Something said to me in class.....

[Hopeful3]

i wanted to tell you something that was said to me in my human anatomy class. there was a girl there that had gone to another college and gotten one year or two years into her studies. she is now taking classes at my college so she can "find herself" and not "waste" money. she asked what i was going into, and i expanded on my nursing decision and said i would maybe like to work with ill children. i guess for clincals one semester she was at a children's sick ward and she said to me (this is her words almost verbatim) " i don't know why anyone would want to work with dying children, it is so depressing, what is the point?? they are just going to die anyway!"

i could believe it! yikes, this girl should not be in the health field period. it has just been bothering me her negative attitude. i just had to tell you that story to get it off my chest. when people say things like this i just feel terrible they are going to be a nurse or in the health field.

thank you for reading,

robin

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

I said this girl has a negative attitude and anyone you says negative things like "They are just going to die anyways!" in my opinion shouldn't be in the health field. That is MY opinion, I understand some of you have different ones. I would not want someone who had that value system caring for myself, my ailing parent, or dying child. But that is MY opinion.

Thanks!

Yes that was YOUR opinion, and I expressed MY opinion. This is a public message board and when you post you have to expect you are going to get varying opinions.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

When someone says something like that to you, say, "It's a shame that you don't have any hope for these children. In fact, a good number of them do not only survive but thrive and go on to lead perfectly normal lives. I understand that Pediatrics isn't for everyone and I am glad that you are leaving those jobs open for positive people like me!"

I am a positive person, I don't want to work Peds or NICU. It hits to close to home for me and I don't think the child will want to see his nurse crying at his bedside because she can't ever come to grips with that fact that such innocent little children are going through things they shouldn't. It has nothing to do with me being positive or not, it has to do with me knowing what I can and can not emotionally handle. I always wanted to be a social worker, I opted not to get into that line of work because I knew that if I encountered an abused child that I could not help or had to put them back in the home where I knew they were getting abused I would end up kidnapping the child and hurting the parents. Thankfully I let my more rational side take over and opted to not persue that field of work.

[MammaNurse2Be]

All people have different opinions and that is what makes the world go around. As nurses we will have to have the skill of objective listening without imposing our personal beliefs. To someone who has a complete opposite view of mine I always say, "I happen to disagree but that is what makes the world work." Then I make mental note: this is not someone I will make a point to converse with again. End of story. Professionally, you will have to listen and not get personal but do your job.

I can't name how many times at school functions that a mother will say the most shocking thing to me about the way they parent. I just have to think, not my kid, not my belief and move on.