i am a charge RN in a cvicu. yesterday i took care of a man that was pod1 5 vessel cabg on a balloon pump and multiple drips. i had post op'd the pt the previous day so i had developed a repor with he and his family. he was telling me that his daughter is a physical therapist and works in a DR's office yadda yadda, yadda. he then asks me if i make good money beings that i have no college degree. i informed him that i did have a college degree and was very well educated in my field. he stated that he was unaware that you needed to go to college to be a nurse.
i was shocked! this was a very sick man and needed detailed care! is this the perception of the public that anyone can walk in off the street and get a job as a nurse? do they think it is like checking groceries or something? and this was a very well educated man himself. i am still just shocked and offended! has anyone else had this happen?
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
No Suzy,my argument was not to support fragmented education, but to point out the inaccuracy of the statement ---and that making such a point will be useless in changing public opinion of what we do and who we are.
...the public at large is not interested, really, in the exact level of education their nurses possess. only when it affects them where they live. otherwise, they let tv and the media tell them what to believe about any profession, including nursing. nature of the beast, sadly, in a society that watches way too much tv anyhow.
and here lies a huge part of the problem partly because nurses can't seem to unite & fight against these sterotypical images!!! we're too busy fighting amoung ourselves regarding our status!!!
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
I can't argue w/you there, Moe. I bet the public does not know a huge number of our police officers posses bachelors degrees (or higher) either. They DON'T care! They DO care the public image they see. It's just the truth.
No Suzy,my argument was not to support fragmented education, but to point out the inaccuracy of the statement ---and that making such a point will be useless in changing public opinion of what we do and who we are.
Then maybe we should've asked that patient in the first post more about this. You honestly think that his perception of nursing education has nothing to do with the fact that his family member, as a PT, requires a Bachelors and we do not? And to argue that other professions require even HIGHER degrees only seems to further the point, don't you think?
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
NO Suzy, I don't believe they (the public) *all* do not care the level of education we possess. And I don't live in a vacuum; I have talked to patients/family/people we serve and garnered a lot of different responses as to what they do think of nurses and their image. For example, they CRINGE when the see medical care workers outside smoking cigarettes or wearing excessive perfume/make-up. I doubt highly that they would care ONE iota if they held a Master's degree or even a PhD at that point. It is about IMAGE also! That is why--- I believe, If tomorrow, we all were BSN-only RN's it would still not be NEAR enough to change the public view of nursing in general and do NOTHING to garner respect from the esteemed doctors with whom we work. I just believe the issue is MULTI-dimensional and see the BIG picture, I guess.
I agree nursing's problems are multi-dimensional, as you say, however, this particular issue seemed to be geared at one aspect of nursing - that being nursing education. I also stand firm that among those "multi-dimensional" issues of nursing, is educational levels.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Perhaps, one day in a perfect world, we can all be BSN-prepared universally. But until the shortage is sated and there are BSN programs universally available to serve all who desire to enter nursing, it is not possible. So, why not address the issues that WE CAN TACKLE TODAY and shelve the BSN versus ADN argument for a time when it's do-able to make BSN-only entry a reality?
however, this particular issue seemed to be geared at one aspect of nursing - that being nursing education.
Suzy, I respectfully disagree. The major issue that nurses have with the public perception of nursing is a lack of respect. Nurses mistakenly think that respect is more associated with education, but I again submit that the public perception of ANY job is more directly associated to SALARY.
I point to the instant respect that doctors and plumbers get as supporting evidence.
My understanding of your post was that you were questioning whether the public is aware that to be a nurse some formal education is required, be it diploma, ADN, BSN, etc...
Often people during a doctor's office appointment see "the nurse" who is actually a medical assistant or nursing assistant, and I have heard OR techs with no formal education beyond high school refer to themselves as a "scrub nurse". No wonder the public is confused.
As far as the respect issue - as long as hospital administrators see nurses as an expense rather than essential assets we will never be respected, at least in the hospital setting--JMHO.
Suzy, I respectfully disagree. The major issue that nurses have with the public perception of nursing is a lack of respect.
Sleepy,
I meant the issue at hand for this particular thread seemed to be geared at nursing education, and the education (or lack thereof - per the patient in the original post) that it takes to be a nurse. It didn't appear to me that this patient didn't respect nurses or the nurse taking care of him, but was merely questioning salary based on his perceptions of the level of education nurses are required to have. In fact, it could be argued that this patient could've felt the nurse should be paid more, but probably isn't due his/her educational level (real or perceived). Again:
he then asks me if i make good money beings that i have no college degree.
Based on this question it appears to me that this patient (and probably more like him) most certainly do equate education with compensation. Meaning, more education generally means higher pay.
SmilingBluEyes
20,964 Posts
No Suzy,my argument was not to support fragmented education, but to point out the inaccuracy of the statement ---and that making such a point will be useless in changing public opinion of what we do and who we are.