The Nobel Prize in Nursing

ZASHAGALKA, RN · Dec 9, 2006

Unfortunately, it is the bedside nurse that most deserves such recognition and they wouldn't get it. Some Ivory Tower hack would get it every year, almost certainly undeserved.

But, I'd vote for Brian. Think about the positive changes to nursing from 180,000 nurses exchanging ideas! THAT would deserve recognition.

But, he's not in the Ivory Tower either, so, bupkiss.

Sorry, Brian.

~faith,

Timothy.

gonzo1, ASN, RN · Dec 9, 2006

I vote for Brian. My life in nursing is way better thanks Allnurses.

SandySummers · Dec 9, 2006

Unfortunately, ...some Ivory Tower hack would get it every year, almost certainly undeserved.

Timothy,

How sad it is that you can't appreciate nursing's leaders. Our nursing researchers and innovators make it possible for bedside nurses to change and improve our care so our patients will have better outcomes. For instance, if we had no nurse leaders we would not have any sexual assault nurse forensic examiners. Don't you think that they have improved patient care? Without anyone to push the creation of these SAFE nurses, rape patients would still be getting the barbaric care they used to receive.

Did you see the leaders that we chose as potential people to consider for the Nobel prize?

We're not allowed to reprint the article until 30 days have passed, but please click here and read the whole thing.

http://tinyurl.com/yzy4lb

Remember that the ultimate example of the "Ivory Tower Hack" is Florence Nightingale.

nursemike, ASN, RN · Dec 9, 2006

This sounds like a problem the Center for Nursing Advocacy could partially rectify, itself. An "in-house" prize might not carry the international prestige of a Nobel, but no doubt it would be meaningful to recipient, and it would create an opportunity for press coverage to educate the public (and us) about the role played by nursing leaders.

I have to confess, my gut reaction is a lot like Timothy's. Down in the trenches, it often feels as though nursing research is mainly concerned with finding new pains in our butts. As a fairly new nurse, I haven't spent many years learning to do things one way, then having to change because some "ivory tower hack" thought of a different way. Some of the changes I've seen on the job are merely implementing things I learned in school. At the bedside level, changes in practice often come down as edicts from management, with little if any explanation of the rationales behind them. I suppose I need to do a better job of keeping up with my nursing journals, but I suspect the lay public spends even less time reading nursing journals than I do. A short article in USA Today about why so-and-so deserved an award for some particular innovation might be a way to educate the public as to what nursing actually is.

I do agree that Brian deserves some sort of recognition for creating this forum. I learned practical nursing in school and on the job. My instructors in school did deal with some of the professional aspects, as well, but as a student one is so fixated on careplans and basic nursing skills the one has little attention for the state of the profession or trends in research. For me, these boards have been a place to develop my "philosophy of nursing", and even to realize that such a thing is important. On the floors, of course, I am still very much task oriented, but here I am free to contemplate why I roll my eyes when administrators talk about customer service, but loathe putting even a slightly oriented patient in restraints.

ZASHAGALKA, RN · Dec 9, 2006

Timothy,
How sad it is that you can't appreciate nursing's leaders. Our nursing researchers and innovators make it possible for bedside nurses to change and improve our care so our patients will have better outcomes. For instance, if we had no nurse leaders we would not have any sexual assault nurse forensic examiners. Don't you think that they have improved patient care? Without anyone to push the creation of these SAFE nurses, rape patients would still be getting the barbaric care they used to receive.
Did you see the leaders that we chose as potential people to consider for the Nobel prize?
We're not allowed to reprint the article until 30 days have passed, but please click here and read the whole thing.
Nurses' achievements merit international recognition - baltimoresun.com
Remember that the ultimate example of the "Ivory Tower Hack" is Florence Nightingale.

I'll hold my powder on Florence for the time being, except to say that she would be APPALLED that the lasting image of her was the contrived notion of 'lady with the lamp'. Even SHE shunned that image.

The bottom line is that our Ivory Towered leaders are more interested in their own musings then in the nurses in the trenches. Instead of basing their 'theories' on real life practice, they expect practice to yield to their 'theories'. And, since they have no idea how that practice works, that is a difficult construct, indeed.

They are more interested in their 'body of knowledge' that creates 'professionals' that must learn to work around that 'body of knowledge'. In order to learn to practice in the trenches, nurses must first either deconstruct the useless language of the tower, or more likely, ignore it altogether.

You have to really wonder, don't you, how our leaders got pegged as being in an 'Ivory Tower' in the first place?

You talk about SANE nursing being created by the Ivory Tower. I hope you aren't serious. That's an actual practice issue. The need to secure evidence necessitates such a position or the training, not the Ivory Tower. As far as caring for those so traumatized, that's what nurses in the trenches do. We're darn good at it and never needed direction from the Tower to do that.

In all too many cases nurses in the trenches are good at what they do, not because of the Tower, but in spite of it.

There is NO praxis in nursing. The ideas from the Tower do not translate into practice. This is why: the Tower is in complete control of who gets phDs in nursing. If you don't talk like them, and believe like them, you don't pass go, and don't collect either 200 bucks, or your degree.

The Tower is so thin-skinned that they brook no alternative reality but the one they choose to impose, top-down. If you have a valid critique, your qualifications to HAVE such a critique are called into question. Once the Tower decrees a position, no media associated with nursing can or will publish against the Tower. In order to get along, you have to go along. If your job depends on 'publish or perish' then you better be writing something that has a chance to be published.

Critique is a good thing. It sharpens opinions. When opinions are not allowed to be subject to critique, they become dull and stale. They lead to a lack of praxis (how well a concept translates to practice). There is an utter lack of praxis in nursing.

Whose fault is that? I'll tell you who: the nurses in the trenches. We can't have alternate points of view, merely ignorance that needs more 'education' so that we will come to see things the Tower's way. Read some of the literature and see how very many times that the tower dismisses the lack of praxis as simply a need for more 'education'.

I guess I just need more 'education', as well. Look, it might be 'sad' that I don't appreciate the Tower, but it's even MORE sad that they don't appreciate me. My disdain is completely mutual.

This wasn't the thrust of this thread and this was a response to direct comments. I'm passionate about it because I think that if our trenches were placed first in nursing, nursing as a 'profession' would rapidly improve.

But, I'll cool it here now.

~faith,

Timothy.

anc33 · Dec 9, 2006

I'll hold my powder on Florence for the time being, except to say that she would be APPALLED that the lasting image of her was the contrived notion of 'lady with the lamp'. Even SHE shunned that image.
The bottom line is that our Ivory Towered leaders are more interested in their own musings then in the nurses in the trenches. Instead of basing their 'theories' on real life practice, they expect practice to yield to their 'theories'. And, since they have no idea how that practice works, that is a difficult construct, indeed.
They are more interested in their 'body of knowledge' that creates 'professionals' that must learn to work around that 'body of knowledge'. In order to learn to practice in the trenches, nurses must first either deconstruct the useless language of the tower, or more likely, ignore it altogether.
You have to really wonder, don't you, how our leaders got pegged as being in an 'Ivory Tower' in the first place?
You talk about SANE nursing being created by the Ivory Tower. I hope you aren't serious. That's an actual practice issue. The need to secure evidence necessitates such a position or the training, not the Ivory Tower. As far as caring for those so traumatized, that's what nurses in the trenches do. We're darn good at it and never needed direction from the Tower to do that.
In all too many cases nurses in the trenches are good at what they do, not because of the Tower, but in spite of it.
There is NO praxis in nursing. The ideas from the Tower do not translate into practice. This is why: the Tower is in complete control of who gets phDs in nursing. If you don't talk like them, and believe like them, you don't pass go, and don't collect either 200 bucks, or your degree.
The Tower is so thin-skinned that they brook no alternative reality but the one they choose to impose, top-down. If you have a valid critique, your qualifications to HAVE such a critique are called into question. Once the Tower decrees a position, no media associated with nursing can or will publish against the Tower. In order to get along, you have to go along. If your job depends on 'publish or perish' then you better be writing something that has a chance to be published.
Critique is a good thing. It sharpens opinions. When opinions are not allowed to be subject to critique, they become dull and stale. They lead to a lack of praxis (how well a concept translates to practice). There is an utter lack of praxis in nursing.
Whose fault is that? I'll tell you who: the nurses in the trenches. We can't have alternate points of view, merely ignorance that needs more 'education' so that we will come to see things the Tower's way. Read some of the literature and see how very many times that the tower dismisses the lack of praxis as simply a need for more 'education'.
~faith,
Timothy.

Wow. I am utterly speechless.

Oh, and for once, I think I agree with Sandy on a topic.

Epona · Dec 9, 2006

This was a great article. And I wholeheartedly agree that Nurses should be considered for such an honor.

Thanks for sharing and happy holidays! Epona

:icon_biggrin:

SandySummers · Dec 9, 2006

I'll hold my powder on Florence for the time being, except to say that she would be APPALLED that the lasting image of her was the contrived notion of 'lady with the lamp'. Even SHE shunned that image.

Timothy, the lamp is a strong symbol of 24/7 care. I worked for 3 years in Cambodia, and the hospitals there are essentially staffed from 8am-11am and then patients are pretty much on their own during the other hours. Round the clock surveillance saves countless lives. We should be proud of the standards of care Nightingale worked to establish.

The bottom line is that our Ivory Towered leaders are more interested in their own musings then in the nurses in the trenches. Instead of basing their 'theories' on real life practice, they expect practice to yield to their 'theories'.

There's such a thing as clinical research, which our practice should be based upon. Reading nursing journals and doing literature research is a good way to stay current and making sure you're giving your patients the best care.

You talk about SANE nursing being created by the Ivory Tower. I hope you aren't serious. That's an actual practice issue.

Timothy, do you think nursing leaders don't have clinical practices? Does leadership and clinical practice not overlap?

In all too many cases nurses in the trenches are good at what they do, not because of the Tower, but in spite of it.

I think that you are wrongly equating petty bureaucrat managers with serious nursing leaders. If you don't know the difference, then you're not reading enough nursing literature.

SharonH, RN · Dec 9, 2006

Unfortunately, it is the bedside nurse that most deserves such recognition and they wouldn't get it. Some Ivory Tower hack would get it every year, almost certainly undeserved.
But, I'd vote for Brian. Think about the positive changes to nursing from 180,000 nurses exchanging ideas! THAT would deserve recognition.
But, he's not in the Ivory Tower either, so, bupkiss.
Sorry, Brian.
~faith,
Timothy.

As for the Nobel Prize for Nursing, the reason a bedside nurse might not qualify would be because the prize is for those nurses who have conferred "the greatest benefit on mankind." It's kind of hard to do that at the bedside level, don't you think? It would be a worthy honor and the contributions of nursing on in international level would be recognized. Why have a problem with that?

As someone who has practiced at the bedside for most of my 15+ years career, I truly don't understand the contempt for nursing in academia and/or research. All of it has value.

prmenrs, RN · Dec 9, 2006

:yeahthat: It DOES all have value.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Dec 11, 2006

As for the Nobel Prize for Nursing, the reason a bedside nurse might not qualify would be because the prize is for those nurses who have conferred "the greatest benefit on mankind." It's kind of hard to do that at the bedside level, don't you think? It would be a worthy honor and the contributions of nursing on in international level would be recognized. Why have a problem with that?
As someone who has practiced at the bedside for most of my 15+ years career, I truly don't understand the contempt for nursing in academia and/or research. All of it has value.

Sharon, I agree with you here.

I wish us nurses in the trenches would get more credit sometimes. I know I have personally made a big difference in individual lives and maybe even rescued one or two from the brink of certain death or dire consequence. But basically I do my job and go home and live my life pretty selfishly. I certainly am totally unworthy of a Nobel prize for my efforts "in the trenches" over someone who has championed nursing and made a difference on a larger scale.