Nursing Stereotypes and a Dumb Society

Nurses General Nursing

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I have noticed a few nursing stereotypes lately from patients, visitors and even my own friends (some of then are also nurses). Its very annoying

Stereotypes include:

1. A nurse is a nurse is a nurse

2. Angel's of mercy

3. Naughty Nurse (Please, my fellow sisters - FIGHT THIS ONE - This is the worst, in my opinion)

4. Un-educated, misinformed handmaiden

5. All purpose hospital slave

6. Men in nursing are all gay

Perhaps I never paid much attention, but recently I have noticed alot of this. We, as a profession, need some realistic PR.

I went out for coffee with a friend of mine. I was describing my hectic shift with post-op's, documentation and new admits. In all a very busy and routine shift. My friend works in retail. No matter how much I told her of the hard physical, mental and emotional labor involved - she seemed to downplay my job. "It can't be that hard - You work night shift, all the patients are asleep", "Two patients in ICU is easy- what are you complaining for", or "All you have to do is follow what the doctor says and it will be fine".

Makes me mad!!!

Just my :twocents:

Specializes in Long Term Acute Care.

My first suggestion for a name change is clinician. Therfore, Rn becomes Registered Clinician and the LVN/LPN becomes a Licensed Vocational /Practical Clinician. I would stay away from Techiican in the job title because patients are used to the patient care tech or CNa being the "Tech". I like the clincial Assistant title but I not sure that "nurses" would go with the flow as Assistant has a connotation of the position of being a lesser, when that is not necessarily the reality.

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Specializes in pediatrics.

Get a new friend. :twocents:

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Educated people , with different fields of endeavor , will likely to think in a different way = to a nurse , ( nursing - profession ) , not unless they really have a knowledge about nursing , or they have been there , but shifted , due to some reasons , of course , they only knew about ??. Like us , nurse's , we have little knowledge in our own way to deal with diseases or illness , ( simple ) emergency cases ! But , that, doesn't mean we can go ahead with what we are doing , without consulting a doctor , or physician !! Of course , we have to call a doctor , who can deal our problems properly so to speak ! One doctor consultant , who was our professor , told us once " little knowledge is dangerous " . On the other hand , some laymen in different work fields , may not be having any slightest idea of our work - as a nurse !!! How much more for them , to those who have no knowledge at all of our profession !! Right !!!! EDUCATION , INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY -HAS A BIG ROLE ON THESE !!!

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Specializes in Telemetry, Med-Surg, ED, Psych.

Thanks for all the replies. A few things i want to address:

I want to state a few reasons why I detest the "Naughty Nurse" stereotype. This is perhaps the most damaging to both the profession and to women. Sexualizing women and our profession has had terrible repercusions - look at the adult film industry, for example. Television, Internet, Music video's, and movies have a powetrful effect on people and there beliefs.....Since our world is more technologically advanced and yet even dumber, the television and mass media have a powerful effect on perception. Therefore, if a woman is portrayed as a man hungry over-sexed bimbo - That must be right - I saw it on tv.

Maybe I am a progressive thinker but I wish all women in nursing would stand up to that stereotype and fight it.

Someone said something to the likes of a common thought that some nursing students have being "I do not have to clean up poop or pee - I will have CNA's in my job" - I wanted to address this. Not really a stereotype but a faulty idea really! I have seen this on a few occasions at work when students do there clinicals.

My advise: Get your hands dirty! Ask any lifer old-school nurse about the Primary Care Model. You will be cleaning poop regardless. And if you think poop is below you and you cant clean a patient up do to you being the almighty RN, YOU do not belong in nursing.

This is what happens when you get old....ramble and ramble....Oy Vay!

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Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

"It can't be that hard - You work night shift, all the patients are asleep", "Two patients in ICU is easy- what are you complaining for", or "All you have to do is follow what the doctor says and it will be fine".

Makes me mad!!!

Just my :twocents:

My husband has made those remarks to me. He has NO idea what I put up with especially at my current place of employment. Heck even the med-surg nurses at my hospital think us ICU nurses have "the easiest job in the hospital" Wanted to punch the nurse who made that remark. It wasn't the first time she's said it either. She can barely handle her med-surg assignment. Let her come to the ICU and handle up to THREE critically ill pt's.

Night shift is the time when the elderly pt's get Sundowners..trying to crawl out of bed..pulling at their lines, IV's, etc. Yeah. ALL the patients sleep all night long...right!

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I like that idea; my current position is RN night shift lead w/ 2 Lpn's under me in "corrections", not the clinical exposure I'd have liked but upon graduation last May I was ecstatic to have gotten ANY offer, much less such a secure f/t spot.

What bothers me greatly is that we're all referred to as "nurses" there! Since Lpn's are paid less (and less qualified) than Rn's the ratio is like 4:1, and I've argued loudly and clearly several times that titles matter- that accomplishments matter- and that we're actually Rn's and Lpn's here.

Naturally their comeback was "we're all nurses" just different levels.... my response to this Lpn who is currently working his orifice off to do the Lpn-Rn transistion was "you may like that catchall phrase now b/c it includes you in the upper tier of Rn's, but you will Not feel that way when you've finally earned your Rn lic, and suddenly the phrase includes you in the Lpn crowd from which you just graduated."

I call Dr's Dr, I have no problem recognizing and giving credit to those who have earned their titles; no we are not "all nurses" ...... we are Rn's, Lpn's, Cna's...... so yes let us move forward w/ a new job title that does not lump us all together into a messy blob of sameness!

Any Rn recognizes the immense sacrifices and effort that it took to finish that last semester, successfully complete all clinicals, maneuver the politics of school/hosp, apply for jobs and network, and prepare for and pass Nclex! Lpn's do not have these accomplishments under their title.

My first suggestion for a name change is clinician. Therfore, Rn becomes Registered Clinician and the LVN/LPN becomes a Licensed Vocational /Practical Clinician. I would stay away from Techiican in the job title because patients are used to the patient care tech or CNa being the "Tech". I like the clincial Assistant title but I not sure that "nurses" would go with the flow as Assistant has a connotation of the position of being a lesser, when that is not necessarily the reality.
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Specializes in Correctional Nursing.

I myself am an LPN student right now, and deal with stereotypes from the RNs who see us all as glorified aides. It's frustrating to all of us because we do put a lot of time and work into what we do. We have about 25 hours of class a week and about 25 hours of clinicals every week as well. We all have been very busy with our schooling and as graduation approaches we are all busy studying for NCLEX-PN. Yes, most of the people in my class are moving on to RN, but we all feel that LPN's deserve a little respect too. It gets hard to deal with the normal nursing stereotypes when other people in the profession have stereotypes of us too.

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Specializes in ER.
I have noticed a few nursing stereotypes lately from patients, visitors and even my own friends (some of then are also nurses). Its very annoying

Stereotypes include:

1. A nurse is a nurse is a nurse

2. Angel's of mercy

3. Naughty Nurse (Please, my fellow sisters - FIGHT THIS ONE - This is the worst, in my opinion)

4. Un-educated, misinformed handmaiden

5. All purpose hospital slave

6. Men in nursing are all gay

Perhaps I never paid much attention, but recently I have noticed alot of this. We, as a profession, need some realistic PR.

I went out for coffee with a friend of mine. I was describing my hectic shift with post-op's, documentation and new admits. In all a very busy and routine shift. My friend works in retail. No matter how much I told her of the hard physical, mental and emotional labor involved - she seemed to downplay my job. "It can't be that hard - You work night shift, all the patients are asleep", "Two patients in ICU is easy- what are you complaining for", or "All you have to do is follow what the doctor says and it will be fine".

Makes me mad!!!

Just my :twocents:

don't talk shop with non-nursing friends. They don't and won't ever get it.

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Specializes in ER.
I'm a NICU nurse and I've been asked if I just hold and rock the babies all night long.

thank goodness for you, I couldn't work NICU!!!!

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
QUOTE=kf15;4216082]I like that idea; my current position is RN night shift lead w/ 2 Lpn's under me in "corrections", not the clinical exposure I'd have liked but upon graduation last May I was ecstatic to have gotten ANY offer, much less such a secure f/t spot.

What bothers me greatly is that we're all referred to as "nurses" there! Since Lpn's are paid less (and less qualified) than Rn's the ratio is like 4:1, and I've argued loudly and clearly several times that titles matter- that accomplishments matter- and that we're actually Rn's and Lpn's here.

Wow. Let's see. . .taking out my license. . .yep, it says "nurse" right on there! What would you suggest as a suitable replacement term? If LPNs being called "nurses" bothers you greatly, I hope you won't mind if BSNs want to be called something different than ADNs, MSNs want to be called something other than the BSNs.

Naturally their comeback was "we're all nurses" just different levels.... my response to this Lpn who is currently working his orifice off to do the Lpn-Rn transistion was "you may like that catchall phrase now b/c it includes you in the upper tier of Rn's, but you will Not feel that way when you've finally earned your Rn lic, and suddenly the phrase includes you in the Lpn crowd from which you just graduated."

You are suggesting LPNs call themselves nurses in an envy-motivated attempt to be something they're not?

I call Dr's Dr, I have no problem recognizing and giving credit to those who have earned their titles; no we are not "all nurses" ...... we are Rn's, Lpn's, Cna's...... so yes let us move forward w/ a new job title that does not lump us all together into a messy blob of sameness!

Any Rn recognizes the immense sacrifices and effort that it took to finish that last semester, successfully complete all clinicals, maneuver the politics of school/hosp, apply for jobs and network, and prepare for and pass Nclex! Lpn's do not have these accomplishments under their title.

You have no idea what anyone else goes through to get their education. None. I am so glad I don't work with you and I've never said this before on this forum. Sorry, readers and mods. I broke my vow not to respond to things like this. It was just too over the top. :(

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Specializes in ER.
I got to say that as a guy, I have found my place in the world and it is in nursing. i don't have many of the problems with nursing as many do. I don't mention the word nursing in public, where lots of sterotypes come up with the other person's ignorance. You can't blame people outright. Look at how the media presents nursing. We are never mentioned in any of the MD shows. When nurses do come up, it is usually as a sterotype. Even the "nurse" shows play up the sterotypes. The only half decent show about hospital work , "E.R.", has lapsed into the dust bin of m3edia history.

I want to propose a radical idea. Nearly ever job in America has changed its job title to fit into a more nuetral tone of being politcally correct. Perhaps dropping the title of "nurse" might start to revamp the public image as well as the internal discrepancies. I know that this is treading over sacred territory of the great history of nursing and its good will. Nurses are working as clincial technicians that we are given credit for than as simpleton handmaids. A new job title might the begiining to re-image the work of a nurse. Remeber that a measuses has been droped for some years now for the more genuine massage therapists. When was the last time you asked for a stewardess on an airplane?

I have said FOREVER that the word "nurse" in an of itself is sexist. Need to change it, I agree. RN can work - but most people don't know what that is either...

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Specializes in Pedatrics OT nurse, Pead. lap-surg nurse.

Is also 100% agree with you ideas about nurse, all points given by you publeically pepole say in India that a nurse is all time a nurse, even smoe time of seceretry of health quatoed that one littrate people may be worked a nurse we donot need so highly qualified nurese what the do only medication which ordered by a doctor.

I have lot of pain in my heart in this profession as male.

I have noticed a few nursing stereotypes lately from patients, visitors and even my own friends (some of then are also nurses). Its very annoying

StI ereotypt es include:

1. A nurse is a nurse is a nurse

2. Angel's of mercy

3. Naughty Nurse (Please, my fellow sisters - FIGHT THIS ONE - This is the worst, in my opinion)

4. Un-educated, misinformed handmaiden

5. All purpose hospital slave

6. Men in nursing are all gay

Perhaps I never paid much attention, but recently I have noticed alot of this. We, as a profession, need some realistic PR.

I went out for coffee with a friend of mine. I was describing my hectic shift with post-op's, documentation and new admits. In all a very busy and routine shift. My friend works in retail. No matter how much I told her of the hard physical, mental and emotional labor involved - she seemed to downplay my job. "It can't be that hard - You work night shift, all the patients are asleep", "Two patients in ICU is easy- what are you complaining for", or "All you have to do is follow what the doctor says and it will be fine".

Makes me mad!!!

Just my :twocents:

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