Specialty envy.

I can understand your frustration but let not others petty comments affect you.

Do you make a difference in the lives of others?

Do you feel satisfied in your specialty?

Then relax. You're a nurse through and through regardless of what specialty you work in.

Be proud of where you work because there are people out there who need you and you are valued.

Other peoples judgements about you, don't define who you are, they define who they are. If other nurses think that real nursing is based on using a specific set of skills and tasks, thats their narrow view, not yours.

If my past colleagues made the comments yours have made, I would respond by telling them that my priorities have changed and I am not afraid to take chances, so I am following a kaleidiscope career path rather than a linear career path.

I am not new to this concept whatsoever, however continually find myself trying to stand up for my specialty. I am a 3rd year RN currently employed within District Nursing. I can not count the amount of times where nurses at my previous employment stated that:

-"You will loose all your skills"

-"You will be bored"

-"That's not real nursing"

-"That's the easy route".

It just baffles me that there is such fierce competition between wards, specialties, what is counted as "easy" nursing or "hard" nursing. Yes, some of my skills have gone to the wayside-however I have gained SO much. I am now finding myself second guessing the reason I went in to District Nursing--that perhaps because I am younger I need to "do my time". I have 2 previous years on very very busy ortho/surgical wards and was previously a paramedic. It is starting to make me feel like my next job needs to be in an emergency department to somehow "prove" to other nurses that I am worthy?? Where did this come from?-it makes me sick. I feel like you get judged as your quality as a nurse as to what department you are employed in. Has any one else had experience like this? I would love to get in to preventative health, immunisation etc however that is also seen as "an easy out".

What counts is that you are happy and satisfied with the work you are doing. I have worked in many different areas and some of them seen as "easy". Which really leads to the question how do we measure nursing effort or why do we judge other nurses for the kind of work they are doing.

When I worked acute dialysis I often heard from primary nurses that I had a "more desirable job" because I was "sitting around for 3-4 hours". Of course I was not as stressed out as opposed to working bedside but I had frequent on calls and the day is unpredictably long.

It is the "she has it better" mentality some kind of envy from nurses who are not satisfied or who think that somebody has to proof something.

In my opinion that is all totally unnecessary. All nurses are doing important work ! Community nursing is as important as acute care or office nursing. I would not choose to go back to bedside nursing in an acute care hospital unless that was the only job available at all.

I'm a career home health nurse. This is not the playground. If someone is naive to my responsibilities, I will explain to them if asked. Otherwise I just enjoy my very fulfilling work.

Decide what you want to do day in day out, own it, make it happen.

And pro tip, once you develop a strong skill set in ANYTHING, people of all walks will respond to you differently.

Yup. When you commit to one specialty for a few years you lose skills that you don't use in that specialty. The good news is that they come back relatively quickly if you move to a specialty where they're needed.

I'm not sure what District Nursing is -- home care? Some sort of public health policy making position? Either way, it would bore ME to tears. Fortunately, there are people who enjoy that sort of job, so I wouldn't have to do it. The hustle and bustle of the ICU is overwhelming to some folks, and the cardiac unit that fascinates me might be a big bore to someone who is more interested in Neuro or Labor and Delivery.

Assisted living and LTC nurses seem to feel that they get very little respect in the US, and that just floors me. I am in awe of the patience and kindness they show the often confused (or crazy) patients in their care. I know I couldn't do that job, and the idea that I might ever be asked to terrifies me. Those nurses have time management skills, therapeutic communication skills and assessment skills that I couldn't hope to attain. They can't teach the intern how to float a swan or insert a balloon pump the way that I can, but they can do so many other things, things that are arguably more important than the ICU nursing skills I've acquired during my years.

My point, however slowly I'm coming to it, is that all nurses in all specialties have skills and knowledge that others lack, and should all be respected for what they bring. Anyone who says differently is wrong -- and you can tell them I said so.

District nursing is like what we'd call public health in the US, right? Sure you will become rusty in *some* skills, but you hone skills that inpatient nurses don't have. We're all needed and important -- for different pt/client needs.