Higher Calling

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Why is it that nurses are informed from the beginning of their education and throughout their careers that nursing is a higher calling? Is this being taught to management and administrators as well? Rhetorical questions, as a male, in a female-dominated profession, and coming from the corporate world it is rather disingenuous and would never be tolerated in "male" dominated professions. I'm expected to take care of you or your family, and in return I get to work in sub-par environments with sub-par compensation. Why am I nothing more than a liability on the balance sheet?

Why is it that nurses are informed from the beginning of their education and throughout their careers that nursing is a higher calling? Is this being taught to management and administrators as well? Rhetorical questions, as a male, in a female-dominated profession, and coming from the corporate world it is rather disingenuous and would never be tolerated in "male" dominated professions. I'm expected to take care of you or your family, and in return I get to work in sub-par environments with sub-par compensation. Why am I nothing more than a liability on the balance sheet?

Facilities are businesses. Your "higher calling" sets you up to think about the fact that you are a nurse for SOOOOO much more than the money!! Money is the least important!! Then they can slip in all that other subpar stuff, so you can really, be a martyr......(

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Specializes in critical care.

I have the highest respect for women and believe at the end of the day they are the superior gender. That's a huge part of why I was genuinely shocked when I pulled back the curtain of nursing and seen what a disarray it is in. You can deny, deflect, and personally attack me all you want. The problem is that does not better your situation or conditions. You may like your job, but I got news for you, it can, and it should be better.

Blatant sexism aside......

It's pretty obvious you are dissatisfied with nursing. I feel like maybe you were given this idea that if nursing truly is a calling, it should have been fulfilling. The problem is that if nursing doesn't meet your expectations, no, it won't be fulfilling.

Whenever I hear about a profession being a "calling", I immediately come to the conclusion that the profession is one of servitude with little pay, and less thanks (or, less pay or gratitude than they should be worth). Motherhood is a calling. Law enforcement is a calling. Military service is a calling. Teaching is a calling. Nursing is a calling. The other reason why these things are a calling is because if you let it happen, you can find yourself giving every last ounce of your being. If you don't feel an intrinsic reward with that, it could destroy you. If you don't feel called to something that drains you until you're empty, you may reach a point when the paycheck simply isn't worth it anymore.

Anyway, being perfectly frank about it all, some are called, some just show up. I was called for a love of women's health but felt myself get pulled to critical care. I am absolutely, 1,000,000% fulfilled by my job. If I ever get bored, I'll feel differently, but I'm at a hospital where truly, the sky is the limit. They strongly encourage and support further education, certifications, in house transfers, anything to keep you happy, engaged, and on the payroll. I absolutely love what I do, and the pay is just fine. I do have a BS, but if I'd gotten an associates, I'd be paid just as well. (I just wouldn't have had such a good shot at this job.)

As for pay in general......

There is this A-hat blogger who is somewhat local to me. Someone emailed him a roster of the entire county's board of education's employees, including salary information. All of the salaries were what I would expect. Assistive personnel (maintenance, janitorial, etc.) made anywhere from $8/hr up to under $20/hr. The teachers made anywhere from $40,000s to $70,000s generally. School administration would make above that. I can't remember the highest I saw, but I do recall it was a principal with doctorates and decades with the BOE.

This post was basically put out there to point out how the spoiled teachers make so much money but complain all the time how they don't make enough. I wanted to hang my head in shame when I saw the hundreds of comments on this post, the majority filled with vitriol toward the teachers. How much do these people think bachelor's degrees are worth? Master's? Doctorate? I'm surrounded by stupid people. 😲

And to be at school 9 hrs/day, them put in anywhere from 10-40 more hours at home, at a starting salary of mid-40s? No thank you! I'll stick with my nursing time clock and paycheck!

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Specializes in critical care.
dontcha know?

You are hereby forbidden from using phrases that makes me picture Sarah Palin.

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OP, I was called to nursing. I remember it like yesterday.

I was running a brush through my knee-length hair, while cherubs danced with the squirrels outside my window. It would have been a perfect day, except the harp player wouldn't stop playing that Tom Jones song the kids are so into these days. What's it called? What's New Pussycat?

Anyway, this eerie glow appeared before me in the lawn, and a naked hedgehog appeared. He said to me, "yo baby, dig it." His voice was regal like a cross between Morgan Freeman and James Earl Jones, but also a bit gruff, like what's his name, who did the Aflak Duck voice.

Anywho, he says, "you can get your jingle jangle while the hurky jerky cools your hide." And suddenly, I knew what he meant. It was my destiny to become a nurse.

We all partied together on my lawn, while Brad Pitt designed my house.

I miss Brad. We used to chill on a mountainside. I haven't seen him since I started zyprexa and seroquel. He's one of those believers in "diet and exercise".

I'll have what she's having.

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To try to make it all about the "Nightingale calling" would be to undermine all the hard-work that people have put into professionalizing nursing.

All the hard work that us dumb, old, undereducated, subservient, burned-out, bitter nurses have put into professionalizing nursing. :)

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Poor sirl, popping TUMS and trying to keep the peace.

:nurse:

(He started it!)

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
but also a bit gruff, like what's his name, who did the Aflak Duck voice.

Love the post! But I'm not sure I'd call Gilbert Gottfried's voice "gruff." :eek:

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Spine shattering?

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
Spine shattering?

:yes:

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Specializes in critical care.
Love the post! But I'm not sure I'd call Gilbert Gottfried's voice "gruff." :eek:

I was trying to be nice. Poor sirl probably has been pushing the hydralazine q4h since finding the black humor thread, and now this one??? I'm being nice about all the people, even good ol'Gil.

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Specializes in critical care.
I'll have what she's having.

Cheers, my friend!

(You might want to avoid the kool aid, though.)

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Is that you arm with the white "nursey" watch?

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