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

first of all, i have been an rn for over 10 years and i still believe that nursing is an amazing profession (its not just a paycheck) so, i should find this funny...it started out as humorous but then i noticed that this email was not just going to nurses. by the way, i do have a good sense of humor (i am surprised by the personal attack but then again don't they say that nurses eat their young?)

my point is that this is being sent to lay persons (at least the email that was sent to me was also being sent to lay people). can you see the message that this is giving to the lay person? it portrays nurses as pretty jaded, lazy and incompetent. everyone knows that we have a nursing shortage. is this the kind of advertising that is going to entice people to become nurses?

"graduate nurse carries reference books in their bag. an experienced nurse carries magazines, lunch, and some "cough syrup" in their bag".

i have worked with nurses who brought "cough syrup" to work. not exactly "cracker jack" nurses and not the kind of nurses i want to represent me (or working on me for that matter).

i just wish i could articulate this better. i am not trying to be nasty. honestly, i was surprised that i was not supported by my colleagues (well, there were some of you :wink2: ). i wonder if the response would have been different from the nursing advocacy site?

i didn't see one person attack you on this thread in a personal, mean or nasty way, the only thing they did was disagree with you. huge difference.

you perceive this as an insult to nurses, yes you are entitled to feel that way. others find it humorous and they are entitled to feel that way. as another poster pointed out lay-people probably wouldn't get the meaning of this.

this graduate nurse vs experienced nurse thing has been around since god was boy. you will find it on many nursing humor sites. frankly, i find the phrase "nurses eat their young" extemely offensive and professionally damaging as a nurse, far more so than the graduate vs experienced nurse, but that is just my opinion.

personally i prefer to advocate for safer staffing, safer policies, better public education in regards to nurses, methods for improving safer patient care especially where medication is concerned, better education on ergonomics so that nurses are not injured on the job, creating a job environment that allows us to advocte for our patients without fear of retribution, etc, this list could go on and on.

I didn't see one person attack you on this thread in a personal, mean or nasty way, the only thing they did was disagree with you. HUGE DIFFERENCE.

You perceive this as an insult to nurses, yes you are entitled to feel that way. Others find it humorous and they are entitled to feel that way. As another poster pointed out lay-people probably wouldn't get the meaning of this.

This Graduate Nurse VS Experienced Nurse thing has been around since God was boy. You will find it on many nursing humor sites. Frankly, I find the phrase "Nurses eat their young" extemely offensive and professionally damaging as a nurse, far more so than the Graduate VS Experienced Nurse, but that is just my opinion.

Personally I prefer to advocate for safer staffing, safer policies, better public education in regards to nurses, methods for improving safer patient care especially where medication is concerned, better education on ergonomics so that nurses are not injured on the job, creating a job environment that allows us to advocte for our patients without fear of retribution, etc, this list could go on and on.

:yelclap: Dusktildawn:

I couldn't have said it better myself. After 8 yrs in critical care/trauma, you just gotta have a sense of humor!

:yelclap: Dusktildawn:

I couldn't have said it better myself. After 8 yrs in critical care/trauma, you just gotta have a sense of humor!

Thank you, Angelbsn,

I do want to make it clear to everyone, because I don't want to see this thread become a battleground:

For her own reasons, MomBSN found this offensive, I support the fact that she is entitled to feel that way. We all just have to remember we don't all share the same sense of humor. What strikes one of us as funny may offend another and vice-versa. This doesn't mean folks can't agree to disagree.

I agree as a nurse that we all need to have a sense of humor, it can often be used as a way to relieve stress. Some of the jokes/cracks I make with other nurses, I would not say in front of a lay person because not only would they not understand the humor, they probably find some things offensive.

It made me laugh :D

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
I didn't see one person attack you on this thread in a personal, mean or nasty way, the only thing they did was disagree with you. HUGE DIFFERENCE.

Actually saw one on the previous page.

(done here)

I didn't see one person attack you on this thread in a personal, mean or nasty way, the only thing they did was disagree with you. HUGE DIFFERENCE.

You perceive this as an insult to nurses, yes you are entitled to feel that way. Others find it humorous and they are entitled to feel that way. As another poster pointed out lay-people probably wouldn't get the meaning of this.

This Graduate Nurse VS Experienced Nurse thing has been around since God was boy. You will find it on many nursing humor sites. Frankly, I find the phrase "Nurses eat their young" extemely offensive and professionally damaging as a nurse, far more so than the Graduate VS Experienced Nurse, but that is just my opinion.

Personally I prefer to advocate for safer staffing, safer policies, better public education in regards to nurses, methods for improving safer patient care especially where medication is concerned, better education on ergonomics so that nurses are not injured on the job, creating a job environment that allows us to advocte for our patients without fear of retribution, etc, this list could go on and on.

You go, girl! :yeahthat: :yelclap:

Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.

I see harmless joke IMO. I also think I saw it around here somewhere.

Specializes in Education, Administration, Magnet.

I was laughing reading it. It is just funny. :chuckle We all need a sence of humor in any profession, I did not see this as anything but a joke. ;)

Specializes in Med/Surg/Ortho/HH/Radiology-Now Retired.

I commenced nursing 38 years ago, guess that makes me "experienced". :eek: :clown: :bugeyes: :smiley_ab :yawn: :banghead: :selfbonk: :icon_roll :innerconf

I related to much of what was written and think it's hilarious! :rotfl:

Don't think that makes me any less of a nurse/professional/caring etc. Also don't think it makes me lazy either.

I respect your opinion and your right to that opinion.

I wish you many happy years in nursing.

Specializes in Critical Care, ER.

I thought it was pretty funny. :)

Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.

Though not outraged, nor appalled or anything like that, I thought most of the "jokes" were in poor taste and simply not funny... and I think I've got a fab sense of humor.

There are also several bad digs at the profession in there.

Just not my style.

I also think it's funny. And some of it is true, which is why it's funny. And maybe I'm warped, but I don't see anything wrong with it, even the parts that I think are true. Made me laugh, and that helps me survive and keep going back. And that's the key, to keep going back. Back for another shift, back for more of the same. But going back again and again.

This form of humor is ancient and is in every walk of life, every occupation. Sorry it offended you.

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