Should Nurses be Role Models?

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  1. Should nurses be role models?

    • 29
      Yes, nurses should be role models for healthy living!
    • 4
      They should not have any obvious shortcomings, hidden faults are okay
    • 58
      Nurses should try their best, but they are only human
    • 20
      Nurse should be free indulge in unhealthy habits freely, as long as they can do their jobs!

111 members have participated

Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

What do you think, should nurses be required to be role models for healthy living? Should we also walk the walk? Most nurses I know don't. Many don't eat a proper diet, don't exersise, or have other bad habits such as drinking or smoking.

I personally think that nurses are hired to care for patients and educate them, not to be perfect examples. I think this whole idea that nurses should be role models in healthy living is a sexist hangover from the times when nurses were all female and were expected to be virginal handmaidens. I don't hear the same critisism of physicians, many of whom don't follow their own advise.

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

NO nurse is ever going to live the perfect healthy life. I mean heck, you may have a nurse who doesn't smoke, is thin and eats only lean meats, fruits and veggies, doesn't drink... but D'OH! Is stressed out at home, and at her job, to the max and has poor stress management skills. Or SOMETHING.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I chose the "try their best, but are only human" response. We should all try to live a healthy lifestyle, nurses or not, simply because it is good for us. However, we should not expect nurses to be perfect and/or hold them to a standard that is significantly higher than the rest of the population. That just isn't fair -- and I don't want any "lifestyle police" dictating how I behave when I am not at work.

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The only person that I am a role model for is my son.

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

I voted for the "hidden faults ok" although this could be hard for some one that is obese (not trying to make an argument whether or not they can help it or not) I do think a smoker should go somewhere off away from the hospital for many reasons...my hospital has NO smoking anywhere on the premasis. I just think it is so gross and unprofessional when I see ANYONE on a smoke break right out front were every one can see them, they do it in front of the grocery store in my town and it just shocks me that they let their employees do this; they are a corporation (Safeway)

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

I meant role models for our patients, actually.

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jlsRN said:
I meant role models for our patients, actually.

Not in my opinion, especially if the patients are adults. I am not required to be a role model for other adults.

Also, if I was living a truly healthy lifestyle, I wouldn't be working night shift. Studies have shown that people that work night shift have higher cancer incidence and higher heart rates. I wouldn't be turning patients q2h if I were living a truly healthy lifestyle either, as that is hard on one's body (I mean my body, not the pts). ;)

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llg said:
I chose the "try their best, but are only human" response. We should all try to live a healthy lifestyle, nurses or not, simply because it is good for us. However, we should not expect nurses to be perfect and/or hold them to a standard that is significantly higher than the rest of the population. That just isn't fair -- and I don't want any "lifestyle police" dictating how I behave when I am not at work.

Yep . . me too. :up:

steph

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Specializes in Operating Room.

I was torn between the "try their best" and the last option. I finally picked the last option because ultimately, I believe that your job is your job, and your personal life is your personal life. Now, I don't smoke and I drink only occasionally but I don't feel we as nurses owe any more to the system than we give already. I take the best care I can of my patients while at work, but if I want to stop at Mcdonalds on the way home once in a while, or go out with my friends and have a few margarita's or go out and get another tattoo etc that's MY business.(as long as I don't drink and drive, which I don't)

I said this in another thread, but there are plenty of "unhealthy" doctors out there too. When's the last time you heard an MD worry if he/she was a good role model?:rolleyes:

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I don't want my pts looking at me as some sort of unaccessible, health God, high upon a pedestal.

Pts want someone with whom they can relate.

I am not overweight and seemingly 'appear' healthy.

And I do not smoke at work.

But illusions are just that.

What appears healthy, does not actually define healthy.

And lastly, I would never want to come across as preachy.

Education, providing choices?

Yes.

But not, "if I can do this, so can you".

That is just so unrealistic.

We're human, and we do the best we can.

And not always.

Sometimes, as humans, we don't always adhere to the highest standards for ourselves.

We should be able to expect that from our pts, as well.

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