"Nurses are not professionals"

Published

Specializes in NICU.

I checked in on the edmonton sun webpage today to see if there have been any replies to T.A Ball's statements about nurses and this is what I found:

RE: OCT. 29 letter. I oppose Carol Carbol's labelling of nurses as professionals. Nursing should not be awarded the same status as a true profession such as law, accounting, medicine or dentistry. A true professional performs highly complex tasks and demonstrates a high level of judgment. Nurses must follow policy and procedure and make low-level operational decisions. As an accountant, I am insulted that a nurse would believe they are my equal.

Ivan Miller (Don't get sick.)

Isn't that ridiculous? People just don't seem to understand what nurses really do, and the level of knowledge you need to become a nurse. Since I was a young girl I have always admired nurses and thought they were incredibly smart. Being a student nurse, I realize how much I need to understand before I graduate and looking at all you nurses on this forum, I think you are some of the most amazing people in the world with so much to offer and we ARE professionals. If we weren't I wouldnt have received a "credit line for professional students" to get through school. Anyway, just wondering what u guys thought about this. I didn't realize people could be so ignorant.

Here's the link:

http://www.edmontonsun.ca/Comment/Letters/2006/11/07/2264780.html

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Whoa... didn't read the link because I didn't want to get more agitated than I already am.

I think that Ivan Miller needs to shadow a nurse for a few days, over several specialties. I would really like to know why and what formed his view of nursing as a "non-profession."

I know that the media doesn't do us any favors in the way that nurses are portrayed in print and on TV.

Maybe I should say that an accountant isn't a professional. Hey, I've got a calculator, I can add and subject, balance my checkbook. What's the big deal about being an accountant?

My point being, there's way more to it than meets the eye and he needs to spend some time in nurse's shoes throughout several specialties, Emergency, ICU, Surgery, to name a few. After he does that for a period of time, I'd like to ask him about his opinion of nursing as a "non-profession."

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Specializes in Educator, OB, Critical Care.

AshleyDawn20,

Maybe someday he will be at your mercy:chuckle

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Specializes in burn, geriatric, rehab, wound care, ER.
I checked in on the edmonton sun webpage today to see if there have been any replies to T.A Ball's statements about nurses and this is what I found:

RE: OCT. 29 letter. I oppose Carol Carbol's labelling of nurses as professionals. Nursing should not be awarded the same status as a true profession such as law, accounting, medicine or dentistry. A true professional performs highly complex tasks and demonstrates a high level of judgment. Nurses must follow policy and procedure and make low-level operational decisions. As an accountant, I am insulted that a nurse would believe they are my equal.

Ivan Miller (Don't get sick.)

I just had to respond to this ignoramus - here's a copy of my email to the editor:

Mr Miller really needs to do some research before

putting pen to paper. I quickly found the following

definition of professional on Wikipedia.com: "A

profession is an occupation that requires extensive

training and the study and mastery of specialized

knowledge, and usually has a professional association,

ethical code and process of certification or

licensing. Examples are: librarianship, accounting,

law, teaching, architecture, medicine, finance, the

military, the clergy, nursing, those who work or

perform research in the various sciences, or

engineering."

And you may be comforted to hear, Mr Miller, that I

use research based nursing practice as I work at my

chosen profession, not blind obedience. I have

actually written quite a few policies and procedures

myself, as do many professional nurses. I would pray

for your enlightenment but fear that this may only be

accomplished by direct exposure to the nursing

profession and being of a compassionate nature, I wish

you no ill.

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When we saw the original letter at work, we thought it had been printed as a joke.

Basically it said that anyone off the street could come in and "empty catheters, make beds, wash people and feed the elderly" and we should be doing it at minimum wage.

NA's do this job and earn/deserve every penny they make. How many people will even do this for their own elderly? Not many.

It is far easier to make ignorant comments than actually try and do the job.

For what its worth, the economy is Alberta is red hot. I know several LPNs who are thinking of leaving nursing all together. Our contract isn't up for renewal and quite frankly we can make $13/hour working in retail without the aggro we get on the job site from families. New union grads start at $17and change an hour. Why deal with life and death situations, worry about getting your med and narcotics right, when any person off the street can do our work.

Retail is looking might good right now....

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miller should not be called a professional.

his stupidity and his inability to assess and make judgement disqualifies from being called a professional. :uhoh3: it is him who can not even make a simple task such as these without having his calculator... hehe...

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

HEY !!! That is AWFUL !!! What is wrong with these people? I did follow the link and found that the paper did print a portion of my reply to T.A. Ball. I wish they would have included the whole thing. It wasn't that long and it wasn't at all nasty just to the point.

Just how are the nurses in Edmondton reacting? I'd be picketing the paper!

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But the best thing that you could wish for is that all in that province now know his name, and if he ever requires the services of a nurse, he is going to find out exactly what we do............and can do.

Adn I am sure that he is going to require the services at some time or another................

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This guy is an ignorant jerk! His ignorance is made obvious by his letter. To be honest I never thought about what a profession is or isn't. However I think it is interesting that he feels that his "profession" of accounting is on the same level as that of a physician, lawyer, and dentist. Hmmmm...he has a pretty high opinion of number crunching.

I agree with what others have said in that TV portrays nursing very poorly. On shows like ER, House, or Grays Anatomy nurses are portrayed as invisible dumb robots who never do anything. I always find it funny that they show the "MD" giving meds, transporting patients, calling the pharmacy, ect. Maybe this is partly to blame for Ivan's misconception. I am not making excuses but for people who have no exposure to the medical field where else are they going to get the info needed to form an idea about nurses. Obviously Ivan never gets sick, per his advice at the bottom. I think for his sake it is probablly for the best :)

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Specializes in Nursing Ed, Ob/GYN, AD, LTC, Rehab.

I am amazed at how many people will either say things for shock value or out of pure ignorance. Maybe his mother never told him if you have nothing nice to say, shut up. :eek:

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Specializes in LTC, home health, critical care, pulmonary nursing.

Three letters dude. I...C...U. I am AMAZED at the level of skill and judgement required.

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:angryfire Oh, that makes me so mad. I used to say that if nursing doesn't work out for me (meaning, if I can't handle nursing), I may become an accountant. (Do see what I'm getting at?) I can honestly say that I truly believe that nursing is much more complex than accounting. Like a previous said, this guy needs to follow a nurse for a day. :angryfire

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