Is it just me?

Nursing Students Male Students

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Nursing classes seem to be run much differently than any other classes I've ever experienced. I realize it is a mainly female field and most students are rather young but the touchy feely way classes are run is really getting on my nerves. When ever we test there are always hugs for the people who do well or badly, tears that are consoled by the instructors when ever someone messes up a check off and constant "buck up you'll get through it" speeches throughout lecture. We even spent an entire 3 hour lecture on ways to stay emotionally healthy through the disappointment of not getting the grades your used to.

It seems to me that they are setting people up with unrealistic expectations of nursing school and nursing in general. After all the hugs and warm/fuzzy "you can do it" speeches we lost half my class in the first semester. Most of these ladies never saw it coming or thought the instructors would make sure they "could make it".

Maybe it is just me. But coming from a military background where nobody pats you on the back every time you do something right it just drives me nuts to see people preparing for what is a high stress field being put into as low stress a position as possible. You can see it at clinical where students are afraid to do anything without another student holding their hand. And then when we get an instructor who doesn't put up with that stuff there are tears all around.

As far as the military blindly following orders, stop watching so many movies. We are not mindless automatons, officer or enlisted. The only time an order isn't explained is in an emergency and then, through training, you will know why the order is being given anyway through your own situational assesment.

I too don't usually read the male forum, but I have to say that as a former enlisted member (who plans on applying to the Navy Nurse Corps program as soon as I get my acceptance letter), whose brothers both retired enlisted and whose father gave 30 years of his life as a hospital corpsman - I TOOK SERIOUS offense to the poster who made the comment I believe you're referencing.

I could care less what the two oaths say. I would love to see a lieutenant attempt to disobey a lawful order given by a four-star admiral. I'm thinking it wouldn't happen. So officers like that need to get off of their high horses and realize we all have to obey - we all obey the commander in chief, regardless of what we may think of him, and we ALL obey the officers appointed over us. It just happened I had to also obey the lawful orders of the enlisteds who outranked me.

Show me a lieutenant who tells a four star with a lawful order where to get off and I'll show you someone getting ripped in that admiral's office and signing a letter of admonishment!

Nice catch, antihippie! :smokin: ;)

I doubt it's just you. What I do know is that my program is very much not like that. I am in an ADN program and in my second semester and there is zero tolerance for silliness, weak stomachs, outside obligations, or anything else that would land on an instructor's bullsh* list. You either prepared or you didn't, and the one thing they stick to more than anything is attendance. Miss 2 clinical days in 5 semesters and you are out, regardless of anything else that may be going on. The thing I can't adjust to is the way we have to be so organized and together and they are all over the place and cean't decide on ANYTHING. We were checking off in physical assessment last semester and the instructor doing mine counted me wrong and nearly failed me because our book states that the apical pulse is at the 4th ICS and that's where I placed my stethoscope. She insisted it was the 6th, 3 other instructors consulted said it was the 5th. The final decision was, below the nipple and before the end of the 6th ICS. So on the test, what was the right answer? what was in the book. I Mean, have a staff meeting and make up your mind. Communicate with one another once in a while. LOL

Still loving the program though. At least it's never boring.

Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.

My school is not like that at ALL, I would throw up if it was and go somewhere else.

Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
I too don't usually read the male forum, but I have to say that as a former enlisted member (who plans on applying to the Navy Nurse Corps program as soon as I get my acceptance letter), whose brothers both retired enlisted and whose father gave 30 years of his life as a hospital corpsman - I TOOK SERIOUS offense to the poster who made the comment I believe you're referencing.

I could care less what the two oaths say. I would love to see a lieutenant attempt to disobey a lawful order given by a four-star admiral. I'm thinking it wouldn't happen. So officers like that need to get off of their high horses and realize we all have to obey - we all obey the commander in chief, regardless of what we may think of him, and we ALL obey the officers appointed over us. It just happened I had to also obey the lawful orders of the enlisteds who outranked me.

Show me a lieutenant who tells a four star with a lawful order where to get off and I'll show you someone getting ripped in that admiral's office and signing a letter of admonishment!

Nice catch, antihippie! :smokin: ;)

carolinapooh - Are you referring to me? I did not post that the military blindly follows orders. However, I did reply to such post. I quoted the Army Officer's Guide, 49th Edition, written by LTC Keith E. Bonn, USA (Ret.), where on page 5 is the enlisted & officer's oath. BTW, the military oath is taken very seriously by most all military members of the armed forces. Let me assure I'm not on any high horse. I have all the admiration in the world for the enlisted folks, the backbone of the military. Plus, as a USMC Vet [enlisted, active duty 1980-1988] I'm well aware of the importance of following orders, as well as following the chain-of-command.

Furthermore, as a junior company grade officer I certainly don't go around "telling a four star with a lawful order where to get off", nor would I act such a way with any field grade officer. How you got such an idea that I would from my previous post is beyond me?

My previous post, which you seemed to take offense to, you completely misunderstood. My post was in reply to the person that posted the military blindly follows orders. I never said that officers can randomly pick & choose the orders they wish to obey. Military regulations, orders, doctrine, etc., are almost always right, yet impossible to construct any code of law whose logic or good sense will not at some point require a variance. So, that's where officers are expected to exercise sound judgment, which sometimes ... but rarely requires an officer to not obey those instructions, regulations, or orders that are not in the best interest of the Army [or, applicable military branch] at that moment. Plus, this moral dispensation must never be used for personal gain or other corrupt gains.

In my +11 years of military service [8 enlisted & 3 officer] I've never disobeyed a lawful order. If, the need ever arises for me to exercise sound, careful judgment [as an officer] on the side against a lawful order detrimental to the Army at a particular moment, then as an officer [by oath] it would be my responsibility to side on which is in the best interest of the Army at that moment.

I hope after reading this you will realize I'm very pro my Commander-in-Chief, very pro following the CoC, and very pro military. I do thank you for your prior military service, as well as wish you much success in your upcoming Navy Nurse Corps career.

I've noticed psych nursing actually talks about professional boundaries, otherwise nursing seems to have some wide open potential nurse to patient interactions. :confused:

As far as the military blindly following orders, stop watching so many movies
I spent 4 years in the navy and I guarantee NO ONE EVER asked my master chief petty officer "why" a second time!

Then your MCPO sucked, It was his job to mentor his junior personnel. As a BM the best way for us to learn was OJT from senior personnel, they would explain an evolution as it occured so we would know why we were doing what we were doing. If you don't understand a process you are useless the first time anything different happens. AS an example think of working triage in an ER, the first thing you do is take VS right? If someone came in and right away fell out and stopped breathing would you go ahead and take vitals or maybe do something else since the situation is not conforming to the norm. Same as any activity in the military, if you only know your task but not why it matters you are worse than useless you are an impediment.

Then your MCPO sucked
I was not stationed in a medical unit. Perhaps they are different. I was at a dive command. We did salvage and recovery. There were Navy SEALS and EOD(explosive ordinance disposal) and support crews. Lives depended on strict adherence to orders. That's just the way it was. I had friends on destroyers and in the Marine Corps and they lived similar experiences. You question orders at your own peril.

Directly from the manual when I made BM2- when giving orders"explain why, share information, communicate the intent of actions". Seems pretty self-explanitory that using coercion to get a job done is not the way to do it. And if you have to use punitive measures to get a job done leadership is the wrong place for someone to be even if they are an MCPO.

And I wasn't in a medical/admin job either, I was in Deck department on 2 gators and one tender before I went to SWCC and was stationed with SBU-12 as a coxswain at NSWC in Coronado.

Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
I was not stationed in a medical unit. Perhaps they are different. I was at a dive command. We did salvage and recovery. There were Navy SEALS and EOD(explosive ordinance disposal) and support crews. Lives depended on strict adherence to orders. That's just the way it was. I had friends on destroyers and in the Marine Corps and they lived similar experiences. You question orders at your own peril.

I'm going to copy-n-paste from my previous post...

I never said that officers can randomly pick & choose the orders they wish to obey. Military regulations, orders, doctrine, etc., are almost always right, yet impossible to construct any code of law whose logic or good sense will not at some point require a variance. So, that's where officers are expected to exercise sound judgment, which sometimes ... but rarely requires an officer to not obey those instructions, regulations, or orders that are not in the best interest of the Army [or, applicable military branch] at that moment. Plus, this moral dispensation must never be used for personal gain or other corrupt gains.

---

What is so difficult to understand? Officers & especially Senior SNCOs don't question every single military order & reg that comes there way... just the one's which would go against the best interest of the military in a specific situation, plus better darn well be prepared to back up axn with just cause. I, being an enlisted AD USMC Vet, am well aware of the importance of junior enlisted following orders w/o question. :rolleyes:

Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

Nursing school instructors act strict and hard, and everyone cries, "Nursing Eats Its Young". And it because they are female and dysfunctional.

They act soft, warm and empathetic and every cries "Nursing is too touchy feelie, and soft and sweet. And it must be because they are female and dysfunctional.

Anyone see a problem with these attitudes?

Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
Nursing school instructors act strict and hard, and everyone cries, "Nursing Eats Its Young". And it because they are female and dysfunctional.

They act soft, warm and empathetic and every cries "Nursing is too touchy feelie, and soft and sweet. And it must be because they are female and dysfunctional.

Anyone see a problem with these attitudes?

Please, I don't mean to throw you a furr ball, but the phrase; Nursing Eats Its' Young, refers to the conception of how GNs & new RNs are treated by seasoned RNs, IMHO. Nursing Instructors need to be strict, yet should not act like robots [like some LEOs ... law enforcement officers], and show a little understanding towards there students. Yet, not to the extreme indicated by the OP's example.

:twocents:

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