Posters that are not nurses

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Feb 1, 2007

Personally - I don't see a problem with joining forums that are not my "profession". Over the years, I have been a member (some of them, I'm still a current active member off) of :

1. A military history forum dedicated to WWI and WWII from the Axis perspective - though I'm not a historian (military or otherwise).

2. A military forum - built and run by an officer of the US Army. Lots of mil type folks and their spouses, children and others. I was in the Reserves - but that was ages ago. I am not and never was in active military forces.

3. A Neon forum - just so when my 10 year old Plymouth PoS starts throwing fresh tantrums, I have someplace to turn to!

4. A Pink Floyd fan forum - I love the band and their revolutionary music. I haven't touched my drum kit in ages and was never a formal musician.

Sometimes, what matters to me in a forum is not so much it's subject matter but the people who populate it. Or the general attitude of the place. An analogy would be the reason I kept coming back to a local bar when I was in Buffalo - the food wasn't all that great and the drinks were ok --- but the bar keep was a treasure trove of information and the company was fantastic (discuss anything from Dostoyevsky to the NHL). I had a fun place to unwind, shoot some darts, discuss topics to mind's content, watch a hockey game or two and generally have a fun time.

Why wouldn't I go there? :)

cheers,

Roy

(Any Buffalo, NY natives who are curious about this bar may PM me )

PaulaWVNCC · Feb 7, 2007

Hello everyone. I wanted to read what some of you had to say about posters that are not nurses. I don't even know yet, if I am excepted into the program for the fall. I really did enjoy reading quite a few of the posts and appreciated the tact for which most of you had in your replies. Anyway, let's just say that I will get into the program and become a nurse in two yrs. and maybe go on further for a BSN. Good grief, LOL, I didn't mean to write all that. I did want to say that I hope to be posting here a lot and looking for wisdom from those who have been there. I hope I will be taken right in. There may be an issue here and there that I have more experience in than some who are "nurses" . I don't know what they would be right now. Let's say that I had a brother with a disease that I have been around all my like and have pretty much nursed him and helped with all his medical stuff at the doc's, hospitals, etc. I would have a lot more knowledge to share with someone just starting out and who hasn't even heard of that disease. I don't know what issues had been brought up that made the OP post this post...and maybe I am off, but sometimes we have life experiences that make us far more capable of handing out advise. Just a thought. I am 39 yrs old and I can't begin to say what all I have gone through. I just know that I may not be a nurse, but I have worked in ERs and on the road with paramedics, who also gave me advise. I went to school already and became a lab technician. I feel that GOD has always called me to be a "nurse", but I have put it off until now. I have two children, one which was born more than 12 wks early.

Well I hope I didn't bore anyone...and I hope me being a former EMT ...well ya all won't hold it against me. My sister(who is an RN) told me never to tell anyone in the program that I was one at one time...LOL. Anyway, like I said I hope to post here often and gain a lot of friendships and knowledge while I am here. My best to all of you in your careers. I look forward to being a part of the nursing community of workers. I have immeasurable compassion for people. I love GOD. I love my two girls. And I am truly looking forward to becoming a nurse.

Paula

misty_maurie · Feb 7, 2007

I just wanted to say that I think constructive input from anyone is a good thing. I am a newbie nurse.. i get LOTS of grief for that! So many people seem to think just cuz a nurse hasnt had a ton of experience in all areas then he/she knows nothing! That gets frustrating for me. Nursing is a scarey world in soooo many ways. We are a very important part of our patients recovery/maintenance and that is a huge responsibility.... sometimes overwhelming! I think the only thing that eases that burden is knowledge and experience. I really appreciate all you nurses out there! Visiting this site is a learning experience, as it should be! I think the issue with some of us new nurses is that we do lack the experience... we have so much information driven into our brains in school about "proper" procedures etc.. "this is the RIGHT way.." and.. "NEVER do this.." and what we arent taught is that sometimes you have no choice but do something on the fly and a million little rules are broken in the process. There is no learning greater than actually experiencing and working with the diseases, conditions, symptoms, and the individuality that is our patients! I hope all you experienced nurses will try to keep in mind that we newbies (for the most part) look up to you and are (or should be) looking to you for knowledge! Thank you!

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Feb 7, 2007

As far as non nurse posters, I don't get the attraction to the board, but the more the merrier. I do mind being chastised in a venting thread (by anyone) but I consider the source and move on. I sick to my eyeballs of NCLEX threads, but that's probably because in my day waiting was forever, and we just had to suck it up.

The members that have made my ignore list are all nurses. There are some that should be on the ignore list, but I can't put them there because they tick me off so bad that I need to keep track of them. I consider that a self induced torture, and not the boards's fault.

I sure hope that the rules don't change because I like to hear from students' experiences. Sometimes a fresh eye makes me reevaluate how I think about things. I love having EMT's on the site, they are just another part of the crowd in the ER, and any lab techs or RT's or registration, whatever, are welcome. If we play nice we can have a great time.

nursemike, ASN, RN · Feb 7, 2007

Hello everyone. I wanted to read what some of you had to say about posters that are not nurses. I don't even know yet, if I am excepted into the program for the fall. I really did enjoy reading quite a few of the posts and appreciated the tact for which most of you had in your replies. Anyway, let's just say that I will get into the program and become a nurse in two yrs. and maybe go on further for a BSN. Good grief, LOL, I didn't mean to write all that. I did want to say that I hope to be posting here a lot and looking for wisdom from those who have been there. I hope I will be taken right in. There may be an issue here and there that I have more experience in than some who are "nurses" . I don't know what they would be right now. Let's say that I had a brother with a disease that I have been around all my like and have pretty much nursed him and helped with all his medical stuff at the doc's, hospitals, etc. I would have a lot more knowledge to share with someone just starting out and who hasn't even heard of that disease. I don't know what issues had been brought up that made the OP post this post...and maybe I am off, but sometimes we have life experiences that make us far more capable of handing out advise. Just a thought. I am 39 yrs old and I can't begin to say what all I have gone through. I just know that I may not be a nurse, but I have worked in ERs and on the road with paramedics, who also gave me advise. I went to school already and became a lab technician. I feel that GOD has always called me to be a "nurse", but I have put it off until now. I have two children, one which was born more than 12 wks early.
Well I hope I didn't bore anyone...and I hope me being a former EMT ...well ya all won't hold it against me. My sister(who is an RN) told me never to tell anyone in the program that I was one at one time...LOL. Anyway, like I said I hope to post here often and gain a lot of friendships and knowledge while I am here. My best to all of you in your careers. I look forward to being a part of the nursing community of workers. I have immeasurable compassion for people. I love GOD. I love my two girls. And I am truly looking forward to becoming a nurse.
Paula

I hope you enjoy your visits, and that they help you as much as they did when I was in school (all those many months ago...). I must admit, I haven't looked at the Terms of Service in awhile, but I don't recall anything that said you had to be a practicing nurse, or even a nursing student or allied healthcare worker, although it seems natural that nurses and nsg students will get the most benefit.

You certainly aren't alone among past and present EMTs, either. When I was in school, nursing students shared some support classes with students in the paramedic program--most, if not all, of whom were already EMTs. It was an interesting mix. I enjoyed getting to know them, but I always thought they were kind of the "jocks." Grading standards for the nursing program were so intense that you could usually tell which students were in nursing or trying to get into the program--we tended to be drudges and workaholics. I don't think the paramedic program was any cakewalk, either, but these guys and girls had fun with it. I remember one coming in all happy and excited because he'd seen a transverse bisection (victim cut in half) at work the night before. Lots of other stories to make us future Nightengales cringe, too. On the whole, though, I thought they brought an interesting perspective to the mix. And, really, a lot of nurses become adrenaline junkies, too.

SecondGenRN · Feb 7, 2007

Hi everyone:)

I am in my second of the 4 year BScN program at my local college. In response to the original post, I have seen students and new grads with the attitude that they know more than a nurse with 25 years experience (especially in the BScN program) I think a lot of this comes from the fact that as students, we are taught the IDEAL way to perform each task. Some students don't realize that the lab at school is hardly real life. While I agree that some nurses are resistant to change, my personal goal during clinical placement is to find an experienced nurse and learn as much as I can from her. Anyway, the point behind this long post is that we are new to the field and still learning... if we sometimes seem arrogant please be patient, I'm sure we'll figure it out soon lol

adrienurse, LPN · Feb 7, 2007

I could have really benefitted from this site when I was a student (but alas it was only in it's infancy), but I would have done so with a sense of respect and with the knowledge that the nurses speaking knew what they were talking about.

Danish, MSN, APRN, NP · Feb 7, 2007

I am only a first semester LPN student and I have been lurking about this site for a little while. I cant tell you how much I appreciate the knowledge and expertise I have seen shared between skilled, experienced nurses and students. It is so nice to have somewhere to ask questions and share opinions without being criticized rudely. I have always been made to feel welcome and my questions have been encouraged. That is rare in this field. So THANK YOU!!!

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 8, 2007

i don't know what issues had been brought up that made the op post this post...and maybe i am off, but sometimes we have life experiences that make us far more capable of handing out advise.

i think the issue that made the op start this thread is what seems to be the prevailing attitude among many non-nurse and new nurse posters on this board of disrespect for experienced nurses. this lack of respect is demonstrated by non-nurses or others without significant nursing experience jumping onto a "vent" thread and posting things such as "you are all mean and evil," "you lack compassion," "you should quit nursing if you hate it so much," or "i hope i'm never as mean and nasty as you, and i would never laugh at a patient the way you do." these folks obviously lack the experience to understand that sometimes the only way to stay sane and to continue to care for others is to vent, and sometimes laughing at the absurdly horrible is the only way not to cry. in fact, i'd love to hear from some of them five or twenty-five years down the road to see if they still feel the same way. i'm postulating that if they do, they probably haven't lasted in bedside nursing.

at 39, you have a wealth of life experience. and it sounds as though you've had some experience with the health care system as well. experience as a loving family member, however, is nothing like experience as a nurse caring for patients they don't aready know and love. you aren't in the position of explaining that you don't know when the doctor is coming, that you can't give the pain medication without an order which you won't have until the doctor arrives to examine the patient, or that he has to remain npo until after the test that hasn't been scheduled because it hasn't been ordered because the doctor (who is up to his elbows in trauma) hasn't been to see the patient yet. you're trying to advocate for your family member, but you still don't "get it." you haven't been there in our shoes. we don't expect you to get it. we do, however, expect you to have some respect for those of us in the position of explaining that you can't have what you want and we don't know when you'll get it . . . and we expect you to understand that you don't understand what it's like to be in our shoes.

i wouldn't want to close the board to non-nurses or new nurses, but sometimes i wish we could close certain threads to them because when you're at the end of your rope and the only thing stopping you from unloading on your family is unloading in a vent thread, reading that you're a terrible person who shouldn't be entrusted with caring for patients is not helpful, even when we understand that it's coming from someone who doesn't know any better. i wish the newbies and non-nurses and nurses who haven't been there would stop and think before they post things like that in those threads -- but i have to remember that if they were capable of stopping and thinking and attempting to understand before posting, they wouldn't be posting those things. they can't help it. not only do they not get it, they don't realize that they don't get it, and i should be feeling sorry for them rather than fighting the urge to strangle them.

RavenC · Feb 8, 2007

i'm going to keep this nice and polite i promise mods!:)
i'm just hoping that one of the smart student/new nurse posters can answer this.
i know that we have quite a few people on here that do not have the title nurse, either rn/lpn. we have some great, intelligent students,new nurses,cna's, techs, etc. most of them add a lot of interesting elements and variety to the posts and i enjoy reading them.
however, i really want to know something. i have noticed this with several other posters(not the above ones) on several occasions. why on earth would someone that is not a nurse think they could ever tell a nurse how to do their job? or think that limited clinical experience is enough to say they know what a nurse does?
i mean, i would never think of say, jumping in a thread telling ob nurses how they should do something or how they could do it better. i've never done ob (not counting school)
i guess this is just frustrating as it seems people think it's so easy to do this job! it's not, it has hard times, fun times, sad,break your heart in two times. but it's not a job that you can learn how to do in a few semesters of school. it takes years. fortunately, i think that most of our students here know that and respect that.
so, what's the thought on the ones that don't know? is it their egos? overconfidence?
i'm really interested in replies.

the other day one of our cna's was upset about staffing and, in an effort to show that she's better than the rest of us, stated, "well, i've done staffing so i know what it's like, and i've given out meds too cause i've worked personal care and i..." that's when i interrupted her and said, "oh good. you can do everything. the rest of us can go home." the conversation was suddenly over and she had something important to go take care of.

Cattitude · Feb 8, 2007

i think the issue that made the op start this thread is what seems to be the prevailing attitude among many non-nurse and new nurse posters on this board of disrespect for experienced nurses. this lack of respect is demonstrated by non-nurses or others without significant nursing experience jumping onto a "vent" thread and posting things such as "you are all mean and evil," "you lack compassion," "you should quit nursing if you hate it so much," or "i hope i'm never as mean and nasty as you, and i would never laugh at a patient the way you do." these folks obviously lack the experience to understand that sometimes the only way to stay sane and to continue to care for others is to vent, and sometimes laughing at the absurdly horrible is the only way not to cry. in fact, i'd love to hear from some of them five or twenty-five years down the road to see if they still feel the same way. i'm postulating that if they do, they probably haven't lasted in bedside nursing.
at 39, you have a wealth of life experience. and it sounds as though you've had some experience with the health care system as well. experience as a loving family member, however, is nothing like experience as a nurse caring for patients they don't aready know and love. you aren't in the position of explaining that you don't know when the doctor is coming, that you can't give the pain medication without an order which you won't have until the doctor arrives to examine the patient, or that he has to remain npo until after the test that hasn't been scheduled because it hasn't been ordered because the doctor (who is up to his elbows in trauma) hasn't been to see the patient yet. you're trying to advocate for your family member, but you still don't "get it." you haven't been there in our shoes. we don't expect you to get it. we do, however, expect you to have some respect for those of us in the position of explaining that you can't have what you want and we don't know when you'll get it . . . and we expect you to understand that you don't understand what it's like to be in our shoes.
i wouldn't want to close the board to non-nurses or new nurses, but sometimes i wish we could close certain threads to them because when you're at the end of your rope and the only thing stopping you from unloading on your family is unloading in a vent thread, reading that you're a terrible person who shouldn't be entrusted with caring for patients is not helpful, even when we understand that it's coming from someone who doesn't know any better. i wish the newbies and non-nurses and nurses who haven't been there would stop and think before they post things like that in those threads -- but i have to remember that if they were capable of stopping and thinking and attempting to understand before posting, they wouldn't be posting those things. they can't help it. not only do they not get it, they don't realize that they don't get it, and i should be feeling sorry for them rather than fighting the urge to strangle them.

i am the op and i couldn't have said it better or explained it better myself! :loveya: thank you ms.rubyvee:flowersfo :redpinkhe :heartbeat :yelclap:

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 8, 2007

i am the op and i couldn't have said it better or explained it better myself! :loveya: thank you ms.rubyvee:flowersfo :redpinkhe :heartbeat :yelclap:

you're welcome! glad i hit the nail on the head!