Not all nurses wear scrubs

[rosen60]

I decided to attend nursing school at the ripe age of 52 and made it; I passed the PN NCLEX on the first attempt. My background is in health insurance and while I knew from the beginning I would be going back and hopefully as a nurse reviewer I didn't share that with everyone I know. I was offered a position that will allow me to do what I know plus utilize my license as I pursue my RN.

While celebrating my achievements I have encountered a few comments that I would like to share:

1. "Oh so you aren't really going to be a nurse?"
   
2. "Why would you go to school for nursing to not use it?"
   
3. "Aren't you going backward?"
   

We are taught from the beginning of school that nursing is no longer a singular occupation and there are so many options to explore. So for anyone else who has made the decision to make the jump to be a non-clinical nurse I ask if you too have encountered this type of negativity and how you responded to it?

[CT Pixie, BSN, RN]

Happens to clinical nurses also :)

When I was an LPN, if people found out I was a nurse the first question was 'what hospital do you work at' when I'd state I worked at a LTC facility they'd wrinkle up their nose and say oh so your not a real nurse. I'd answer yes I'm a REAL nurse, I'm an LPN at a LTC facility. Some would answer with ohh so when you become a full nurse (RN) you can work at the hospital.

Now, I'm an RN. Same question...what hospital do you work for? I work for a hospital but in an outpatient office. Again I'm not a real nurse...or why did you go to school to become an RN when you're only going to work in an office. Ughh!

[itsmejuli]

I'm not a clinical nurse either. I'm a homecare supervisor, I train, mentor, supervise, and organize homecare aids. When we're short LPNs then I do homecare nursing visits.

I realize that not everyone knows all the different roles in which nurses work. So when asked about my job, I explain it. I really don't care what people say.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Two anecdotes:

When I was a clinical nurse specialist I wore street clothes and a lab coat usually, but a day a month or so I would book myself in for a shift working bedside. Invariably as I went to the caf for lunch somebody would say, "Oh, GrnTea, you look like a nurse today!" And I would say, smiling if I could remember to do it, "I look like a nurse every day."

Now I am a legal nurse and occasionally get asked in depositions, "When was the last time you practiced as a nurse?" I still remember to smile, and say, "I'm practicing as a nurse today."

One of the great things about nursing is the wide variety of ways and arenas where a nursing education can be useful. It's probably one of the most flexible basic creds you can get, unless you think workplace variety means the choice between, "Want fries with that?" or, "Venti or Grande?"

[RNperdiem, RN]

You have to understand that there is probably a little envy going on. There is also some unfamiliarity too with exactly what you do, even among your fellow nurses. It is a bit like saying, I am a parent, but don't do any childcare.

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

I'm a Private Duty Nurse right now, and there can be a bit of a bias against that, too.

There are two hospitals in my town, and I always get the "which hospital do you work at?" question. I simply (smile and) say, "I don't work in a hospital right now, I do Private Duty Nursing, which means I work in the patient's home keeping a medically fragile individual alive overnight so their parents can sleep."

Unfortunately, most peoples' knowledge of nursing comes from the media -- Gray's Anatomy, ER, soap operas, Nurse Ratched, etc.

[ddunnrn]

I had a slightly different experience when I was a psych nurse in the Philly jail system. I wore casual clothes so I had no obvious signs of being a nurse. Newer patients or other inmates would almost always call me "Doc", assuming a male must be a doctor. I got tired of trying to correct them politely, so I eventually gave up. I guess there are worse things they could have called me!

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

I don't even know all of the areas Nurses can work in.. I'm pretty sure the job options are limitless.. I'm glad you found a job doing what you already know and enjoy.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I don't even know all of the areas Nurses can work in.. I'm pretty sure the job options are limitless.. I'm glad you found a job doing what you already know and enjoy.

If you go to the top of the page to the yellow band and click on "Specialties" you will find approximately a bazillion hours of reading on the myriad opportunities in nursing. I think more people should do that, it's an eye-opener.

[Ruas61, BSN, RN]

Be the MDS nurse, they don't think you are a nurse.

[zahryia, LPN]

^^Or a quality nurse.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Is it negativity?... or just ignorance?

Many people can only envision us as angels of mercy in white at the bedside. This is the time to inform them that nurses are educators, managers, counselors, researchers...etc. We are not all caregivers.