"Why do you want to be a nurse anyway? They're doctors skivvies!"
:devil::devil::devil:
This was what a friend of mine said to me while I was at the bookstore buying some books on Nursing.
I just laughed it off there and then but it only really hit me while I was at home reading the nursing skills book I bought. It has made me so mad that I needed to come straight on here and vent!
I don't think in anyway shape or form that a nurse is a doctors skivvie. Nursing is a profession in its own just as medicine is a profession in its own right.
People [he included] obviously think nurses are hired by doctors! UGH!! I'm that mad right now I can't continue writing this..!
He's in college studying to be an English teacher..
Skivvy: a female domestic servant who does all kinds of menial work. It's used as a slang word sometimes in the UK and Ireland.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I was pre-med when I foolishly got married and then had a husband to support. So I changed my major to nursing, figuring I'd go to medical school in a few years, when my husband had finished college. But by that time I had figured out that nurses have a MUCH better lifestyle than doctors! I want to do my 12 hours and go home and forget about work; not go home to be on call all weekend!
I do not care what people say, nurses do all of the work. Nurses are the doctors backbone and I am sure every nurse will agree. We stay by patients side and doctors pop in and out just to diagnose and give med orders. THATS IT.
Specializes in Med Surg, Homecare, Hospice, Rehab.
My response to these folks: "I have learned by comparing the two professions (and I did consider Medical School in 1980), Medicine and Nursing, that Doctors do not take care of people, Nurses do.
Doctors are focused on combating disease and repairing injuries.
Nurses provide the care for people during these processes which is focused on the persons' actual recovery.
The two professions work hand in glove together, but without the combination, collaboration and cooperation of the professions, neither will accomplish their missions.
Doctors depend on nurses a great deal. But truthfully your friend is right. You do a lot of their dirty work. They are there for three minutes and you are picking up the pieces that he/she dumped because the family is ****** off. And to top it off you are there correcting the doctors mistakes that you catch all the time. You are not also the skivvy (love that word) you are the aide that cleans the crap and **** when your aides are too busy, or are too busy on their phones, you are the pharmacist because you have to know what drugs you are giving. You are alot. Not trying to be a downer but a realist. Nursing is not what they show on T.V. But if you want to do it you should go for it. THere are so many opportunities for nursing. Doctors may get made at nurses sometimes but truthfully, they know how hard we work. I can only speak from the hospital point of view. Maybe another nurse can offer you another perspective. GOod Luck.
I used to be a social worker. You think nurses get dumped on you should see how bad the social work profession gets it. People would say now why would you want to be a social worker? Trust me nurses of the world its not so bad.
I don't know if people are that ignorant about the differences between Nurses and doctors. Everyone has their reason for not doing what people think is more important but I would say this...
'Doctors are in short supplies as compared to nurses because it is easier to become a RN than a doctor. When something is in sort supplies, it is perceived more valuable than others.' This is simple economics !! Does not matter who is more intelligent or who does more work !!!
Also, to the OP: the term "skivvies" here in America means "underpants". 99 out of 100 regular folks here in the U.S. will tell you that. ;-) The title of your post did get my attention though........
Nurses are portrayed in the media as sex objects, ridiculed, looked down on, et cetera. We run the hospitals and the doctors come and go. We should demand more respect, but we don't get it.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i used to be a social worker. you think nurses get dumped on you should see how bad the social work profession gets it. people would say now why would you want to be a social worker? trust me nurses of the world its not so bad.
no one asks the social worker to help clean up poop, and it's the rare social worker who doesn't get lunch and a coffee break.
:devil:
Ruby Vee, BSN
17 Articles; 14,051 Posts
I was pre-med when I foolishly got married and then had a husband to support. So I changed my major to nursing, figuring I'd go to medical school in a few years, when my husband had finished college. But by that time I had figured out that nurses have a MUCH better lifestyle than doctors! I want to do my 12 hours and go home and forget about work; not go home to be on call all weekend!