Social Class and Nursing

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  1. Your social class?

    • 4
      Lower
    • 29
      Lower Middle
    • 70
      Midde
    • 50
      Upper middle
    • 4
      Upper

157 members have participated

This is not a question about ECONOMIC class/how much you make. I've noticed a fair number of nurses who make the same amount of money are varied in their social class. This isn't a value judgment, but it is visible in the food nurses eat, clothing choices, recreation, and behavior. (My prepatory school educated, Latin and Greek speaking, fair trade, organic eating husband readily points out my lower socioeconomic habits, which I enjoy and am unlikely to change.)

Does social class impact where you work? I've heard nurses complain you won't survive at the major hospital here if you're not a Stepford wife. I've also looked at facilities and thought I wouldn't fit into the predominant culture.

I've worked in units where women have married men or other women who have great incomes... And they do wear the newest scrub styles, have fancy cars and walk around like a dog with a sore paw so everyone can see their diamonds. I don't enjoy working with that class/group of employees or clients... I have nothing in common with them... I guess I'm not in any social class........

Where are you working that nurses are wearing lots of diamonds?

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
Where are you working that nurses are wearing lots of diamonds?

California, Texas..... I don't know how they did it. I'd be terrified of losing them, and man they scratch like crazy, go through gloves.... In the OR people wore them on thick necklace chains, or tied them into their scrub pant laces....

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California, Texas..... I don't know how they did it. I'd be terrified of losing them, and man they scratch like crazy, go through gloves.... In the OR people wore them on thick necklace chains, or tied them into their scrub pant laces....

I've seen nurses who wore diamond wedding rings, but that's about it. I work in Texas. I wore my wedding ring at work for a long time because I couldn't get it off. I can't imagine tying stuff into my scrub pant laces, though. I would lose it for sure. As it is, I have a collection of single earrings. Like the pile of mate-less socks in my utility room, I never have found out what happened to those single earrings. As a result of my track record, I never buy expensive earrings.

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I've seen some, but they're mostly advanced practice nurses with spouses who too make a similar salary to them. They're all younger with no children yet, so they have cash to burn. Which doesn't bug me, we're all young once and I think it's nice to enjoy your financial freedom before kids suck you dry. lol Personally I'm not a jewelry type person, because I'm allergic to most costume jewelry. My parents could never afford the expensive stuff that my skin could tolerate, so I just got use to not wearing jewelry.

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.
Where are you working that nurses are wearing lots of diamonds?

Probably in the previously mentioned psych units where the Stepford Wives sit perched on their derrieres except for when they pass meds...or are serving the patients Hordouvres

:whistling: :cat:

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
I've seen nurses who wore diamond wedding rings, but that's about it. I work in Texas. I wore my wedding ring at work for a long time because I couldn't get it off. I can't imagine tying stuff into my scrub pant laces, though. I would lose it for sure. As it is, I have a collection of single earrings. Like the pile of mate-less socks in my utility room, I never have found out what happened to those single earrings. As a result of my track record, I never buy expensive earrings.

I know, right? I've got a collection of single earrings too. A friend of mine lost her engagement ring at work.... She pinned her ring to her scrubs. I never did figure out how to tie rings into the scrub pants laces.......

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
I've seen some, but they're mostly advanced practice nurses with spouses who too make a similar salary to them. They're all younger with no children yet, so they have cash to burn. Which doesn't bug me, we're all young once and I think it's nice to enjoy your financial freedom before kids suck you dry. lol Personally I'm not a jewelry type person, because I'm allergic to most costume jewelry. My parents could never afford the expensive stuff that my skin could tolerate, so I just got use to not wearing jewelry.

I just think it's improper to wear things like that when your client population consists of poor inner city people. I feel it's flaunting wealth. One of those rings could pay off part of a medical bill.... But, I'm the queen of the second hand shop. I just wear my uniform and a small pair of earrings

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

My social upbringing was in a ex-military, working-class union household; as well as a sporadic single parent household; my mother entered the workforce after high school; my father entered the military. Sometimes my mom had up to three jobs because of my fathers sporadic nature and presence.

My mother's upbringing of having three jobs heavily influenced my sister and I; we had two jobs at any given time; I crave having two jobs despite having a high five figure income and living with someone there it becomes a six-figure income; my debt is manageable enough to save and pay my debts-it could be better. I even went to Europe and was able to splurge and have money in the bank-bills were paid too.

One year I went on two vacations and still matained budget requirements.

I recycle and wear recycle clothes through eBay, and shop at Target and my favorite addiction is Primark and love Nordstrom rack and outlet malls; I balk at splurging and only go to Macy's when they have a deep cut sale. I can find what I like, good quality for a low price.

I food shop at Whole Foods and only local markets that link to local farmers; I have learned to shop budget wise and not have to use a coupon.

I can say I am middle class; although once I make a significant deep cut in my student loan debt, then I can safely call myself upper middle class.

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No it is not. My mother who was originally a Doctor in Mexico and became a nurse here says you hardly use your brain. It's not like you're diagnosing an illness you are simply caring for a sick person. Once you learn it you don't really have to do much work(with your brain). It's all routine and it's more physical than anything. A knowledge based career would be someone who can actually diagnose the disease not treat it.

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Never compare a doctor to what a nurse does. A doctor has to go through far more education and training. A nurse is literally considered blue collar in the medical field while a Doctor would be white collar hence the white coat. You are wrong sorry but nursing is really more physical and emotional than mental. I would say that nursing does almost resemble blue collar work when compared to higher medical professions. Doctors don't have to lift a finger most of the time. Their work is more mentally exhausting which describes most white collar professions.

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In Mexico nurses are looked down upon. It's such a shock to come to the US where the profession is more respected and pay is higher. That being said I still consider it to be a working class profession compared to that of a doctor. It is physical job not knowledged based.

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I just think it's improper to wear things like that when your client population consists of poor inner city people. I feel it's flaunting wealth. One of those rings could pay off part of a medical bill.... But, I'm the queen of the second hand shop. I just wear my uniform and a small pair of earrings

Our clinic is located in a particularly affluent suburb. Most of the people who live here work for Fortune 500s, doctors, lawyers, etc. But we see people from all walks of life. We are kind of at the edge of town, so we see a lot of people who live in more rural areas. We accept Medicaid, but most people we see have insurance or can afford to pay out of pocket for services. Most people don't really comment or say anything. Most of the people I've talked to pretty much give our advanced practice nurses the same respect as a doctor, so they're not shocked to see an expensive ring on their finger. However, they're not like laden with jewels. My FNP wears just her engagement ring, but you can tell it cost a pretty penny. She's probably one of the sweetest individuals I've met though. You can tell she was raised in an upper class home, but you can tell her parents raised her to be a kind and genuine person.

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