Just have to share- pt's spouse's thoughts on nursing.

[suanna]

I had a criticaly ill patient fresh out of OR the other day. IABP, multiple pressors, ectopy, bleeding, pacer.... After an hour or two I got him settled enough to have his wife in. After reviewing his clinical status, and reassuring her that I had seen many patients as sick as her husband do just fine in my 25 years in critical care, I was going over visiting policy I mentioned no-one under age 16yrs on the unit. They had a boy, (looked 12yrs) that she said was considering nursing as a career. I advised her to have him explore the opportunities in the area, talk to some nurses before deciding on that career path in that nursing isn't for everyone. Her response was that "they were hoping after he finished his nursing degree, HE WOULD RETURN TO SCHOOL AND COMPLETE A DEGREE IN SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT AND CHALLENGING!!!!????" (My, didn't I feel proud to be her husbands nurse and to have used my vast skills to drag him back from the brink of death. Can you imagine what I could do if I had a real education in something worthwhile?) WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT? I just told her she could only hope for the best!

[leslie :-D]

In my world good people can say dumb things. Apparently on this board I'm alone in my world. Thankfully in my real world people feel the same way as me.

you're not alone, wherehastimegone.

nursing is ubiquitously misunderstood and misrepresented.

the bottom line for me is, i know what i do and don't feel impelled to justify it.

this mom's statement, while ignorant, isn't about me or any other nurse.

it is merely a reflection of her own inadequacies.

that said, i'll also throw out there, that all jobs are equally important...

not saying all are equally challenging, but equally important.

i can't imagine living on a planet, w/o the services of 'sanitation engineers' (aka garbage men).

similarly, i can't imagine living on this planet w/o the services of housecleaners...

this could inevitably lead to rampant bacterial infestation, infection rates, and even death.

the bottom line is, all our jobs provide a much needed service.

what is more "important", is in the eyes of the beholder.

it and us, are all relative.

leslie:twocents:

[TDCHIM]

I don't disagree that that her statement may have sounded rude and uninformed. I just don't believe that based on one sentence, 2 words that were 'rude' that can can determine that her child's future is in jeopardy and that she is an ignorant, rude stupid and unfeeling person. She wasn't attacking the nurse she was talking about what she wants for her son, based on her own understanding of various professions. Maybe she wants him to be the president and her her mind that is a more important and challenging job than being a nurse. She may be misinformed about nursing however I don't think that in and of itself makes her a horrible person and ruins her child.

In my world good people can say dumb things. Apparently on this board I'm alone in my world. Thankfully in my real world people feel the same way as me.

I'm sorry, I was simply trying to discuss the issue with you and the other posters. How that gave you the impression you're somehow alone in the world, virtual or otherwise, is a bit beyond me.

[red2003xlt, LPN]

Wait till she gets the hospital bill; dollar signs have a tendency to change minds.

P.S. Why is there a smokin smiley?

[Meraki]

you're not alone, wherehastimegone.

nursing is ubiquitously misunderstood and misrepresented.

the bottom line for me is, i know what i do and don't feel impelled to justify it.

this mom's statement, while ignorant, isn't about me or any other nurse.

it is merely a reflection of her own inadequacies.

that said, i'll also throw out there, that all jobs are equally important...

not saying all are equally challenging, but equally important.

i can't imagine living on a planet, w/o the services of 'sanitation engineers' (aka garbage men).

similarly, i can't imagine living on this planet w/o the services of housecleaners...

this could inevitably lead to rampant bacterial infestation, infection rates, and even death.

the bottom line is, all our jobs provide a much needed service.

what is more "important", is in the eyes of the beholder.

it and us, are all relative.

leslie:twocents:

I agree completely - and I should have said alone in this thread rather than board - as I know there are many other nurses who feel the same way you and I do.

I'm sorry, I was simply trying to discuss the issue with you and the other posters. How that gave you the impression you're somehow alone in the world, virtual or otherwise, is a bit beyond me.

TDCHIM - I was talking about my world as being one where good people can say dumb things - saying in this thread I seem to be alone in that belief. I too was also just discussing the issue! I just have a different opinion than you and many of the other posters in this thread and I was saying I was alone in that.

[SweetOldWorld, BSN, RN]

Mr. Borlaug created a hybrid rice that saved a billion people from starvation. I had no intention of starting a nurse vs doctor thing here, just acknowledging that there are, in fact, things to do that are both more difficult and more important than nursing.

And when your husband is deathly ill, the thing you need is more rice.

[mfrancisco]

And when your husband is deathly ill, the thing you need is more rice.

HA HA. That was great!

[PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN]

Does anyone else get the irony here?

Here her husband is on multiple pressors and an IABP and yet she is worried about her 12 year old's prospects for college...

*shrugging*...

[mfrancisco]

That's what I was thinking. She was not "in shock" if she was worried about her son's distant future while this was all going on. Apparently, she was just ignorant, and was really showing how she felt.

[pedsrnjc]

when i think of the importance of nursing i'm inspired by this story:

the starfish story

original story by: loren eisley

one day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed

a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.

approaching the boy, he asked, “what are you doing?”

the youth replied, “throwing starfish back into the ocean.

the surf is up and the tide is going out. if i don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”

“son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?

you can’t make a difference!”

after listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,

and threw it back into the surf. then, smiling at the man, he said…”

i made a difference for that one.”

[suanna]

So based on sentence she said that had a poor choice of words - at a time when her husband is in critical condition you have decided her character and her son's future??

I mean based on your one very judgmental sentences I could make sweeping assumptions about your characters and the futures of your children...

You are right-apologies to the lady, It was just such a personal attack it seems so out of place in the situation I got carried away in my posting

[elizabeth321]

We will influence more by our actions than any smart quips.....to family and on this site...though I loved the ......

Originally Posted by SweetOldWorld

And when your husband is deathly ill, the thing you need is more rice.

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

And when your husband is deathly ill, the thing you need is more rice.

Bwahahaha!!! That was awesome..

Really, importance is relative. I could have done anything I wanted, I've been told I'm very intelligent and I've always been an excellent student. I do have relatives that ask why nursing instead of med school. To which I reply, you really don't want your nurse to be a dumbass. The public should be very grateful that there are plenty of smart people who choose nursing.

As for what the ignorant think, like a PP said, you can't fix stupid.