Nursing then and now?

Nurses General Nursing

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Good day!

I need your opinions on this, what are the differences between the nursing profession then and now?

I'm a freshman nursing student, and I'd like to know how it was back then and how it is now.

Thanks!

Specializes in Telemetry/Med Surg.

Is this a homework assignment?

(Thread moved to General Nursing Discussion forum, since it is not a poll).

Specializes in ICU.

i've been doing this for 30 years. back then, there was a tiny bit of respect shown by patients, nurses were seen as people there to help with compassion and care.....now, less. patients have been caught up into the mentality that they are customers and are entitled to behave and speak in any manner they choose. back then, the idea was to make patients be as functional as possible, the goal, independance........now, it's catering, glorified waitressing (without the 20% tip) indentured servant and general go-for. ahhh the good ol' days! :chuckle

i've been doing this for 30 years. back then, there was a tiny bit of respect shown by patients, nurses were seen as people there to help with compassion and care.....now, less. patients have been caught up into the mentality that they are customers and are entitled to behave and speak in any manner they choose. back then, the idea was to make patients be as functional as possible, the goal, independance........now, it's catering, glorified waitressing (without the 20% tip) indentured servant and general go-for. ahhh the good ol' days! :chuckle

Funny.. Not the first time I've heard nursing referred to as "glorified waitressing."

Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

1980: Back then, mixed all our own antibiotic piggybacks and put the potassium in the IV glass bottles ourselves. Only serious cardiac gtts got pumps.

The bottle of liquid cocaine for nose bleeds was on the top of the med cart in L&D, just sitting there.

Uniforms were all white, usually polyester; scrubs were strictly in the OR & ED, and were not supposed to leave the facility.

There was a roll-around machine for incentive spirometry, with a big clown on it, the patients got their own mouthpiece only; had to blow into the tube hard enough to get the line to move up the clown's belly to his chin. This on an adult ward.

Large rooms, usually four patients in each. County prisoners were shackled to the bed stand, had to climb over the chain as you worked around the bed, no guards in sight; even in rooms with 4 patients.

Lab only came in the mornings, nurses did all the rest of the draws throughout the day.

Patients weren't nearly as sick. Families were required to obey visiting hours. NO children on the floors.

EMTALA & HIPAA did not exist.

Specializes in ER, Medicine.

So much has changed...what on earth caused such a massive shift in the way nursing works? I wonder how different will nursing be in another 20 years.

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