people seem uninformed....

[meghan91]

it seems to me like some people really have no clue what nurses actually do. as i talk to people about me going to nursing school i get a lot of responses like "oh i didnt know being a nurse was that hard" "i thought they just gave meds and took you to the bathroom and got you stuff". i feel like people should know what nurses actually do and how much they do to get the patient better. we all work/ worked really hard to become a RN and we work really hard at work no matter where a nurse works. Have you guys came across a lot of people like this who really have no clue what nurses do and how hard it is to be a nurse?

[Fribblet]

People don't seem uninformed, they are uninformed.

Hell, we're uninformed about aspects of our own profession. I have no clue what it's like to be an OR nurse, for example.

Ultimately though, I'm convinced that most patients don't ultimately care what we do or what we know or the kind of care they get. Just as long as the nurse smiled, was nice, and fluffed their pillow in a timely manner.

I've seen too many patients receive sub par care and just LOVE their nurse, while others whine about their nurse not smiling enough despite receiving care that ultimately saved their life. The surly nurse is often the best patient advocate.