I have a daily ritual. I come home from nursing school and before I dive into my homework, I make a sandwich and watch Judge Judy. I've been watching this show for years and I like her no-nonsense style and sense of humor. I have noticed over the years that she has a bias against older adults attending college. She tends to mock them for not having an established career already, but I've overlooked this in the past and just focused on the aspects of the show that I like. Until today....
Today's episode involved a 22 year old guy who was being sued by his parents for non payment of a loan for a motorcycle as well as a loan for getting bailed out of jail for a DUI. As the story unfolds, we learn that he has also recently fathered two children. So it's being established early on that this guy isn't the most responsible of citizens. It was just another typical episode until the following interaction occurred:
Judge Judy: Are you employed?
Guy: Yes, full time. I also go to school full time.
Judge Judy: Where do you go to school?
Guy: Davenport (assume he means Iowa)
Judge Judy: For what?
Guy: Medical
Judge Judy (in an incredulous voice): You're in med school to become a doctor?!?
Guy: No, nursing.
Judge Judy: Oh, well thank God for that.
On the face of it, maybe it's not that offensive. But I really hate this attitude that nurses are just not as smart as doctors and that we chosse nursing because we aren't doctor material. I just felt that her comments meant to convey that he was far too irresponsible (and perhaps dimwitted) to be in medical school, but a perfect match for something so much less resonsible and challenging like nursing. Really chaps my hide.
That was my take on it as well. I think he was trying (unsucessfully) to elevate the status of whatever his educational pursuits were. If he said "medical" he meant nursing, so if he said "nursing", I suspect CNA or LPN. Both which are valuable jobs that don't need to be elevated in order to deserve respect.
Adri
Both jobs are extremely valuable that definitely don't need to be elevated in order to deserve respect.:yelclap: However, it must be noted that an LPN is a nurse that does go to school at least a year, if not longer, to obtain the required skills to practice safely. He or she can legally use the term "nurse". The LPN may just be a technical as opposed to a professional nurse, but she is a nurse nontheless.
Personally, I prefer Judge Mathis (if I ever get to watch TV). The man can smell BS a mile away!
Then again, I also watch Jerry Springer sometimes! :chuckle
JERRY! JERRY! JERRY!
I like Judge Mathis as well, but he is becoming more entertainment than serious. He used to be more real. I used to work with a CNA who was on his show a couple of years ago. She said the court session was considerably longer than what was aired, and some comments he made were just to get a laugh and really didn't apply to the overall context of the case. Anyhow, her name is Sandy and she was fighting with her ex-boyfriend over a coffee table his mother gave her. It is a really old episode, but in case of reruns, that's my girl!
Judge Judy's ratings are based on how caustic she can be, not on her actual knowledge. People love Schadenfreude, especially if it's abject humiliation. How do you think Dr. Laura got her 15 minutes of fame?
Yeah, it offends the heck out of me when people diss nursing, even subliminally. I told one man that I was studying to be a nurse, and he stated that he's pressuring his child to be smart enough to be a doctor. Uh, nursing requires brains too! I'm eternally grateful to my mother, who never once saw nursing as settling for second best because her idolized aunt was a CNM for 30 years, so my mom grew up knowing the real difference between nurses and doctors.
Really, I think that people want their kids to be doctors because they want their children to pursue fields that go against traditionally female roles, like math and physics. Unfortunately, nursing is considered one of those traditionally "girly" jobs (not that other pink collar jobs like library science and elementary education are any easier), and while they think that they're doing a favor for their daughters by encouraging feminism, they're actually degrading it.
I don't see what she did wrong... The idiot said he was in "medical" school. Why was he so ambiguous about what he was going to school. I don't think she was thanking God he was in nursing school, just that he was not in medical school. You know docs are much more autonomous than nurses. I think it was just a typical fast comment of hers. I don't really take it as dissing nurses, just dissing him.
BTW, how can he get a license with a recent DUI. Bet he's in medical assistance school. Since he said he was in "medical" school for "nursing."
Judge Judy is not different from a lot of people who are not really sure what education you need to be a nurse, or what the difference is with all those "titles,, LPN, CNA, RN, NP etc..." This is no different from the confusion going on with these Medical Asst people, or Physician Asst.'s too.
I work with Judges and attorneys all the time and I can say this.. Law school does NOT make you smart about ANYTHING but the LAW..., contrary to What they THINK they know...
Judge judy probably is not really a judge. maybe she's not judge material and the whole thing is just a scripted fiasco. That's just my personal opinion. as far as nurses being too dumb to be a doctor, this is as bad as the whole sexualization of nurses. has anyone ever looked in a lingere catalog and see the "naughty Nurse" getup??? no wonder nurses do not get any respect!!!!!]:angryfire
sorry about the rant!
Anyway, I am glad that my mother encouraged me to do anything that my heart was in. She was a CNA for a while so she knows what it takes to be a Nurse since she worked with them. She understands that it takes a lot!
:barf01:
HisTreasure, BSN, RN
748 Posts
Both jobs are extremely valuable that definitely don't need to be elevated in order to deserve respect.:yelclap: However, it must be noted that an LPN is a nurse that does go to school at least a year, if not longer, to obtain the required skills to practice safely. He or she can legally use the term "nurse". The LPN may just be a technical as opposed to a professional nurse, but she is a nurse nontheless.