state doesn't have the money to pay for road updates because everyone is "laid-off"
I consider myself extremely blessed to be in a place in my life that I could be the best nurse possible. I honestly can say, I could not have done it at 18 or 19. Because I did not go into nursing when I was 18 or 19 does not make me "not worthy" of becoming a nurse. A sentiment I feel many people make. I am more than worthy, and in each patient/family encounter I feel extremely honored that humbled that I can be of service to them.