Teachers and Nurses

live4today, RN · Apr 7, 2002

Originally posted by Nrs2b71
Hi everyone.

I have aol and recently I went over to the "educators" message board to ask some teachers their advice. My son is developmentally delayed and I wanted to ask their opinions regarding his education.

Anyways, as I was casually surfing through their board I noticed a very interesting trend. They are as bad, if not WORSE than us when it comes to fighting with each other! At least the ones on the aol message board are. Now since they all have bachelor's degrees they dont spend time arguing about each others level of education. But they are constantly nit- picking and trying to one up each other. A seemingly innocent statement can end up turing into a long drawn out fight quite easily and their is alot of tit for tat going on.

So maybe, just maybe all of our fighting isnt just a nurse thing but more of a female thing (god I would hate to admit that but maybe it is true?)

I hope this makes at least a few people feel a little better about nursing. I was begining to get very discouraged about nursing and was starting to wonder if maybe alot of disfunctional people were attracted to the profession. I am saddened that their is so much bickering between teachers, but at the same time, I'm relieved that its not just a nursing thing.

Hoping everyone is having a great weekend!

Stacey

Stacey, I would tend to agree with you on it being a FEMALE thing, and NOT a Nursing thing. I've believed this all along in any field where there happen to be a majority of women. I prefer jobs where I work predominantly with men, and thus nursing has not been an easy field to work in for this reason. Sometimes I wonder how I ever managed to survive when working with so many women in nursing, or teaching when I taught. I got along pretty good in the real estate office I worked in because there were only a few women versus the majority men, and since I make it a point of NOT becoming social with anyone I work with, I didn't have to fit in with the few women who were there. They all knew that I was strictly professional when at work, and did not do the "coffee table gossip" with them. I remain professionally cordial and respectful, but forget trying to get to know me on a personal level UNLESS I sense from another woman I am working with that she and I are a LOT alike -- not a little alike, but a LOT!

2ndCareerRN · Apr 7, 2002

I am sure I am going to get FLAMED for this statement, but here goes anyhow.

For quite a while now I have thought one of the major problems with the nursing profession is the fact that it is a female dominated profession. Very often a minor disagreement, or minor misunderstanding, will get blown out of proportion. It often involves quite a few of the staff because of the bonds women form with each other. Before you know it the floor is polarized and the resulting animosity hinders a good working environment for everyone.

I also know that these same things happen in male dominated professions, but, I believe tha men get over it much quicker and return to a cordial relationship. Women, I feel, will hold a grudge much longer and often harbor feelings of ill will towards the other person for quite a while.

So, is there a solution to this problem? Not a quick one that is for sure. I feel that as more younger nurses, ones not ashamed or afraid of asserting themselves in a positive way, enter the profession we will see a gradual change towards nurses who can put aside their petty differences, be able to take comments in a less personal manner, and help foster an atmosphere in which the team is valued more than the individual.

Of course, the opinions stated are purely my own, and do not reflect the views of this board, my employer, or your local broadcast TV station.

bob

prmenrs, RN · Apr 7, 2002

nrstb--have you tried http://www.ldonline.org ? That's the BEST BB for school issues.

P_RN, ADN, RN · Apr 8, 2002

Differences of opinion are what makes horse races.

Be nice.

If you can't be nice, hush.

If you can't hush.....oh well.

It's not necessarily a female thing, it's more of a people thing.

SOME people know how to disagree, and SOME don't.

shay · Apr 8, 2002

I think it's totally a female thing, sorry ladies. Yes, I'm a traitor to my own gender by saying this, but I'm sorry, it's true. Women are catty. Period.

HOWEVER, teachers can be PARTICULARLY gossip-y and backstabbing, according to one of my best friends who's a teacher. She says it's like working in a snake pit sometimes. *shudder*

I wonder what non-nurses who toddle onto THIS board think when they read some of the stuff we say...lol!

SICU Queen · Apr 8, 2002

It's a girl thing... (meOWWWWW...)

fergus51 · Apr 8, 2002

I want to SCREAM when I hear people say it's a female thing because we're just catty. Before nursing I worked in the library system where we had two male workers. There was no infighting like I have seen in nursing despite it being very female dominated. It was probably the most supportive environment I have ever been in. Why? Because the working conditions were so much better there that we didn't need to take our frustrations out on eachother.

I think nursing's infighting comes from the fact that it is a female dominated "oppressed" profession. Nurses still have very little control over their own environments so we compensate for that by acting out.

2ndCareerRN · Apr 8, 2002

I think nursing's infighting comes from the fact that it is a female dominated "oppressed" profession. Nurses still have very little control over their own environments so we compensate for that by acting out.

I think you have hit the nail right on the head, for the 100 yrs or so that women have had the dominate role in giving nursing care there was and is the feeling that women are somehow inferior. I feel this has carried over to almost all professions, after all, how many are CEO's of Fortune 5000 companies?

I believe it is observed by nurses more than other professions because the women who choose nursing as a career are bright, educated, usually articulate, and just plain know when they are being hosed.

I believe as more men invade the nursing profession there will be a gradual change in the attitudes of Dr.s, and management as to the power nurses actually have. It may be because I am a male, or because this is a second career for me and I am more "mature" than many co-workers that when I see a wrong, I don't wait to bring it up, it demands immediate attention. Whether that is with the wrong-doer, or management as soon as they come in, it gets taken care of NOW.

One of the worst Docs I work with is a former RN, yet she cannot prioritize, and gets stressed very easily, which leads to snide remarks to the staff...you would think she would know better.

Of course, the opinions stated are purely my own, and do not reflect the views of this board, my employer, or your local broadcast TV station.

bob

joannep · Apr 8, 2002

In my opinion teachers have never left school. They went from school to college/university and back to school. No experience of life in any other workplace environment.

They are also obsessed with rules.

When my children bring home their reports I read them, and then later read the one I got at the same year level. Nothing changes in what they write.

My husband's reports say from the very beginning that he is a dreamer and doesn't concentrate. He is a physicist, and is payed for dreaming now.

My reports say that I am a non conformist and opinionated. I thought education was meant to liberate not confine. I am not as opinionated now that I am 40. I was very arogant as a younger person.

I don't read too much into my kids school reports.

CEN35 · Apr 8, 2002

i read most of the previous posts. i can vouch, that it is not a female thing imho.

i have worked as a mechanic, as a warranty repair for nissan, i worked for ford, i worked doing landscaping, shipping, some electrical and plumming work. i have also worked some construction. i even worked for my father for a few years.

each time i thought there must be something better, less hassles. something without the trouble makers, cliques and other problems. i can also tell you that teachers also have all these issues also.

the thing to look at in a profession or job, is the perks/benefits and whether you like doing it or not? there will always be people who are clique, people you don't get along with at all, and people who you get along with great........those varibles will never change, and always exist.

just my 2 cents......

me :)

SICU Queen · Apr 8, 2002

Well, I STILL think it's a girl thing. I don't mean to say that the job hassles we face are solely created by women, but a lot of the grief we face IS.

I mean, let's face it. How many mechanics do you know that are going to make catty little remarks about someone's butt size, what color someone's underwear are underneath a white uniform, or nitpick someone to death because they don't like the way they flirt with a coworker? Men don't do that crap.

I've had the opportunity to work with mostly men, and it was quite nice. No PMSing bullshit. No backstabbing catty remarks. If you screwed up, you were told and expected to fix the problem. That's it. No crying, carrying on, or feeling like you got b*tched at simply because your charge nurse is ugly and doesn't know her butt from a hole in the ground, and you're attractive and intelligent, just happen to be a relatively new nurse (personal experience).

I'm just VERY lucky that I work in a small unit where we all get along, care about each other, and when someone is being a total grouch we hand them the fictitious "B*tch Crown" and tell them we hope they feel better soon... I have worked on some units where I'd practically be eaten alive on a daily basis because the women that worked there were so unhappy with themselves and their lives that they took it out on everyone.

Are men grouchy? Of course they are. Can they be a$$holes? Of course they can. But in the big picture, they are MUCH easier to work with...

JMO