Just a Nurse

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(I've been an RN for quite some time, so this may be a generational issue.)

The other day I was entering the elevator at work with several other people. A male visitor boarded the elevator at the same time, but stepped back abruptly and gave me the nod to go in first. He stated, "Doctors have priority."

I heard a voice say, "Oh, no. I am just a nurse." It was my voice, and I didn't even realize it until right after I spoke the words out loud: "Just a nurse."

Granted, MD's have bona fides that deserve respect, but I do wonder why I still had such a knee-jerk, self deprecating response to being mistaken for an MD.

I would like to go back and simply say, "Thank you. Actually I am an RN, but I appreciate your polite offer regardless."

Depending on our specialty and work environment, the amount of knowledge and the expertise we are responsible for executing to perfection each day is nothing short of astounding. Why then, did I refer to myself as just a nurse?

It's got me wondering how much of this is a taught, sociological phenomenon (nice little boys and girls are humble), and how much of this is institutional indoctrination (you are just a nurse and therefore replaceable)?

Anyway, dear colleagues, we are not "just a nurse." Please remind me of this from time to time when I say something stupid like that.

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I will say "just a nurse" from time to time, in the context of I'm only human or something is waaayy above my pay grade. It has nothing to do with value anymore than I'm more valuable than anyone in healthcare. We just have different pay checks and dress codes.

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

When pts ask about their radiology results, I always joke that "when I make radiologists pay, I'll do their work too". Then I let inform them the dr will be in to update them.

i guess " just a nurse" doesn't bug me. I guess I don't need others validation about my nursing competency.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I would like to go back and simply say, "Thank you. Actually I am an RN, but I appreciate your polite offer regardless."

"Just a nurse" doesn't bother me because I don't read too much into it but this would be a wonderful, gracious response if you can remember it for next time.

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"Just a nurse" bothers me, I said it early on in my career until a more experienced nurse pointed this out. This probably arises from the unspoken hierarchy in the hospital (And the fact that nursing is a woman's profession)- I don't think any other professional would say "just a..."

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Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, C-NPT, FP-C.

Doesn't bother me. But then again i tend to get called just a medic in very condescending tones by some nurses on a regular basis, so i don't let anything like that bother me anymore.

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I have a friend who has texted me pics of her throat, her foot, her eye and her hemorrhoids, looking for a "diagnosis".

She is now pregnant. If I get a pic of baby's head crowning I'm using the "just a nurse" card.

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Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.
I have a friend who has texted me pics of her throat, her foot, her eye and her hemorrhoids, looking for a "diagnosis".

She is now pregnant. If I get a pic of baby's head crowning I'm using the "just a nurse" card.

If someone sent me a picture of their hemorrhoid I would unfriend them forever. Ew.

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If someone sent me a picture of their hemorrhoid I would unfriend them forever. Ew.

We named it.:bag:

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Specializes in Education.

I'll use that phrase all the time. Or I'll modify it. "I am but a nurse, so let me ask the doctor about more Dilaudid..." "I may be just a nurse, but I'm going to guess that it's a UTI. Let me go dip your urine. Ever have Macrobid before? I can also sit down and talk about prevention, if you'd like." "Yeah, that's broken. But I'm just a nurse, so the doctor is going to want things like x-rays to confirm the fact that your arm is bent in ways that it shouldn't be."

But I own it.

What does annoy me slightly is when other people use it. Like the doctors. "Oh, she's just a nurse." Because then it sounds a bit condescending and like they're blowing me off. Well, considering that I've had to walk doctors (read: residents) through doing things before? Yeah, no. They went to school for medicine. I went to school for nursing. Two overlapping but still different fields. (I don't ask a doctor to reconstitute meds or mix drips. I don't even know if they have access to our meds!)

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I never do the "just a nurse" thing. It's one of my hot buttons. I can't stand to be condescended to.

My phrase is, "That's not my area of expertise. I'll give you my opinion (or read the result to you, etc), but you need to speak with the doctor to get a full understanding."

I am ashamed of this, but I actually said "Too bad you're just an A hole" when I was referred to as "just a nurse." That took a little time to smooth over.

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Do you guys really have people treat you lowly or disrespectfully because you're a nurse?

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