Interesting Observation

I have also noticed this phenomenon. Many of my former classmates entered nursing school with a very idealistic mental picture of the profession, and would spread rumors about people who weren't doing things "by the book." They would also gripe about the nurses at the clinical sites who used shortcuts.

These classmates also reported a clinical instructor who attempted to assign them a whopping 2 patients instead of the usual 1 patient. If these students complained about having to care for 2 patients during clinical rotations, I wonder where they are in the world today. In the real world, LTC nurses care for up to 60 patients by themselves. In the real world, some med-surg nurses have 6, 7, or even 8 patients for which they must provide care.

Prior to entering nursing, I worked hard labor at a factory for 3 years. I dealt with hazardous issues such as climbing a three-story paper machine daily, cleaning high speed equipment that reached over 400 degrees, going into tunnels and damp basements, and transporting very heavy objects with cranes. I left my job everyday with sweat on my body, pulp on my clothes and shoes, dust in my hair, and exposure to carcinogens. Compared to the hard labor environment of manufacturing, nursing has been a piece of cake so far, which is why I have been able to hang in there. I suppose that my life experiences tell me that there are far worse work environments than nursing.