What the public thinks you do

[skwirm]

What do you think the public thinks your job is as a "nurse"??

I am still only a student currently getting my BSN, but I have had people tell me I don't need to go to school anymore because it's no that hard to change bedpans or give out medications. I have also been told that a degree in nursing is not a real degree. This is just a post to hear some of the interesting things that you may have heard or been told.

Cheers

:roll

[mattsmom81]

I thought the 60 minutes show did a fairly good job in that the nursing instructor actually got a chance to say the hospital couldn't run without nurses....I still wish more details would have been shared, and more reasons behind the shortage.

I found it a bit distressing that the host related the nursing shortage to a nurse 'not answering the call light fast enough'. There's the old waitress/servant connotation again....GRRRR....

[Grace Oz]

G'day again from Down under.... You know one way w can look at what we do as nurses? Let's think of the work we do as; us doing God's work here on Earth. Let's be PROUD of ourselves & the enormous responsibility we take on each & every time we put that uniform on & "become" a nurse for however many hours our shift lasts for. Only another nurse will ever really know or understand just WHAT we do or experience ( both good & bad) in any one shift. I think we're ALL "NURSE OF THE YEAR" & despite all our differences & idiosyncracies, we're all rather wonderful & pretty special. I'm giving us all a big hearty "slap on the back" a "Well done" to ALL of us! No matter WHAT field of nursing we're in, we are ALLNURSES, just as the title of this website states. Let's continue to help, encourage & support each other as only nurses who work it, live it, feel it & understand it, can!!...

Cheers,

Grace.

[teamrn]

Great approach to a good thread

What do I think the public perception of what a nurse does is? I'm not sure they have a good idea, except for a few issues. Usually, when in a group and we're all talking about what we do to introduce ourselves, many are impressed with what the indiviuals from 'corporate' companies or suits do. Then, it comes to me, and I say I'm a nurse. I say it proudly, with the kind of nursing (learned long ago that they'd shut me off, if I didn't get as much our ASAP) I do, but the attention goes IMMEDIATELY to the next person. Rare, if ever in 21 years has been the time when someone has actually pressed me for details. Rather, they run for broke; or maybe the topic of healthcare is a bit too firghtening

Public percetion of nurses? Brings back some old memories. A child had been on an airplaine trip with a nurse friend of mine. Came back, and the child remarked (of the flight attendants) that she'd like to be a 'waitress in the sky'. Well, how about RNs being 'waitress in healthcare"? Not to denigrate the work that a waitress does, but I feel that we need to adjust our perspectives.

I wish I'd come here yesterday to see the info on 60 minutes; missed it. Tuned in this week too late.

Johnson and Johnson is running an ad that I DID catch. I'm going to try to find their website, and send in a compliment. It doesn't address the shortage, but at least they realize they need to 'MENTION' nurses in ads. :)

[skwirm]

That Johnson and Johnson commercial is well done and uplifting. My hat's off to Johnsons and Johnson. (Maybe I'll buy more of their stuff). Hehe.

[ceecel.dee, MSN, RN]

Had a pt in ICU last week, started 3 large bore IV's, had blood drawn for lab, had 3 drips and one maint. IV going with frequent titrations, put in catheter and closely monitoring unine OP, all monitors on, frequent FSBS checks....you get the picture.....and he still said "thanks for the ice chips waitress".

The hair on the back of my neck stood up.

Said, "if you can't remember my name is C..., please call me nurse. I am no waitress".