Has anyone ever put down your career choice?

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Have people ever put you down for your choice in Nursing? I was having a conversation with an old friend and we talked about school and such. When I stated I will be graduating soon this individual made a comment on how I can soon start my career in wiping peoples butt's. This person stated they were joking but it clearly was an attempt to put me down (which isnt unusual for this person).

Does anyone else get angry when people are ignorant to what nurses do?

Oh my, this happens to be every time I have a conversation with my supervisor at my job. She was once in nursing school but couldn't hack it. Now, every time I turn around, she has comments aimed at deterring me from continuing in nursing school. She comes up with some really bizarre ones, too. She loves to tell me that there is zero organization in any hospital, that I'll just be flying by the seat of my pants day in and day out.

She is constantly saying "Are you SURE you want to be a nurse?" and "You might want to rethink your career choice" or "Pay for nurses is getting ready to take a major cut, you'll only be making minimum wage IF that".

The latest "information" I received is that no RN is a regular employee. They don't hire RN's as regular employees, they're all self-employed and work as independent contractors. No RN's get W2's at tax time. AND, no RN's get any kind of benefits whatsoever as they're not regular employees. I will have to buy my own private health insurance and get no holiday pay, etc etc etc".

Clearly, she believes I am a total idiot.

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Specializes in NICU, ED, Forensic Nursing.
Oh my, this happens to be every time I have a conversation with my supervisor at my job. She was once in nursing school but couldn't hack it. Now, every time I turn around, she has comments aimed at deterring me from continuing in nursing school. She comes up with some really bizarre ones, too. She loves to tell me that there is zero organization in any hospital, that I'll just be flying by the seat of my pants day in and day out.

She is constantly saying "Are you SURE you want to be a nurse?" and "You might want to rethink your career choice" or "Pay for nurses is getting ready to take a major cut, you'll only be making minimum wage IF that".

The latest "information" I received is that no RN is a regular employee. They don't hire RN's as regular employees, they're all self-employed and work as independent contractors. No RN's get W2's at tax time. AND, no RN's get any kind of benefits whatsoever as they're not regular employees. I will have to buy my own private health insurance and get no holiday pay, etc etc etc".

Clearly, she believes I am a total idiot.

Geeze she needs an attitude readjustment. I am not able to find work in any of the hospitals within driving distance, so I am "working" at my local one as a volunteer PCT, I love it! I will be so far ahead of my classmates and my self-esteem will be amazing. There is one LVN, that is seriously trying to talk me out of becoming a nurse (RN). And in a moment of weakness, and despair, I let slip to her that I didn't want to be a nurse. Which isn't true I have no idea what I would want to be if I wasn't going to be a nurse. Now I avoid her like the damn plague when she works. It is sad that people don't understand the significance of our chosen profession. I get tired of having to defend it myself, then I have to turn around to my fellow students and defend myself. They keep questioning why do I want to be a nurse, If I can't even pass the skills lab portion. I have been having some serious problems with skills lab. I get behind the curtain, mess up in some way on my skill and leave crying! Or I get behind the curtain do the skill perfectly and find some way I screwed up the skill that the instructor didn't catch and leave crying. It will be hard, but I need to take a semester off, and strengthen MYSELF, and see if I can't do it the second time around. Just stay strong, and everything will be okay!:twocents:

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

Someone asked the ever popular, "why don't you just become a doctor?" question. :down:

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

Yes! I know exactly how you feel.

I was at my friend's graduation party (she got a teaching degree) talking to a group of people about how I was applying to nursing programs. Her mom interjected, saying that all I would be doing is paperwork and that nursing really wasn't a good job anymore. Why would her mom feel the need to say this to me? Because my friend couldn't get accepted into a nursing program, even though her parents really pushed her, and the teaching degree was what she settled for. Talk about sour grapes! :uhoh3:

Unfortunately, my friend started making comments to me as well that revealed she was actually very competitive with me and extremely bothered by the fact that I was accepted into an excellent nursing program. The entire situation was very eye-opening....finding out she was not the friend I thought she was!

Like someone mentioned up-thread, people that put down your career choice are revealing something about themselves instead of making a statement about you. Don't let someone's jealousy detract you from achieving your goals and creating a better life for yourself. In the end you are doing what is best for YOU.

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Specializes in Neuroscience.

Most people I tell are very supportive and encouraging and hope I make it. The only person that's really been down on me is my dad (it's a good thing he's not paying for my education then:lol2:). He asked me why I would want to "wipe people's butts all day?" I'm not surprised he's ignorant. He's easily led by media portrayals and let's face it, nurses don't get a third of the credit they deserve on TV shows. Apparently the doctor(s) spend 90% of the time with their patients....riiiight. Nurses are just there to give sponge baths, look cute, and screw the doc in the broom closet.

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Most people I tell are very supportive and encouraging and hope I make it. The only person that's really been down on me is my dad (it's a good thing he's not paying for my education then:lol2:). He asked me why I would want to "wipe people's butts all day?" I'm not surprised he's ignorant. He's easily led by media portrayals and let's face it, nurses don't get a third of the credit they deserve on TV shows. Apparently the doctor(s) spend 90% of the time with their patients....riiiight. Nurses are just there to give sponge baths, look cute, and screw the doc in the broom closet.

With your user name, I just found the last sentence quite amusing.

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Yes! I know exactly how you feel.

I was at my friend's graduation party (she got a teaching degree) talking to a group of people about how I was applying to nursing programs. Her mom interjected, saying that all I would be doing is paperwork and that nursing really wasn't a good job anymore. Why would her mom feel the need to say this to me? Because my friend couldn't get accepted into a nursing program, even though her parents really pushed her, and the teaching degree was what she settled for. Talk about sour grapes! :uhoh3:

Unfortunately, my friend started making comments to me as well that revealed she was actually very competitive with me and extremely bothered by the fact that I was accepted into an excellent nursing program. The entire situation was very eye-opening....finding out she was not the friend I thought she was!

Like someone mentioned up-thread, people that put down your career choice are revealing something about themselves instead of making a statement about you. Don't let someone's jealousy detract you from achieving your goals and creating a better life for yourself. In the end you are doing what is best for YOU.

Wow, her and her mother is clearly jelous that you made it and they didnt. Congrats on getting in!

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The people--really, the patients whom I care for as a hospital CNA--are overwhelmingly supportive when they inquire if I'm in school. That being said, there are a few older ones who have asked, "So, you don't want to be a doctor?" (I'm a guy, so I brush that off as antique views of gender roles.)

That being said, there are a few negative comments, mostly from patients and strangers, not friends. I have a few prepared responses which would be fun to use, but I never have actually used them.

1. While you're pushing paper work, I'm sprinting down the hallway with a crash cart. One of these jobs is boring.

2. Nurses are the most trusted professionals in the US, as survey after survey has demonstrated. Is your career that esteemed?

3. This "sissy male nurse" will be saving your a** when you have that impending massive coronary, buddy.

I may just have to use some of these comments when somone pulls the "why didnt go to med school" or "your going to be cleaning poo for a living?"

And by the way, I find it extremely amusing when someone asks why I didnt just become a doctor instead because I automatically think to my self why didnt you become a doctor? I never actually said it out load, but maybe next time I should.

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The other day I was sitting in the hall waiting to go into a pilates class (i needed 1 extra hour & figured what the heck?) and there was 2 girls talking about possibly doing nursing, but it was just SO gory, and etc. Then one girl said "well if I dont get into grad school then I'm gonna do the accelerated nursing program!"

I wanted to shout out "if you dont get into grad school what makes you so sure you'd get into nursing?" I mean, I know grad school is hard to get into, but it almost felt like she thought getting accepted to nursing school was as easy as walking into the classroom & saying "ok, I go to school here now!" We work hard to get good grades & get accepted, and it's NOT easy! And an accelerated program? Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those even harder to get into than traditional BSN programs?

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The other day I was sitting in the hall waiting to go into a pilates class (i needed 1 extra hour & figured what the heck?) and there was 2 girls talking about possibly doing nursing, but it was just SO gory, and etc. Then one girl said "well if I dont get into grad school then I'm gonna do the accelerated nursing program!"

I wanted to shout out "if you dont get into grad school what makes you so sure you'd get into nursing?" I mean, I know grad school is hard to get into, but it almost felt like she thought getting accepted to nursing school was as easy as walking into the classroom & saying "ok, I go to school here now!" We work hard to get good grades & get accepted, and it's NOT easy! And an accelerated program? Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those even harder to get into than traditional BSN programs?

I hear they're VERY intense. There is an accelerated program at my alma mater and its 5 days a week, 9 hours a day, for 12 months.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

No, but I have a feeling that my prep, all-girls school would. There, they promoted "doctors" and everything, so me becoming a nurse would be "wasting my potential" in their eyes. Which I think is ********.

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Specializes in LTAC, ICU, ER, Informatics.

My sister is probably the biggest nay-sayer in my life. She's convinced that RNs are the lowest rung in the medical ladder and that I shouldn't be throwing away my life like that.

In general, my family thinks I'm nuts because I'm changing careers from a fairly lucrative computer programming job. They don't get that I don't LIKE my job, haven't for years, and desperately miss the medical field (I was a EMT/P 20 yrs ago).

Funny, though, all my close friends who really KNOW me, they're thrilled for me and say I'll be a fantastic ER nurse and much happier than I am now.

I have gotten to the point where I don't listen to anyone who just wants to nay-say my choices.

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