big bad nursing myths busted

Nurses General Nursing

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In the name of nursing week I will defend our profession. I'm not trying to stir up controversy, but lets admit nurses perpetuate myths about their own profession and injure nursing's rep way more than everyone else can. Ever heard any good ones?

For example:

Geriatric nursing is only for untalented nurses and ones gearing down for their retirement.:trout:

Just because you are a nurse (or nursing student-I'm not even in my program yet!) you should be able to give medical advice for any and every illness. I am a pre-nursing student, my friends and family expect me to know the entire human anatomy and how to cure every common ailment. Once I'm a nurse I wont be surprised if they expect me to know how to perform surguries.:uhoh3:

Ohhhhhhhh, yes!!! My mm will ask me questions and I don't always know the answers. Then she demands, "Why not? You're a nurse, aren't you???"

Specializes in M-S;War OR;Peds;HomeHlth;LT.

Just wait, when you're a nurse it'll go like this:

Friend/relative: "I have had this pain in my belly for about a month and I don't know what to do about it."

You: "Have you seen a doctor?"

"No, I was hoping you could offer me some advice. I'm not sure I need to see one."

"OK, when did it start? Is it a dull ache, is it sharp, is it stabbing, what does it feel like? Does it bother you when you are ying/sitting/standing/active/inactive? Does it bother you before or after you eat or doesn't it make any difference...etc."

"Well it sort of hurts when I go to bed at night....blah blah blah"

"Well it could be any number of things but I am not a doctor and without tests it is impossible to tell. My suggestion would be that if it concerns you enough to ask me about it or if it is stressing you that you see a doc. It could be nothing, but better safe than sorry."

OK now is how you determine the reality of your relationship with above person:

A real friend/relative who respects you, will go to the doctor and happily report back to you-either they will be fine and happy that you suggested they find out or sick and grateful you encouraged them.

The jerks will come triumphantly to you to tell you that "the doctor said I was just fine" (as if you hadn't) or will tell you there is something wrong and openly or slyly indicate that this was NOT what you said.

Let the jerks pass by-they never really wanted your expertise or advice they were scared/jerks and simply needed another excuse to not do what they knew they should. Be appreciative of the former and know that this is what makes you a nurse-the fact that you will listen and lend a helping hand and have the wisdom to gather the proper info but dispense only the correct amount of information in return. Very often these people are the ones who also tell you: "and the doctor asked all the same questions as you did!"

My favorite is "nursing isn't hard" or "ADN nursing school is easy"

A side note, I love the psych nurses! I am NOT a psych person. You are REAL nurses. lol

we had 8 university gals come to "get done sooner" to our ADN program - 6 left and went back to the university cause they couldnt hack 4 yrs of nursing in 2.................................... ( minus the arts and management etc type classes of course :) )

I'm not a nurse yet, but starting nursing school in the fall. These are things that I have heard from others:

*NICU nurses are snotty and cliquish

*VA nurses only work at the VA because they know they are incompetent and can't get sued at the VA like they can at other hospitals OR VA nurses aren't "real" nurses ( I am a veteran and hear this from time to time from other veterans, but they say the EXACT same thing about VA doctors.) But, I love VA nurses because they took such good care of me when I had surgery and was in the hospital for a week last year. :icon_hug: So, I personally know this isn't true!!

*LVNs are souped up nursing assistants

*Nursing instructors are out to get you and look for reasons to fail you

*Nurses do nothing but sit on their butts and chart

*Nurses get paid a ton of money for doing nothing but giving a few shots, taking a few BP's, and getting juice or blankets. (Wow! I can't wait to start nursing so that I can do nothing but sit on my butt and give an occassional shake to the ol' money tree."):lol2:

"Men become nurses to pick up women."

Specializes in Spinal Cord injuries, Emergency+EMS.
LPN's are being phased out :devil: (this has been rumored for at least 25 years....

aid of course by those places i nthe world where the only entry point for people trained i that country to the register is at RN level..

Specializes in LTC.

nurses are anal...lol

That if you're in the medical profession, you want to solve medical problems all the time. A friend of mine is a resident and, while staying at a bed and breakfast, the owner/operater of the place decided to lift her nightgown and show her necrotic wound near her groin, while my friend was eating breakfast. Eeekk...

Oh my God!

:lol2:

Specializes in NICU.

NICU nurses are not like other people because we are comfortable "torturing" little babies. (When we're not sitting all night rocking the babies :rolleyes:.)

Nurses spend their shifts laughing and gossiping while their patients lay there in pain.

New grads will not be accepted on critical care units until they have "proven" themselves.

"Nurses are a dime a dozen." Quote from a director (bean counter) at BCBS (a insurance company). He was an accountant over nurses. go figure. When our RN supervisor requested a pay raise for the RN staff.

"All it takes to be a nurse is a strong back and weak mind." I heard this one on my first day of nursing school.

LPN stand for "Low Paid Nurse"

Associate Degree nurses are "techinical nurses", and B.S. nurses are "professionals nurses."

"Nurses are a dime a dozen." Quote from a director (bean counter) at BCBS (a insurance company). He was an accountant over nurses. go figure. When our RN supervisor requested a pay raise for the RN staff.

"All it takes to be a nurse is a strong back and weak mind." I heard this one on my first day of nursing school.

LPN stand for "Low Paid Nurse"

Associate Degree nurses are "techinical nurses", and B.S. nurses are "professionals nurses."

LOL one of my bosses said that to me "nurses....dime..dozen" when i said well i dont see any knockeing down your door she taold me i was the sassiets nurse she ever had-

Specializes in Operating Room.

-All nurses, given the choice, really want to be doctors. If you didn't go to med school, then you weren't smart enough.

-OR nurses don't do any patient care and don't practice "real nursing".

- a new nurse should spend a year or two in med/surg..

- nurses make lots of money(granted, I'm not poor, but I think we're all still underpaid!)

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