Does anyone ever get tired of people thinking Nursing is easy?

Comments like that are kind of ridiculous when you think about it. I'd love to take them into the cardiac ICU for a day with an actively bleeding post-op open heart patient getting multiple blood products, on an IABP, CRRT, vented, on multiple pressors, 2 a-lines and an open chest. Would be kind of fun to see their faces actually.

right?!?

I actually, no joke, sometimes look forward to a coworker asking me to help them wipe their patient's butt (no CNAs in ICU). It is one of the only brainless things I get to do all day -- sometimes. Sometimes it's even more stressful cause they're not stable with turns/stimulation. Fun. The rest of my day is spent managing organs whilst educating and hand holding the loved ones and subsisting all on whatever fuel a granola bar can afford me. I'm still always learning (get paid to keep learning, in fact) -- and I've been doing this a long while.

My education certainly doesn't compare with that of an aerospace engineer. And much of the deep knowledge I have of pathophys has come over years of work and study (as opposed to what I got in nursing school).

I make decent money, work 3 days a week, save lives and every now and then I actually AM the smartest one in the room. Never been put down (by a non-patient/family member) for being a nurse, (quite the opposite). But if I was I sure wouldn't sweat it.

My cousin asked once if all I did was walk around and hand out pills... I just said yes and moved on with my life.

Two years later her brother was in the ICU and I was walking our family through what was going on and explaining the equipment/lines/machines/alarms/tests/procedures/staff.....

With her jaw on the floor she stared at me and said "THIS is what you do?"

Vindicated I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Sort of, except my patients are sicker and they're children"

It should be noted my cousin was going to be fine.

Oh yes.

Once for Christmas I was given a tiny portable TV and every one I showed it to asked me If I was going to use it at work during night shift. I thought best not to give an answer other than a simple no it is not for that because toads would have flown out of my incredulous mouth.

I saw a forum the other day where a bunch of men were talking about how easy it was to be a nurse. They referred to us as "glorified maids" and we get "paid a lot to wipe asses." When I first started nursing school (I will graduate in a few months), a family member asked me, "So do you know how to use an actual sphygmomanometer now?"

For the men, I would say, "I get paid more than you to do such an easy job. Why not be a real man, work smarter and not harder, and 'become a nurse'?"

For the sphyg question, I would say, "What does a sphygmomanometer do? How does it operate? What does the gauge tell you? Do you know what pressure is? Do you know what an ACE inhibitor is? Or a Beta blocker does? Tell me about the RAAS sequence? Speaking of RAAS, tell me how RAS works in a tumor and what is Warburg effect? What is an old school medication used to treat hypertension? What is a newer more safer method? Is it one pill that takes the actions of multiple pills or is a sequence of medication? What is the ending of a typical ACE inhibitor in that someone like you who thinks it's so easy could remember? What are the symptoms of hypertension? Please tell me, I'd like to know. I went to school for it, little ol you did not, hmm shame, was it cause you couldn't handle it? *Tear* I mean who in their right mind would not want to work an 'easy' job that gets paid a lot? I get paid a lot to wipe asses as a glorified maid, by the way, how's your brand new Harley Davidson? Or your new spec'd out laptop or anything spec'd out you can get because you're a glorified ass wiping maid cause mine are amazing. I guess that's what I get for being a glorified ass wiping maid?"

I like to put myself in the douchebag's shoes and get down on their level and find a way to destroy their confidence. They want to cop a stupid question, they shall receive a stupid answer.

Everything is easy when you're not the one doing it. People say a lot worse things on the internet, but who cares? ...because it's the internet.

Everyone thinks their work is difficult and they deserve more respect.

Pharmacy school IS a lot harder than nursing school. I'll give them that.

That depends on what one constitutes "hard."

I dont give a....whether they think being a nurse or me being a nurse is easy or hard. They arent paying my rent. Its just jealousy usually, because we are bad ass and they know it, or they dont like their own role. I dont care either way.

My response to "nurses are lazy" "I could be a nurse" "CNA's work way harder than nurses" "why didnt you go to medical school" :

Thanks for sharing, your opinion is super important to me. Smug smile. Gets em every time.