eh, i think we have a bit of a misunderstanding here. though i probably should let this go, i like this place and don't wish to be misunderstood. allow me to explain myself further- no attacks to you. swords down.
chances are, if she's a cna, then she already knows all about demented, elderly people and incontinence.
i think you are a bit confused- i am not the op and did not talk to the cna. the people i talk to are college students, some dissatisfied with their current majors, many scared for their future financial situation in this crazy economy. they have no healthcare experience and many are drawn by the promise of easy bucks and security, a very few by the need to care and be needed. i have talked at length with several of them. they explained their motives and perceptions. sometimes the motives of a good nurse (i.e. caring) but more often than not, the perceptions have been off. one girl hoped to meet a doctor, one guy thought it was a cushy job- "answer a few call lights, fetch a few sodas, to the tune of 60k!". who here would agree? keep in mind that many people still have only a vague idea of what nurses do.
what say's more is that you think someone being exposed to all these 'horrible conditions' would turn them away from the profession.
i don't care either way what they do. they ask me what i know. i tell them. i also tell them good things since i know good things as well- the feeling you get when you've helped the patient relax, when you finally get them to open up and tell you how to help them- it's amazing. to some, it is not enough. i am not a recruiter and i do not respect recruiters' methods of hyping people up or playing to vanity and emotion. this job is great if its for you, but it's not to be entered into lightly. the choice should be made with a list of pros and cons in mind, ruminated over for some time, then decided. in the midst of excited peers, soda, cookies, music, and smiling models on posters and brochures is not a good way to form a decision upon such a career that taxes mind, body and spirit on a daily basis. if i am being asked to skirt around the fact that its often dirty, and occassionally abusive and mentally scarring, sorry but i am no liar, not even by omission.
who's to say that the promise of 'easy money' is propelling their choice?
about 18 of the 23 or so people have mentioned it by name. i did not pull it out of my hat. it's one good thing, but as i have said many times, not by itself. never alone is it enough. i say this to them. whether they believe me or not is their decision.
further more, who made you the 'exposing angel of nursing'?
that's bit much, but as i said, i simply tell what i know when asked. it's not a personal mission or anything. other than that, my 1st amendment rights let me say what i wish and i intend to use them to speak my reality as long as my tongue is free. if i am the sole person those students consult, then they are fools or not serious. if they are relatively sure in their heart of hearts that they want to give this a try, my accounts of the hard side of reality should not be all that dissuasive. i don't believe i have that much pull at any rate.
it seems like the money was your motivating factor and it was you who got the dose of reality.
that's a pretty hefty insult there- one which i must say is mighty offbase. i did get a dose of reality- but who here hasn't? who here remains unsurprised or unshaken by what they have seen or felt in this course of work? i went in for the right reason- because i wish to care for others, though admittedly, my feelings and thoughts about it all are a bit complicated at this point. i still love this job, what i have seen of it. but my love is not blind. i dissect everything i encounter- good, bad, neutral. it's my nature just as it is the nature of others to ignore the bad and focus on the good. i simply have a different way of relating to life than perhaps many here do. i have not fully reconciled my feelings yet about some things, but so far the rewards have outweighed the pain of the frustrations and ********. there are no stars in my eyes, but my intentions were and are the right ones.
i hope i have clarified and de-demonized myself.
