Nurses are the real heroes ?

Nurses Humor Toon

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I just posted the following photo on our allnurses.com facebook page... and someone left the following message:

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Nurses are great but they aren't heroes. Heroes rush into life threatening situations without regard for their own safety. Heroes wear dog tags or badges. That's right, heroes include the members of our military, police officers, firefighters and EMTs. Drs and Nurses are after the fact and provide care from a position of safety. They are not heroes!

Do you agree?

minnymi said:
I agree, but I don't consider police officers or even our current military to be my hero either.

Some people consider their mother, father, or grandparent to be their hero.

Anyone CAN be a hero, but to declare an entire profession is a little egotistical IMO.

Excuse me...current military? OK, I get it if you don't consider the military to be your hero, that's your prerogative. But, the current military has taken the same oath to defend freedom as any other military you may be referring to. I take offense to your comment as I, and my sister, have recently served in the military and my husband is currently serving.

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I don't know that I would consider anyone doing something self serving (such as working for a paycheck) to be a "hero."

if a regular guy walking down the street jumps in and stops a gun toting robber from holding up a bank....he is risking his life and getting nothing in return. that would be a hero IMO. If a security guard who is working for a paycheck does the same thing then he is a security guard doing his job....not quite a hero.

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Specializes in Neuroscience/Brain and Stroke.

I wonder if the guy who made this comment would think otherwise if a nurse worked for 20 minutes doing CPR on his child and as a result the child lived? Heroes are in the eye of the beholder, my gramma is my hero and she is none of things listed!

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jcgrund said:
Excuse me...current military? OK, I get it if you don't consider the military to be your hero, that's your prerogative. But, the current military has taken the same oath to defend freedom as any other military you may be referring to. I take offense to your comment as I, and my sister, have recently served in the military and my husband is currently serving.

The current military are not heroes to me. that's correct.

Maybe they are heroes to the women in iraq. I don't know. I can't speak for others.

As I said previously, I don't consider anyone doing a job for a paycheck to be heroic. they are doing a job. A job and a paycheck are self serving...not selfless. heroes are totally selfless. That's my opinion.

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Ok, here's the deal...the folks in the military do what they are ordered to do. Just because you don't agree with the politics of a specific war, it doesn't mean that those same people have not taken an oath to defend the freedom of the country. The men and women serving in the military today are no less defending freedom than whatever you meant by "not current" military.

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Specializes in Neuro ICU, SICU.

"Nurses are great but they aren't heroes. Heroes rush into life threatening situations without regard for their own safety."

Life threatening situations eh? Guess codes deal with non life threatening situations

"Heroes wear dog tags or badges."

I am required by my employer to wear an ID badge

"That's right, heroes include the members of our military, police officers, firefighters and EMTs. Drs and Nurses are after the fact and provide care from a position of safety."

How non heroic of us...

"They are not heroes!"

If you say so... how many lives has this dude saved?

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Speaking for myself, no, I do not consider nurses heroes.

We are merely (and humbly) doing our jobs.

And I too, consider it a tad presumptuous if a nurse boasts about saving lives.

Do we ever boast when a pt dies or is gravely injured, because we messed up (for whatever reason)?

That said, I will forever be proud to be a nurse who has always aspired to the highest standards of care.

But a hero???

Heck no, not at all.

Yet it will never negate the admiration that I have for nurses and nursing, because it is a noble profession.

And for that, I am most grateful.

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jcgrund said:
OK, here's the deal...the folks in the military do what they are ordered to do.

Exactly. they do what they are ORDERED (and compensated) to do....regardless of whether or not they agree that what they are doing is right.

A hero typically defends someone he/she believes is being hurt, wronged, or in harm's way...they believe what they are doing is right....AND they aren't compensated for it. Their motive is not self serving in any way.

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Yes, they do what they are ordered to do because they took an oath to do so. They have to do things whether they agree with them or not because they took an oath to do so. They are not allowed to quit if they don't like it. You do not have to think that people in the military today are heroes. I really don't care if you do. But they do not deserve your disrespect. I only took offense to your idea that the military members of the past are somehow more noble because you agree with their wars and you don't agree with politics of today. The military members of today have taken the same oath as those of the past regardless of the politics. Whether you agree with the war or not, these people are still willing to risk their lives for your freedom.

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Can we please get back on topic???

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jcgrund said:

You do not have to think that people in the military today are heroes. I really don't care if you do. But they do not deserve your disrespect. .

Well, that is what this thread is about - heroes. I simply stated that they are not heroes to me. They are people who signed up to do a job and are compensated for it in return. Stating my opinion that people who do a job for a paycheck (which is self serving vs. selfless) is not "disrespect." I'm sorry you feel that way.

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Specializes in Med Surg.

To me a heroic act is one that is above and beyond the call of duty. Just doing your day to day job, be it as a nurse, fire fighter or police officer, isn't heroic. If we do something extraordinary in the course of that job, that may be heroic, but simply being in those professions doesn't make a person a hero.

Doing a job is a partially selfish act--the paycheck. That's not wrong, we all need money to live. But, heroism means doing something with no regard to self interest. If I wasn't getting paid, I wouldn't be a nurse, so part of my motivation is purely selfish. Not heroic at all.

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