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.
You are right, I did go to school on taxpayer money. But let me assure you that most factory workers are NOT afraid of hard work! I know that you have probably heard the stories of us getting overpaid for doing very little work, but trust me when I say that that was NOT my experience. My job was physically demanding as well. It was not uncommon for me to work 60 hours a week-or more! And those hours were spent on my feet, lifting and moving heavy parts, so I am NOT afraid of hard work. The people that I worked with were some of the hardest workers I have ever known. For most of us, the hard part isn't taking on hard work...we've done that for years. The hard part was going to school and taking tests and doing well on them. That is NOT something anyone can do. I am just amazed at the responses I am reading here. The fact that anyone would question my work ethic and personal drive...Those things come from wanting to provide a good life for your family, and have very little to do with the specific job you do to accomplish that. And the fact that we are going to school later in life should tell you something as well. Going back after 20 years is NOT easy. It would have been easier to quit, but I stuck it out, as did so many others. If that doesn't speak volumes about hat kind of character we have, I don't know what would.
You read more into my responce than it said. What I stated has been and continues to be the entire truth about nursing graduates. I graduated with 16 and I am the only one still in nursing.
I did not say you would or would not quit however the historical evidence indicates you will. This does not mean that the system should not give you the chance. While who paid for the education actually does play a roll in data it still does not state for a fact that you will be one of the quiters.
Also, the data indicates that the willingness to stand for long hours and work hard is only part of the job. Only a few quit because of the standing and working hard. Most just burn out quickly.
The wheat is separated from the chaf when the dirty smelly bed pans need to be changed and cleaned. Yes, new nurses may have to do this too at times. Then it is time to wipe the brown smelly stuff from patient's butts.
What about the Doctor/s who believe they are gods. You must do what they say just the way they say it or risk being fired. I have seen two good nurses fired for this in the last six months. Also making the patients family mad can get you fired. There is a political side of playing the game. We lost another good nurse to this. Ah, there are the patients that screem at you all day. Yes, you must attend to them too, you can not just go away.
As hospital staff 50 tp 60 hours is about right but I have seen 70 to 80. I work many 14 to 18 hour shift and have worked 34 hours only to take a two hour nap then continue on.
Sure sounds like you are determed to survive and I hope you do, but like I said, check back with us in 2013 and we will see.
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.
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 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.
It sounds like you know all the factory workers in the world.LOL
The nursing schools are not being honest by promising jobs and the tired old untrue shortage routine. If the factory worker needs new employment you cannot blame them for believing it. It is cruel to have them invest their time and money and then find they cannot find work. Moving (where?) is also expensive.
Many who have had good fortune in life like to give themselves credit and think it was just their own intelligence and hardwork that got them what they have. And that anyone who is not similarly situated must have done something wrong. Not so. There is no fairness in life so be grateful and do not judge people on the fact that they have earned an honest living doing factory work.
I never said I wanted to be a teacher. My English instructor encouraged me to get my degree in English and pursue a writing career. Writers don't make money lol. I would make a terrible teacher anyway
And where I live it's near impossible to get a teaching job, where as I have 2 RN jobs and will make around 6 figures this year.
So yeah, going with Nursing made me more money. That's not to say I went into nursing for the money alone. It was just one of many factors, including the fact that I love being a nurse.
ETA, the average RN salary in CT is $59,000. The average High School English salary is $37,000. Just an FYI
Historical evidence does not take into account the fact that I am a single mother with a mortgage who needs the income from whatever job I am doing. Unfortunately in this economy, there are more candidates than there are jobs so employers are able to demand more of their employees, regardless of the field they are in. It's not JUST nursing or health care. Many qualified, competent people have found themselves out of work and can't quite figure out how it happened because everything seemed to be going along just fine. Some nurses seem to want to think they have the market cornered on having it rough...and I'm not arguing that fact. But it's tough all over, and people in general have to learn to suck it up and do what needs to get done. I can guarantee you that I will survive because that's who I am. It's not a choice. I'm sure that there are many nurses who don't make it past the first year, but I think that's true of any profession, especially for those who go into those professions young and straight out of school. They have glamorized expectations and when those expectations aren't met, they quit. It's not that easy when you are older and have to be responsible, not only for yourself, but for a child as well. I just wish that my colleagues could find a way to be more encouraging instead of watching and waiting for new nurses to fail.
I'm a 31 year old male and about to apply at a local BSN program. Even though I'm not too bright, I've got a high prereq GPA with plenty of community service and will most likely be accepted into the BSN program.
During the past 10 years I've worked at a factory, leaning on a drill and getting dirty before joining the Army and crawling in the mud for a while. I don't shave every day. I'll be a nurse soon. I hope you don't have a big problem with that.
I worked at Brown Printing in East Greenville, PA; making magazines such as Time, SI, Entertainment weekly, Family Circle. I worked there right out of high school. I loved my job there. To this day I am proud to say that I worked there and I miss my job there. As I always say, if there had been more than 24 hours in a day, I never would have left.
I would have been content to stay there the rest of my life until I was called into nursing by a higher power than myself. From August 2000 until December 2008 I endured working full time while in part time school (which as we all know means full time work), completely supporting myself by myself, dying cars, constantly increasing rent, layoffs, job changes, apartment changes (I moved 8 times), paying for wisdom teeth removal, paying the electric bill in the winter...I endured the rising cost of college from 400 dollars per credit to 660 dollars per credit to 740 dollars per credit. I endured the onslaught of student loans. I endured the constant need for cash for books. I had only 1 credit card up until 2006 and rarely used it. In the end I lost my good credit and now owe the governemnt 56,000 + in student loans. I endured tragic failures in nursing school, all because I wasn't getting enough sleep. I was in 2 nursing schools. I endured the deaths of my legal guardian and her husband, my dearly beloved grandmother, my most honored mentor Captain Greg of the Staten Island Ferry.
BUT I NEVER GAVE UP. Right down to the very end, when I owed the college 1600 dollars and was completley out of any type of fund - I was laid off and couldn't get a job. My boyfriend, who I was living with for 2 years, locked me out of the house with nothing but the clothes on my back. He stole my cat from me. For a month I was working at Highway Marine scrubbing scum off of boats for 8.50 an hour while my colleagues were all taking their boards and making 22 dollars an hour. I was living with my friends' parents.
I never gave up. My uncle agreed to give me a loan. I paid the school. I practiced and prayed for my state boards. I took them on May 1, 2008. The next day I was a registered nurse, and 3 days later I was making 29 dollars an hour at the county nursing home.
My point is - Right now, and forever, I will be a registered nurse. That is all I have in this world, all that I am. I have no family. I have no life, really. Right now I work 72 hours a week just to pay back these epic student loans I have.
My life as a factory worker is honored in my heart. I still go back to visit. I still call the tape (go ahead- call it - 1 800-223-0099) to see who's working and how much overtime is being given out. I met my 2nd best firend there, the man who I really should have married.
My point is, life in a factory is different from that in a hospital. The factory worker - turned - nurse (RN/LPN) needs to be cognizent of that. Your image needs to be that of a competent and professional person. Swearing every other word, which I did on a daily basis along with everyone else at Brown, is an example of one thing that is not acceptable in the nurse's work environment.
The nurse must also be aware that he/she is now the team leader (in most cases) where at places like Brown you did what you were told and except if you became an operator or a lead, you were not in charge.
But the nurse also brings with them to their practice the honored experiences of the factory worker. So when their patient says, "I can't afford these meds," and "I don't mind taking these meds but how am I going to work?" and "My boss might not let me take the extra break I need to breast pump" and "We're not allowed to have food and water at the machines, so how am I going to take my Depakote four times a day while I'm at work?" and (especially true at Brown).."With my asthma/allergies, how am I ever going to fill pockets with scent cards???" (Scent cards, those perfume advertisement pages in magazines, come in boxes of 500 per box with 4 boxes open at a time....imagine inhaling that 12 hours in a row!)
.......that nurse can understand where that patient is coming from, and not scoff it off in their heads and roll their eyes and chart that the patient is noncompliant.
When I find out my patients work in factories, I take extra time to talk to them about their experiences and how they can implement the appropriate changes - from the heart.
So YES, a lineman/linewoman who becomes a nurse SHOULD remember that they are now PROFESSIONALS, who are LOOKED UP TO AND DOWN UPON for their appearance and behavior - not nameless invisible factory workers who have to keep up with the machine all day. Although I would say that time management skills start in the factory :).
Ok, this is difficult to write, but I must. Every word is true and comes from the heart. Sorry for the long post.
Hi, its me. I am the guy in the photo that the OP described. No, really, my school placed an add in the paper at Christmas time with my pic and story in it. I am 43 years old. I needed a shave that day and my hair could look better, but there is not much hair left to worry over now. You see, I have more to worry about now than my hair. I even needed a shower that day, but you can't smell me by looking at the pic! My name is Charlie, but it could have been Jo or Bob or Mike or Bill or even Bubba. I used to work with those guys, the hardest working people I know, most of them very smart. I spent twenty years working as a machinist. I made more money than my parents and therefore a higher standard of living. The last three years I spent in white collar in a programmer/manager/IT position. I did some hiring and firing, worked with teams on projects worth over a million bucks. I have had a job or two that most folks around here would die for. Then one Friday afternoon as I was finishing up a project that I had been working on for over a year, the telephone in my office rang. Five minutes later it was no longer my office. I had to pack up my stuff, take my name off the door, leave quietly, and was escorted out. My world turned upside down. I don't blame the company really. They are doing what they need to do to survive. I am now doing what I need to do to survive. I am not really offended by the first post just because I don't have the excess energy required to be offended.
I tried to get into nursing school some twenty years ago when I felt a "calling" for it, but never made it in. Once unemployed, my thoughts again turned towards nursing school, the calling is now that of hunger and paying my bills. The following week my unemployed self was in school taking prereqs. I am not proud of having to draw unemployment for a year untill it ran out. I am not proud of having to spend my entire 401K in order to keep a roof over my head and food in my belly, but I don't have much choice. I do have my own business that I worked my tail off for (rental property), but it is not enough to live on. Some day I will welcome the dignity that goes along with having a decent paying job again. I am now in my second semester of nursing school. Some of my fellow students that fit the traditional student mold, did not make it this far. I don't mind working hard to reach my goal. I am ok with staying up all night preping for clinical. I can start IVs with the best of them. I can do drug calculations in my head that leave most of my classmates lost. I have spent many years using my head and my hands and my heart making a living. Many of my classmates do not have, nor do they understand this advantage. Tell me, if you roll into an E.R. with an M.I., do you want someone who is "in love" with being a nurse or do you want a nurse who can actually get that line started and properly calculate your meds? (please don't be offended by this question)
Yes there are many schools that are churning out fresh nurses due to supply and demand. These same schools are churning out welders, aircraft mechanics, engineers, etc. that will never find jobs in their chosen field. This does not stop the schools from contiuning to offer those programs as well. School is just another type of business. It needs customers (students) and workers (teachers) just like any other business. Hospitals also need customers ( patients ) and workers (nurses, and countless others). I don't think the OP understands these age old ways of day to day business.
Nurses do not really get to pick and choose their patients. Patients do not really get to pick and choose their nurse. None of us really get to pick and choose our coworkers. We should learn to respect our coworkers and embrace their strengths and weakness. We can all learn from each other. Isn't that what teamwork is all about?
Bye for now, I have to get ready for clinical in a few hours. Look up some drugs, shave, brush my teeth, and take a shower.
Sandielynn
5 Posts
You are right, I did go to school on taxpayer money. But let me assure you that most factory workers are NOT afraid of hard work! I know that you have probably heard the stories of us getting overpaid for doing very little work, but trust me when I say that that was NOT my experience. My job was physically demanding as well. It was not uncommon for me to work 60 hours a week-or more! And those hours were spent on my feet, lifting and moving heavy parts, so I am NOT afraid of hard work. The people that I worked with were some of the hardest workers I have ever known. For most of us, the hard part isn't taking on hard work...we've done that for years. The hard part was going to school and taking tests and doing well on them. That is NOT something anyone can do. I am just amazed at the responses I am reading here. The fact that anyone would question my work ethic and personal drive...Those things come from wanting to provide a good life for your family, and have very little to do with the specific job you do to accomplish that. And the fact that we are going to school later in life should tell you something as well. Going back after 20 years is NOT easy. It would have been easier to quit, but I stuck it out, as did so many others. If that doesn't speak volumes about hat kind of character we have, I don't know what would.