I'm Just a Nurse

MoopleRN · Apr 30, 2009

Not sure what the OP's point was/who Suzanne Gordon is (or why we should join... what, the nursing profession?). After I read the OP the first time, I took out the word "just" and tried to understand the OP's point better. Then I really began to wonder what the OP's point was. If I leave the "just" out, it makes me seem more competent/professional?

When I introduce myself to my patients, I tell them I'm their nurse. No "just" about it. Is there anyone here who tells their patients they are "just" the nurse?

poipoi · Apr 30, 2009

I think that the point of this post is that although many think nurses are "just" nurses and nothing more, they are actually very important and do more than people think they do.

BookwormRN · Apr 30, 2009

Hi, I'm the OP...

Suzanne Gordon is a journalist who has taken it upon herself to speak up about Nurses, the job they do and the challenges that Nurses face.

I thought the nurses on this board would appreciate her poem and say, "Yes, I AM a nurse." Not JUST a nurse, as we are an important piece in the healthcare puzzle.

Sorry if the first post caused any confusion...I just wanted to share a great poem.

vraienurse · Apr 30, 2009

I very much like the post. The "just" is a form of poetry in my perception. like in the poem the hand of a nurse. It is a way the writer create not sarcasm or irony but emphasis on being a Nurse. Well done

blue note · Apr 30, 2009

Suzanne Gordon is using a common poetic device known as verbal irony - where you express the opposite of what you really mean - to get her point across. That being, a nurse is not just a nurse.

Katnip, RN · Apr 30, 2009

I like the poem. I think the vast majority of nurses, have at least once, been referred to as "just a nurse." The term is usually used to degrade the role of nurses everywhere. The poem has taken that "just" and set it on its ear.

Bubbles · Apr 30, 2009

This is similiar to women referring to themselves as 'just a housewife'. Or only recently I was told by an LPN working in an hospice inpatient unit, 'I'm just an LPN.' I don't know what was going on in the unit, but she seemed upset. Also, similiar to nurses who no longer work in hospitals being referred to as 'a former nurse.' I believe once a nurse, always a nurse.

Bubbles · Apr 30, 2009

Suzanne Gordon is an advocate for nurses. I have read some of her articles and she is an excellent author. I would encourage others to read her.

gonzo1, ASN, RN · Apr 30, 2009

great post, thanks for sharing