Nursing Misconceptions

Published

What do you think are the biggest misconceptions that the public has regarding nursing and the stressful job we must perform every day?

Specializes in SICU, Peds CVICU.

Nursing does drain your "customer service happy face" pretty quick in my experience. Even with two patients in the ICU, I feel run down and exhausted. It's incredibly difficult to be polite and professional when you feel like you hear the same stupid crazy nonsense every day. But if someone had told me I would feel this way before I started I wouldn't have believed it, you just have to experience it for yourself and find your own way to cope with it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

People set up this "either or" scenario of doctor/nurse - if not a doctor then a worker bee.

Goes the logic: all people in healthcare would be doctors if they were intelligent and autonomous, therefore, nurses and other non-doctors are mindless and robot-like.

Of course real healthcare isn't like that, and they're totally different jobs, but whatever.

Then, when people actually go to a hospital, they somehow walk away with the misconception that nurses sit around all day doing nothing. I suppose since patients only see nurses a short bit, and often nurses are doing their work at the nurses station, people can walk away with the impression it's a real easy gig. If only they knew.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med/surg.
Don't ask me, I just sit and rock babies all night ;)

I have to say I have the utmost respect and gratitude to all you NICUPICU nurses out there. Before I began nursing school and before I became the mother of a 26 weeker I thought I would like to work in these units. After spending 3 months on one of these units I quickly realized I didn't have what it takes to do it. The things you have to do and see and live with on a daily basis has to be very difficult. Thank God for some good outcomes that occur from time to time. Thankfully mine is one of those happy ones. Very healthy,intelligent, energetic 8 yr old daughter to prove it. Anytime I have had the opportunity to be near the Childrens Hospital I always take her in to see if any of her nurses are there. They do seem to really enjoy seeing how well she became, hopefully it has helped a few realize how important they are to their patients and their parents. Thank You!!:bow:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Alright I used to be a "Customer Service Trainer" for a pretty busy call center. Now clearly I was dealing with people with cable problems not lives and serious medical conditions but i have to say that there are times when there is a huge gap between customer service " the customer is always right" attitude and " we will take care of the customer" ( even against the customers wishes). It is important for the people handing down criticism to realize that you can do everything perfetly and still make people unhappy. People want what they think they "need", dont doubt yourself you spent a lot of time learning that clearly people dont know what is best for them or half of them wouldn't be in the hospital in the first place. You guys Rock! Dont listen to the whiners!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg, Oncology, telemetry/stepdown.

Well, I'm still a student, but I know my family was shocked by all the material and work I was doing in my first year. My mom said " I never realized nurses had to know so much". That made me feel smart. lol:chuckle

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in SICU.
Well, I'm still a student, but I know my family was shocked by all the material and work I was doing in my first year. My mom said " I never realized nurses had to know so much". That made me feel smart. lol:chuckle

I thought the same thing before I decided to go to nursing school! I think a lot of the general public thinks the same as well. I really hate it when patients always insist on talking to their doctor about something when the nurse is perfectly capable of handling or explaining the issue. I once had an irate patient tell me that I didn't know anything because I wasn't the doctor.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

ok..all of those reasons are why i am scared to death to let myself stay in a job and be a nurse...the pressure. i am scared that i am going to hurt someone. i am like frozen in fear! i have had so many jobs this first year that no one will hire me. i love everything that makes me a nurse, but med errors, drs orders, patient demands and everything you mentioned scares me to death!!!!:confused::no::uhoh3::caduceus:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Labor & Delivery.

I can't stand the "customer service" mentality. I think it diminishes quality care rather than enhances it for all of the reasons mentioned in previous posts. If you want it "your way" go to burger king. NOT to say that you don't make every effort for reasonable accomadation but you aren't maid service and this isn't a five star hotel. How can I provide safe quality care to a laboring mother when the Postpartum down the hall with 15 visitors calls me to her room to get her visitors a drink?:no: I smile and tell them that the drinks that we stock are for pt's and there is a drink machine down the hall....meanwhile my laboring mom that I left is now having some crisis and i'm to busy being a polite waitress! Wouldn't the OB be so pleased to know that my pt had a three minute decel that I wasn't in the room for because I was busy explaining that we carry coke and not pepsi to the pt down the hall!!!:uhoh3:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I know that is so true! And then you get griped at if you dont go get them a drink. It is really one of the reasons I dont work in the hospital anymore. How in the heck are you supposed to provide quality care to EACH patient with too many patients and trivial things! Wow, wouldnt it be nice if every patient had their own nurse or just 2 pts to 1 nurse! Can you imagine the care that we could provide??? It would be awesome...sigh. One can dream!:icon_roll

Up Vote Up Vote ×

im not a nurse but i think the one misconception is the money. Everytime I tell people that my major is nursing, the first thing they say is,"nurses make a lot of money.!" It never fails someone always gives me that comment. I know nurses do make decent money, I live in the bay area so the cost of living is very high and the wages nurses earn does not compensate for the high cost of living here. Anyway for all that nurses do and go through they should make more money. When I first started taking my prerequisites in 2003 my sister was graduating in health management, when she told people what her major was I didnt here people saying, "wow u are going to make alot of money". She's close to making 6 figures now, no weekends or holidays. Nurses are overworked and underpaid. :crying2:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

:yeah:That is so true!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion