I am a real nurse

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Specializes in Psych.

So often I hear that psych nurses aren't real nurses. I work on an inpatient unit. I do modified head to toe assessments, listen to heart and lungs sounds, give PRNs for things ranging from high blood pressures to panic attacks, give injections, test blood sugars, and all with the added bonus of occasionally dodging a flying chair. But since I haven't started an IV in years and need help somehow I'm not a 'real' nurse to some medical professionals. Anyone else run into this?

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Specializes in PDN; Burn; Phone triage.

I spend all day on the phone at my nursing job.

I don't even wear a stethoscope, ya'all. :(

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School Nurse here, "not a Real Nurse."

Whatever.

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Specializes in Education.

The only people who aren't "real nurses" are those who don't have the license.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

Nope, never heard that. And if I did, I'd just roll my eyes and think "whatever".

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Specializes in psychiatric.

I work in the same type of unit and do the same thing as an RN. Our unit doesn't hear this to our face, but I'm sure some think it. Overall, the medical and psychiatric teams show respect for each other. We look at them and say "I could never do your job" and they say the same thing to us.

We did have a nurse that had transferred to med surg because she was burnt out and was really hating psych, the grass was greener and she left with a one finger salute and a smile. Fast forward a few months and she was desperate to get back to the psych unit. No more complaints from her about her crappy psych job.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.

OP, there are nurses who don't do modified head to toe assessments, or listens to heart and lung sounds, or give PRNs. Nursing is so diverse, we are CEOs, Researchers, Informaticist, and so on where those job descriptions as you listed is not apart of what they do. Doesn't make them less of a nurse.

Sent via iPink's phone using allnurses

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Inpatient psych nurse here as well...

Yes, I get it constantly but more so within our greater health system. For example, an ED doc recently said to one of our patients being evaluated, "that psych unit doesn't even know how to treat a cold." I think because the EDs are used to throwing IMs at our patients with security and law enforcement at the bed side, they assume our jobs are cake. They don't realize how hard it can be to manage a milieu full of escalating patients and the pressure we face to not restrain, chemically or otherwise.

I also hear it from nursing students. "I want to do real nursing." I set that straight in a heart beat.

I love the examples above. So true.

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As an LPN, there were often times that I was considered "not a real nurse" Who thinks up this stuff?!

"Ah, yes, I pretend but get a paycheck. Next week I shall be a princess!! However, moving on lets talk about the patient shall we? And know that he is real..."

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Whenever someone tells me that LTC/SNF nurses aren't real nurses, I reply with the following:

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Everyone is also entitled to be wrong."

I don't say anything more.

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Specializes in Dialysis.

My bf told me last night over dinner that LTC (my preferred specialty) is for people who are too dumb, strange, looney to work in a real job, like hospital. I'm a BSN with15+ years experience:ER, ICU, med/surg, home health and LTC...guess what he didn't get last night :-)

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

I appreciate psych nurses. I don't want their job. I realized I just don't do well in that specialty.

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