How do you see the role of nurses?

[twistedpupchaser]

Nurses have been described as a lot of things over the years such as the Surgeons Handmaiden, I have heard a lot of stories, (many through rose tinted gasses) about the "Good old days" when nurses were respected and held great authority, particularly the Charge Nurse. In these anecdotes and rememberings there seems to be a focus on the "correct" way of doing things and of the compassionate nature of the nurse's occupation. It has also been stated that the removal of the veil and the moving of nurse education away from hospital based led to a downgrading of the profession in respect garnered from patients and families and subsequently management.

On the other hand, contempory nursing is very different, there is a requirement of knowledge depth over a wide range of areas, from lab values, treatment interventions for a variety of conditions, the plethora of medications and of course the neverending paperwork on a variety of forms and media. In some ways nursing has become an occupation nearer that of a technician than a nurse. It may be that my view is narrowed due to a lack of experience as a nurse and I have the wrong end of the stick. One thing I know is that some of my interactions with patients would have "old School" nurses muttering about standards as I am not quite the stereotype of the cool hand on the fevered brow. This is not to say that I am not caring, I am just different in my approach.

While I am not stating that nursing has lost its compassion and empathy, I see nursing as a different occupation from that of the recent past and wonder how other nurses view nursing as it is now and the direction the profession is taking and where it may be going in the future.

"As our eyesight becomes blurry with age, we can see clearer" a quote from one of our Consultants.

[mianders, RN]

Although I agree with you that nursing has become more technological, I do not feel like we are losing our compassion and empathy. I worked ER for many years and faced issues every day that tested my ability to deal with my patients and their families empathetically and compasionately. I held many hands and cried over many patients, and yes, I even touched many fevered brows. I have since moved on to mainly Oncology nursing, and the ability to deal with my patients and families ordeals requires a compassion that has renewed my love of nursing. This is why I became a nurse. There are many types of nurses and each of us deals with the issues we face differently, but I feel like the key to nursing is the ability to be compassionate and touch our patients lives.

[Smokey9283]

I think that it depends on the role that you are playing as a nurse. In the hospital I work in the I don't take a patient assignment. I fly the floor and do more technical things like starting IV's, inserting foley catheters, and passing medications for the primary nurses. I don't have much intereaction with any one set of patients. I feel like I have had a good day if I have had the opportunity to spend more than 5 minutes in a room with a patient. I personally seek to have that empathetic, caring role with patients, without it I feel like less of a nurse and more like a technician.

[twistedpupchaser]

Hi mianders, I wasn't trying to imply that nursing/nurses have lost compassion and hope that my post didn't lead anyone to believe that I dont have compassion or empathy for my patients, my comment about not fitting the "old style" stereotype is more a comment on having to spend little time conversing with my patients but obtaining histories and checking their progress. Not having time to spend with my patients has forced me to be clinical in my dealings rather than personable, which to me is disappointing.

Smokey I hear you, even though I do have a patient load I often feel that I am a factory worker with a number of tasks, mixing a row of IV meds, next task take BSL's, next task chase up the MO's for A,B &C. Oh good I can check on my Pts; just long enough to do their obs, next task take Pt X to theatre, time for the next round of IV meds.....

To my way of thinking this is how nursing is evolving and wonder how far it will go in the future.......