Have you ever been a Waiter?

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I'm starting my prereq's this spring en route to nursing school. I imagine that nursing would be very similar to waiting tables--a juggling act of responsibilities. If you've waited tables, is the work environment very much the same...sans the scrubs? Does the experience waiting tables, in any way, actually translate to nursing?

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Specializes in midwifery, ophthalmics, general practice.

oh dear..

I've been a waitress... and being a nurse is nothing like being a waitress!!

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never worked in the service industry

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Specializes in Critical Care.

actually i beg to differ. Of course the responsibility is MUCH greater. but i use the whole time managment thing that i learned in waiting tables and apply it to nx

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Flight.

i have been a waiter.. yes... and a show bartender as well.

as for being a nurse being like a waiter.... in some aspects... yes

it is your job to prioritize on who needs what and when they need it..

i have never really thought about it like that but yeah... i can totally see the similarity... only difference is... as a waiter your mostly dealing w/ people that are hungry..... as a nurse.. you are dealing w/ ppl that are sick.. or dying.. or faking sickness blah blah blah.... you are dealing with people that are in need of your service...

waiters are dealing w/ ppl in need of their service as well... don't get me wrong....

however.... as a nurse... you don't get tips... unless you are a freak and work in ob doing circumcisions!.... j/k....

as a waiter im sure you encounter many ppl that are not happy...

well.... as a nurse... you will encounter many MANY more ppl that are not happy... you can't comp a meal to make them feel better... it might be their wife.. or husband.. mom or dad... whatever that is in the hospital and that creates a very serious reality for them... no matter what field you work in you are going to eventually encounter a ****** off family member... just deal with it... be nice... always be nice and understanding... now i will tell you the difference between nursing and waiting tables....

as a waiter... no matter who or what you are.... *no offense to anyone that does it.. i did it for years* that is what you are thought of... a server.... most ppl are nice to you because you are nice or funny.. or offer them a great appetizer.. whatever...

as a nurse.. the family looks at you in a different manner...

YOU are the one in charge of taking care of their loved one....

you might not be the doctor... but you are there helping in a very serious way that they cannot do... and for the most part... most ppl will highly respect you for that... even admire you..... they beg and plead you to do all you can to help out mom... or whoever.. when they might very well be the same ppl that yelled at you last year because you brought them a steak that was medium well instead of medium rare... they are both jobs.... they are not the same.....in my opinion..they won't remember you brought them an overcooked steak which was not your fault.... was the kitchens...

they will however remember you for taking care of their loved one...

*no offense to waiters/waitresses or bartenders!!! thats how i paid my way through nursing school!*

they are both jobs to serve....

people just look at them in different aspects....

understandable....

:cool:

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Specializes in Critical Care, Progressive Care.

I switched to nursing after 20 years as a waiter/sommelier/manager.

You will find that skill that made you a good waiter will help you as nurse ie the ability to prioritize and mange time, the ability to work calmly under stress while putting on a "game face." Most importantly good waiters can read beneath the surface of a customer and figure out what is going on with them. Nurses do the same thing.

Also as nurse you will find that physicians are rather like chefs in more ways than one.

There are many, many differences. But many of the skills are the same.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

just remember your in nursing, not a waiter....

I dont get paid to make family members coffee and serve it to them

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatric, Behavioral Health.
just remember your in nursing, not a waiter....

I dont get paid to make family members coffee and serve it to them

LOL...I had to chuckle on this...but, that expectation may be dependent upon which

facility one works at. For the all mighty dollar, some misled hospital Admin will not only expect you to make and pour coffee for family members...but to also ask "is that one lump or two (sugar)?"...and maybe expect one to offer a shoe shine to go along with that coffee. I know it sounds very ridiculous...but nurses may often have these hosp Admin types in some of their facilities...who do actually have some of these expectations concerning the nursing staff.

So, if an Admin wants customer service and waitressing to be the primary focus of the facility, then hire some waiters/waitresses...don't expect nursing to pick up this slack...good God, nurses have enough to do and are busy enough.

In my opinion, customer service is a business creation...not a nursing or medical creation.

Just had to share on that one.

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