What's your families reaction when you discuss nursing condition's???

[askater]

My dh hear's about my work day. He's the first one to hear about it. He tells me to get out. Also dh says if you say in you must unionize.

My parent's support me in any decision I make.

My MIL thinks nurses make too much...and should be happy with what they make.

My BIL is a CEO in a hospital. He doesn't bring up the issue.

My SIL (the CEO hospital) feels we need to start working harder and together.

My other SIL called us lazy.

My BIL's totally back up nurses.

My side listen's about the condition's and know first hand from being hospitalized that condition's aren't good. My dad was hospitalized and had a disappointing hospital stay. He had a lot of complication's. He was disappointed on lack of cleanliness of the hospital. Disappointed of the food. And disappointed how long it took nurse's to assist him. And that no one offered to set him up to bath.

What's your families reaction? What do you think public think's?

[RNKitty]

My husband is getting his Masters of Industrial and Labor Relations. He really feels nurses need to unionize to improve the working conditions and compensation. My inlaws like to tell everyone I am an RN - they are so proud "their son did so well" in getting a girl who will support him through school so they didn't have to pay for his school. My parents would be proud no matter what I did, and they think I get a great wage - as much as my father with a Masters in Geology! I don't talk shop with my friends because they are clueless as to what nurses do.

[Thunderkat]

I work in forensic pysch. The crimminally insane who are not crimminally responsible. My hubby is always glad to see me walk thru the door after my day is done, we talk about my job alot, he finds it fascinating, he gets the hebbie geebies when he hears about some of the near misses of injury, so I try not to tell him things that will frighten him. Usually he is very supportive, Some times he gets a little jealous when I mention other co workers who happen to be male, he thinks it is endearing to say "oh, is that your boyfriend??...." and laugh.... it kinda hurts my feelings sometimes or ticks me off...... So I try to talk about our home life and focus on things we do together .... all work and no play makes me grumpy

[melly]

Most of my friends are nurses I met at work, so they understand. My SIL is a nurse so my brother knows all about our problems and thinks that we should unionize. My husband is a pharmacist who works in the same hospital as me and he will come right out and say that we work harder than anyone else in the place and we deserve to make about twice as much as we do.

[psnurse]

My mom used to listen to my stories and ask "So what do the doctors do?" I said, "Well sometimes they actually call you back." She also thought shift diff should be for day shift.

My sis is also a nurse, we avoid political conversations because they are frustrating and we are off. However, we have cleared the dinner table with recent happenings. We both started in critical care and she went to NICU while I went to ED. She loved the stories and went to ED herself (different facility).

My dad, wisely stays out of the conversation about paychecks all together.

My previous BIL offered no opinion. My future BIL and I have not spoken on the matter.

My husband, however, still asks everyday how my day went. He loved my stories too. He is in nursing school. One of those late life career changes. He reminds me about the shortage and tells me to follow the money. Advice I like, so I have taken him up on it. This is me... following the money.

[thisnurse]

i get a lot of support. my fiancee listens to me and cant believe the things we are MANDATED to do. my mom is understanding as well. my girls hate my job, especially since I have to work Christmas and Christmas Eve.

My brother and my son go zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz when I talk about work. But thats their usual to everything anyway. My brother's fiancee thinks "gee I wonder what her brother is doing" and my daughter in law pretends she knows what I am talking about. She is an NA. She probably has more insight into it but she is home health and doesnt have a clue to bedside.

It really ticks me off when people think we are greedy. They dont mind paying someone $20 bucks an hour to clean their house, but they seem to think we arent worth as much. I'd like to put them in our job for one day. They would change their minds.

[Jay Levan]

My family support system is mixed also, my mother is retired from the profession, and my sister is an active R.N., my wife is an LPN now and she is my greatest supporter and valued for her input, as well as her love for this Crusty Old Soul. I think you touched the real problem here. What we as a profession are dealing with is a huge misconception. I have been a bedside nurse for the bulk of my carreer, and am so currently, with E.R. being my specialty. When anyone attemts to tell me that "Nurses make to much money!" I ask this question, " Oh?, and how much is too much? When I get the answer to this question (which rarely reflects the truth) I state factual information, as it pertains to me only, because I can't speak for all. In my area there is a large hospital that just recently did a little PR thing in the local newspaper about raising the salaries of nurses at their institution. When I read the article I laughed in disgust:( (excuse me but I believe we are in the year 2001, please tell me someone, if I am wrong, maybe I'm ) the stated beginning salary for nurses at this institution fell approximately $.40 short of my beginning wage from 1973. First there are those who do not have the foggiest notion as to what our plight has been, and continues to be to this day:o but true. Nor do they care, they have their own problems and helping us is NOT on their PRIORITY LIST. Next you have CEO's, who disseminate propaganda on this subject to meet their own agendas. Then there are the M.D.'s that consider us as "Handmaidens & Butlers" with degrees. I got into a very hot discussion with one of these, when he proffered this sentence to a patient who was being denied admission to the Hospital ICU because of DRG Rules and Regs; "We can't admit you to ICU, because they have to pay too much for nursing care in the ICU" he actually said that with a straight face and with me standing right there I won't bore you with details other than to say that during the conversation that followed one on one with him, he demanded that I never contradict him publicly again, and I made him a promise, "I will never contradict you, publicly again, as long as I'm not present when you offer that lie as an explanation, for DRG denials"

Now on to family support, Mother was an Administrator, we bump heads all the time on these issues and as stated earlier, she's comfortably retired, in large part due to the fact that she was in a designated administrative area. Their contracts are much different from us lowly bedside nurses non-contractual agreements, you know those cute little forms that ALL non-contract workers MUST sign, usually with a clause that states, something to the effect of, "You may be terminated for Cause, or terminated without Cause in the Best Interests of the Hospital." My sister and I rarely communicate in large part due to the fact that we both work so much. However, when we do broach the subject she is largely silent due to her own set of circumstances.

Hope I did not stray too far from your main topic, however I do feel that there are many facets to this discussion and more reasons than I have discussed here that are influencing factors in the misconception that exists about our profession. To all who read this post happy holidays and wishing all who visit here a happy and prosperous new year.

[grouchy]

Here's another example of how people outside the profession just don't get it. When I've complained, one of my relatives has urged me to transfer to the "happier,less stressful" area of pediatrics. Until enlightened by me, she thought pedi was full of cute kids with the chickenpox, not seriously ill kids, abuse victims, etc.

[grouchy]

Jay - I appreciated your post. Your experience reflects something I read recently: Nursing pay has remained essentially unchanged for the past 20 years, if you adjust it for inflation. I'm going to try to find the source where I read this, and post a link.