Im a nursing student and I'm putting my 2 cents in. I think if the public had a better idea of what nurses do, they would support us and not only insist upon but demand better patient care. Too many dont realize that the nurses are the ones on the front line and advocating for the patient. Too many people have only encountered nurses when they had their tonsills taken out or when someone in their family needed a C-Section. When my family or my friends families think of nurses, they think of "nursing" homes.
You know, I'm sure each and every one of you know what I'm talking about. You walk in and are almost knocked over by the smell of urine. You walk down the hall to your loved one's room and try not to look at the pitifull old people lined up and down the hall with their heads hung over, waiting for their morning meds. "It will make them more comfortable" is the reason for this soon to be dead parade. You find your loved one totally incoherent and with unexplained bruises and you wonder what happend to your grandpa(ma) that was so full of life just a month ago.
Your family may of put them there in good faith, believing that after a temporary family mishap, your loved one would come to live within the family once again or you may assume that this is the place for your loved one to live out his or her golden years (and give you a much needed rest). Unfortunately, your grandpa(ma) only lives a few months after being admitted and you can't understand why. Also your grandparents of your freinds that are in similar "homes" end up only living a few months as well. Soon the community begins to talk and you realize that, this is how nursing homes work. Once someone is admitted, they drug them untill they lose their will to live and just die. It's really a wharehouse for old people waiting to die to make room for the next wave of old people. They must make a half way decent profit as their turn around time is usually 3-4 months at most.
So when most mid-westerners (at least the ones I have come into contact with) think about nurses, they think about "nurs"ing homes and how it only takes a minimal amount of effort to oversee a group of old people and give out meds.
