Most Annoying Nursing Stereotype

[Mashira]

What is the most annoying stereotype that you have directly come across. We all know the naughty nurse one. I'm talking more along the lines of, what have you personally had to deal with?

Mine: Well, if you were smarter wouldn't you have become a doctor?

Well, I didn't become a doctor because I understand that they have to devote more time

and effort into a job than I would like to. To me, a job is a job. Life is what happens when

you're NOT at work. I don't want my whole life to revolve around work. I would like to take

vacations and not be on call, have kids and actually RAISE them. THAT, you idiot, is why

I did not decide to become a doctor. ARGH!

[cav5]

i'm a school nurse and I absolutely HATE the "oh, you do stomach aches and bandaides" thing. I went from ICU to school nursing and had to eat my own humble pie. We have tiny diabetics (sometimes 3-4 years old), adrenal kids, severe allergies (given 3 epi pens in a year and a half) and much much more. Plus, you are the only one medical at the school-nobody there to bounce things off. I hate that I have to justify my job to not only the people around me but to the people in my own profession who feel I don't do "real" nursing.

[Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN]

The most annoying to me...as a nurse I can supposedly go anywhere and immediately get a job in any part of the country in any area of nursing of my choosing. Bored? I can switch specialties in the blink of an eye. Um...no. Not in this economy, dear heart.

I may be the only one who does not have a problem with the naughty nurse issue. It's just not that big a deal to me anymore. It's just fantasy/role playing. You see the same with the naughty cop outfits, naughty librarian, naughty secretary...the list goes on. I don't hear about police officers, librarians, or secretaries getting all up in arms about it (maybe they do, I've just never heard of it). As long as no one is believing this to be reality, I'm cool with it. Now if a patient were to proposition me or make a comment about where is his sponge bath (and we both know what kind of sponge bath he means), THEN I would be upset. But people dressing up or tv/movie protrayals of the naughty nurse just don't bother me anymore.

[gentlegiver, ASN, LPN, RN]

I have to admit I still get hit with "Your an LPN? When are you going back to school to become a REAL Nurse???" Hello!! I'm already a "REAL" Nurse.

[Indy, LPN, LVN]

I hate the assumption that it's a gravy job: little work, lotsa money. My accountant asked me, in all seriousness, other than giving medications, what do you do exactly? And I had a three second period of utter shock and embarrassment at being speechless, while I tried to come up with an answer. Luckily she was tired by the time I finished describing my job. But for the first few seconds, I thought, oh hell I can't get all that across to her.

[DREAMSDOCOMETRUE0610]

My personal favorites:

"Aren't you the one who cleans bedpans and puts your hands up people's butts every day?" (Verbatim)

"Why don't y'all wear those skirts and heels like in the movies or like those girls do for Halloween?" (Again, verbatim)

Some rare disease comes up on "House" and I get grilled about it: what is it, how do you get it, where does it come from, how is it treated etc.

Just because I went to nursing school automatically means I get the first job I want... and any other job I want for the rest of my life.

Just because I work three twelve's a week means I don't really have a full-time job and/or don't really work as hard as the 9-5 crowd.

When I tell people I'm a cardiac nurse and they automatically assume I'm a cardiologist and perform open heart surgery to the most complicated of patients every single day (which, by the way, completely contradicts the first stereotype and both of which were "ass"umed by the same few people)

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

what is the most annoying stereotype that you have directly come across. we all know the naughty nurse one. i'm talking more along the lines of, what have you personally had to deal with?

mine: well, if you were smarter wouldn't you have become a doctor?

well, i didn't become a doctor because i understand that they have to devote more time

and effort into a job than i would like to. to me, a job is a job. life is what happens when

you're not at work. i don't want my whole life to revolve around work. i would like to take

vacations and not be on call, have kids and actually raise them. that, you idiot, is why

i did not decide to become a doctor. argh!

well, i'd say that is also a stereotype. i have three female friends who are doctors. none of them takes call a lot, but they do take great vacations. and all of them are definitely raising their kids. i know a lot of male doctors who are also very involved with their families. it's mainly very early in their career when they are so tied to the job...

the "naughty" nurse. aargghh!! that is sooo played!

and friends or family who randomly provide an outline of their ailments or pains, and expect you to automatically diagnose them and dispense advice. my response invariably is "i don't really know. make an appointment with the doctor."

my friends used to do this. then i started answering their questions like this: "your elbow hurts? goodness, that is a classic sign of a brain tumor. yep, brain tumor." they have stopped asking me.

personally, i dislike the nurse ratchet stereotype...

[llg, PhD, RN]

The most annoying to me...as a nurse I can supposedly go anywhere and immediately get a job in any part of the country in any area of nursing of my choosing. Bored? I can switch specialties in the blink of an eye. Um...no. Not in this economy, dear heart.

QUOTE]

Bingo! As I was reading this thread, none of things mentioned struck a big nerve with me. Yes, they bother me a little -- but I've been a nurse for a long time and have gotten over being too upset about them most of the time. But when I read this one, I thought, "Yep. That's it for me."

... And it's not just in this economy. As nursing has become increasingly specialized and advanced, it has become increasingly difficult to bounce around from job to job, specialty to specialty. Also, I have found that as I got more education, my job options became more narrow -- not more broad. I hate that people think we all have guaranteed jobs whenever and wherever we want them.

[nightengalegoddess]

Naughty nurse, so what. Naughty policewoman etc...I agree with above....and for the women...virile construction worker, naughty physician, whatever paraphilia floats your boat.

The worst for me is that nurses somehow provide 'mothering'....I really dislike that one....and it is perpetuated by so many nurses themselves!!! Nurturing independance and being sensitive to the needs of the human being and family...anticipating needs....NOT MOTHERING!!!! I will not be babying you when I am turning you or caring for your wounds or skin...when we have moments together like these I may be a counselor, spiritual advisor, or just someone who will take the time to listen to your story. But I will not be your mama.

So much is involved with the nursing process...so few people understand what we do with it all day every day because most of it goes into the progress notes and in our head while we provide for the plan of care.....people in general have no idea what it is we really do. Oh well...I love it anyway.

[coolpeach]

My dad doesn't understand why my job is stressful because after all I just do what the Dr's tell me to do.

[Ackeem, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN]

My grandfather constantly complains to mother about me being gay, just because I'm a male nurse. Its like you must be gay since your in a career that's dominated by females.

How shallow

[Music in My Heart]

Another stereotype - this one propagated by many nurses themselves - that drives me crazy: That nursing is a calling or mission, not a career or vocation or profession; that the "called" nurses are somehow better than those who are simply doing their jobs as best they can.

[kythe, LPN]

My grandfather constantly complains to mother about me being gay, just because I'm a male nurse. Its like you must be gay since your in a career that's dominated by females.

How shallow

Yes, this stereotype is used in the movie "Meet the Parents". I always cringe at the beginning scene where Gaylord Focker is portrayed as a "male nurse", not a "nurse". His career choice is portrayed as evidence that he is comfortable with his sexuality, and I think they use every joke in the book on that one. People apparantly don't see the sexism inherent to this idea. If a movie portrayed a woman in a male dominated field like this, there would be an outcry.