Received this email today and I am steamed!!!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I received the following email today from a RN/friend that I worked with and I am ticked! I cannot believe that this is making its way around the world wide web. At first I thought that they had just misused the word experienced and graduate. Or that perhaps they should substitute "experienced" for "burned out" or "incompetent" and "graduate" for "competent". Then I thought this email serves absolutely NO good purpose. It is just another symptom of the bigger problems in Nursing (have you seen one of these for drs? firefighters? police officers? etc?)

The email::angryfire

>Are You a Graduate Nurse or an Experienced Nurse?

>

>A Graduate Nurse throws up when the patient does.

>An experienced nurse calls housekeeping when a patient throws up

>

>A Graduate Nurse wears so many pins on their name badge you can't read it.

>An experienced nurse doesn't wear a name badge for liability reasons

>

>A Graduate Nurse charts too much.

>An experienced nurse doesn't chart enough.

>

>A Graduate Nurse loves to run to codes.

>An experienced nurse makes graduate nurses run to codes.

>

>A Graduate Nurse wants everyone to know they are a nurse.

>An experienced nurse doesn't want anyone to know they are a nurse.

>

>A Graduate Nurse keeps detailed notes on a pad.

>An experienced nurse writes on the back of their hand, paper scraps,

>napkins, etc.

>

>A Graduate Nurse will spend all day trying to reorient a patient.

>An experienced nurse will chart the patient is disoriented and restrain

>them.

>

>A Graduate Nurse can hear a beeping I-med at 50 yards.

>An experienced nurse can't hear any alarms at any distance.

>

>A Graduate Nurse loves to hear abnormal heart and breath sounds.

>An experienced nurse doesn't want to know about them unless the patient is

>symptomatic.

>

>A Graduate Nurse spends 2 hours giving a patient a bath.

>An experienced nurse lets the CNA give the patient a bath.

>

>A Graduate Nurse thinks people respect Nurses.

>An experienced nurse knows everybody blames everything on the nurse.

>

>A Graduate Nurse looks for blood on a bandage hoping they will get to

>change

>it.

>An experienced nurse knows a little blood never hurt anybody.

>

>A Graduate Nurse looks for a chance "to work with the family."

>An experienced nurse avoids the family.

>

>A Graduate Nurse expects meds and supplies to be delivered on time.

>An experienced nurse expects them to never be delivered at all.

>

>A Graduate Nurse will spend days bladder training an incontinent patient.

>An experienced nurse will insert a Foley catheter.

>

>A Graduate Nurse always answers their phone.

>An experienced nurse checks their caller ID before answering the phone.

>

>A Graduate Nurse thinks psych patients are interesting.

>An experienced nurse thinks psych patients are crazy.

>

>A Graduate Nurse carries reference books in their bag.

>An experienced nurse carries magazines, lunch, and some "cough syrup" in

>their bag.

>

>A Graduate Nurse doesn't find this funny.

>An experienced nurse does

Specializes in ortho/neuro/general surgery.

I find it funny now, since I've been at it 3 years. Especially the one about experienced nurses writing on their hand, scraps of paper, etc. I've even written on gloves. One time a doc called me with orders and I had nothing nearby me at the moment, so I wrote on my arm. Not the safest thing to do, I know. I copied it to the chart as soon as I could get my hands on it.

Specializes in Retired NICU.

my personal reaction is that it is hilarious. but people don't react the same way to things. if it's not funny to you, delete it and don't pass it on. i wouldn't lose sleep over it or feel the person who sent it meant anything negative towards you with it.

my motto: take what you like, and leave the rest.

I'm sorry, I had to giggle again at this one. It has been around for awhile. I saw some humor to it, but at the same time having been a nurse for decades, I don't see myself like the "experienced" nurse either.

i think its pretty funny, and Im a brand new GN!!

Specializes in ER, Occupational Health, Cardiology.

Oh, geez!:uhoh3:

Where is your sense of humor? Are you really THAT new? AS earlier posters have said, it was to make a person laugh, plus you get some not-so-subtle pokes at your conscience to help the experienced nurse remember why they chose nursing in the first place.

Life is waaaaaay to short to take these kinds of things so seriously!

Specializes in ICU;CCU;Telemetry;L&D;Hospice;ER/Trauma;.

I guess I am an experienced nurse.....

with a great wicked sense of humor....

who hasn't forgotten what it is to be a new nurse.....

What's wrong with a little levity???

Believe me, I have heard LOTS of doctors making fun of residents...etc....so, lighten up a little...

don't take yourself so seriously....

I thought it was funny...but then...

I am an experienced nurse...

so shoot me.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
Oh, geez!:uhoh3:

Where is your sense of humor? Are you really THAT new? AS earlier posters have said, it was to make a person laugh, plus you get some not-so-subtle pokes at your conscience to help the experienced nurse remember why they chose nursing in the first place.

Life is waaaaaay to short to take these kinds of things so seriously!

This thread is very old. However, we should respect each other enough to allow each other our own sense of humor. We all have years of life experiences that get us to where we are today. Many things people laugh at I don't find funny and visa versa. Life is waaaaay to short for me to preach to another what they should and shouldn't feel. But I should respect them however they feel. Trust me this isn't easy because I would love to shove my opinion down some people who make racist/homophobic/sexist jokes.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

This thread is closed since it's so old. Thanks for reading and commenting. :)

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