"Some people have a job. We have a calling."

[Irish_Mist, BSN, RN]

I was driving to work early this morning and happened to notice a billboard advertising a quite large hospital system in my area. "Some people have a job. We have a calling." It got me thinking about this website. It seems to be a constant debate on various topics throughout All Nurses. Does your place of employment insist jobs within healthcare require a calling? Do you think it is a calling? What do you think about this large hospital system using this line of thinking in the form of advertising?

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

"a calling" suggests a religious "call to action". I am not "called" to be a nurse; it is my job, my career, but it isn't a religious experience.

I've long believed that the insistence that it is "a calling" keeps wages lower than they should be (after all, it's a CALLING, how can you demand more money??).

I enjoy being a nurse, but no, it is not a "calling". Mother Theresa felt a calling to do what she did; I am no Mother Theresa....I'm a nurse, not a nun.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Gee, wonder if we should be asking police if they have a calling.....school teachers......doctors? Why is it no one expects a medical doctor to say that yes, he's absolutely an MD because it's 'a calling'?

Because it isn't.

[Irish_Mist, BSN, RN]

"a calling" suggests a religious "call to action". I am not "called" to be a nurse; it is my job, my career, but it isn't a religious experience.

I've long believed that the insistence that it is "a calling" keeps wages lower than they should be (after all, it's a CALLING, how can you demand more money??).

I enjoy being a nurse, but no, it is not a "calling". Mother Theresa felt a calling to do what she did; I am no Mother Theresa....I'm a nurse, not a nun.

You raise some great points. I agree. I personally do not feel nursing requires a "calling". In fact, I get very irritated with some of the posters on the pre nursing side forum talk about "the calling" and how some are only in it for the money. Two posters seemed to be worried about the competition to get into nursing school. Another chimed in and said their "competition" will jump ship once they realize they have to wipe asses and clean poop. In my honest opinion...To question someone's motivation for choosing a career and to speculate that it doesn't meet your holy standards is arrogant and incredibly self righteous.

I can't think of any other career field where a calling seems to be required by so many different people. My dad didn't feel called to be an engineer. That's what he wanted to do for a living, he had the intellectual ability to do so and it provided him a very nice income. Why should that be any different for someone who is a nurse or wants to be one? Why can't a person openly admit they want to pursue a nursing career for a reason other than a divine calling?

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I sometimes wonder if this whole concept of nursing as a "calling" is because our labor force is predominantly female. Because you don't see careers with a predominantly male workforce--outside of religious/faith-based ones--that tag themselves as being a "calling."

[elkpark]

I sometimes wonder if this whole concept of nursing as a "calling" is because our labor force is predominantly female. Because you don't see careers with a predominantly male workforce--outside of religious/faith-based ones--that tag themselves as being a "calling."

IMO, not so much because we're predominantly female as because nursing as a discipline did arise, originally, out of religious orders (nuns and monks). Also, IMO, the whole "calling" bullpuckey perpetuates not only the low pay but also the amount of crap we are expected to put up with at work.

[Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN]

I think that's just the hospital's way of saying we should sacrifice our breaks, lunches, raises, safe-staffing demands, sanity, etc. Remember, YOU LOVE YOUR JOB AND IT WAS A CALLING.

[Caffeine_IV]

I work for a religious based hospital so they use the "calling" and other terms frequently as expected.

Nursing doesn't have to be a calling to be a great nurse. I am not defined by my choice of career so I never felt called to be a nurse.

[HappyWife77, BSN, RN]

I like taking care of others and showed up to do it.

That was in seventh grade feeding patients in the burn unit.

Now, twenty five years later I did become a Christian. I think its different for each of us. This job is not easy, its not a trip full of rainbows and lollypops...so yea I could see where they think you must have something in you that made you decide to care for others as a profession.

Its definitely not for everyone or anyone.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

. This job is not easy, its not a trip full of rainbows and lollypops...so yea I could see where they think you must have something in you that made you decide to care for others as a profession.

Exactly supports what I said.....I do believe there IS something in each nurse that makes him or her decide to care for others as a profession, but it's the same something that governs each person in his or her life choices. You don't become a doctor if you don't have it in you to put up with so many years of school and a grueling residency, fellowship, etc. Doesn't make it a religious experience (calling).

I believe you have to have something in you that IS different from what motivates the engineer, because after all, it's a different skill set and different type of assignment (human beings, not computers....or whatever).

It's not for everyone, but again, teaching is not for everyone, police work isn't for everyone, and on and on....doesn't make me a saint! :)

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

You raise some great points. I agree. I personally do not feel nursing requires a "calling". In fact, I get very irritated with some of the posters on the pre nursing side forum talk about "the calling" and how some are only in it for the money. Two posters seemed to be worried about the competition to get into nursing school. Another chimed in and said their "competition" will jump ship once they realize they have to wipe asses and clean poop. In my honest opinion...To question someone's motivation for choosing a career and to speculate that it doesn't meet your holy standards is arrogant and incredibly self righteous.

Probably shouldn't even get me started on those who feel that THEY "deserve" to be in the nursing program over others who haven't proven themselves, in some way, to be as deserving as Ms Calling, Student Nurse.

To those who are indignant at the "non-calling, it's-a-job" nurses: Self-righteousness should probably be an indication that you haven't spent as much time in your house of worship as you think you have....or it hasn't done you much good

[Biffbradford]

I think that's just the hospital's way of saying we should sacrifice our breaks, lunches, raises, safe-staffing demands, sanity, etc. Remember, YOU LOVE YOUR JOB AND IT WAS A CALLING.

Yup. Somebody got a BIG FAT BONUS for thinking up that one.

"A sucker is born every minute." - W.C. Fields