We've all heard them.............those hackneyed phrases and dopey questions people often direct at nurses because they truly do not understand what we do.
1) "You're so smart, you should have gone to medical school." I AM smart---that's why I became a nurse instead of enduring 80-hour work weeks and giving up sleep for eight years.
2) "It must be great to be a nurse---you get to date all those sexy doctors!" And you, my friend, have been watching too much Grey's Anatomy. We barely have time to take care of our own bodily functions during work hours, let alone make out in the stairwell with somebody who's carrying around as many germs as we are. Yecccccch.
3) "Why don't nurses wear caps anymore?" Two words: infection control. They also look funny with SpongeBob scrubs and Crocs.
4) "Oh, looky there Mabel, that's a real stethoscope she's got on!" And gee whiz, she even knows how to use it!
5) "I bet you just LIVE to give shots (start IVs/insert catheters/perform any procedure that's painful and/or embarrassing)." Oh, sure, of course I get my jollies from causing pain---that's why I'm eking out an existence as a nurse rather than living la vida loca and working as a dominatrix.
6) "Nursing can't be that difficult. My niece is a nurse and she only had a C average in school." Further conversation reveals that the niece is really a home health aide, not even certified, who works for one elderly couple three mornings a week.
7) "The nurse at my doctor's office says........" Again with the mistaken assumption that anyone in scrubs a) is a nurse, and b) knows more than the person who's taking care of you at this particular moment. The medical assistant at your doctor's office, however capable she may be, is not a nurse. Neither is the receptionist at the front desk, the tech who takes your vital signs, or the phlebotomist who draws blood for your lab work. They are all vital members of the health care team and they have challenging jobs in their own right; but unless their name tag says RN or LPN, they aren't nurses.
? "I bet you make a lot of money." Yep, I'm all set to retire at 55 and head to the south of France. Know any more jokes??
9) "My call light's been on for 45 minutes---where were you, on the computer at the nurses' station?" Absolutely! And while I was at it, I Googled myself and my family just for the heck of it, bought a treadmill on eBay, played solitaire, and checked in at Allnurses. ARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!
And finally, here's one of the most irritating statements of all: "Nurses are angels in white." It's sentimental nonsense rooted in the way-back days when nurses were little more than servants to the physician. First of all, many of us haven't worn white since nursing school and wouldn't be caught dead in it. Besides, most of us prefer to be considered professionals, not mythical beings who, even if they do exist, undoubtedly don't drink, smoke, swear, flip the bird at their manager's closed door when nobody's looking, talk trash about their co-workers, call doctors nasty names in the break room, or go home after a bad shift and growl at the family. Nurses have been known to do all of these things. We're human.
i remember myself and the another nurse were in a room with the cardiologist and anestesiologist i know i mispelled that with a rapid that ended up being an in room cardioversion and the family was mad because the nurse wasnt available to answer why her mother wasnt bathed yet omg
The original list was pretty funny. I agree with most of those statements. However, I have seen the argument that being called an angel is degrading a little too much lately. While I will never wear white if I have any control over the matter, being called an angel sometimes is an honor. We as nurses don't claim that title for ourselves. The title of angel is typically bestowed upon us by our patients. And it can be for the little things. When you are in a stressful trying situation, and someone takes care of even a simple thing, they might seem angelic in your eyes. For example, when my father died a few years ago we were all around his bed. There were probably 10 or 15 people. His nurse simply stood there to turn the alarm off because it kept beeping. That simple act helped reduce stress at a very difficult time. I have always thought of her as an angel. She may not even know it and probably wouldn't remember the event seven years later. I fail to see how this is degrading. In fact I see this as an honor and a compliment more than any employee of the month or loyalty award could ever be. Not saying that being called an angel by one or twenty patients has a bearing on how good of a nurse you are. I don't believe that either, but I don't see any reason to be offended to hear that you in some small way improved the experience of your patient.
Excuse me? I do not use the computer I work! I do, however, have contests with my coworkers to see who can go the longest without answering lights...the annoying "ping, ping, ping" got to me, so I lost...and here I am. What do you want now?
LOL. It is always one of my favorites when a person who is looking for your assistance berates you for your delay in responding to the call bell. This really motivates me to be extra helpful..... NOT. Often times, the amount of time is grossly exaggerated, I.e. "I've been calling for over an hour..." when I was just in the patients room less than 15 minutes ago.
"IF YOU DON'T BE GOOD I WILL HAVE THAT NURSE GIVE YOU A SHOT!"
You BETTER BELIEVE I corrected that one post-haste! UGH way to make kids afraid of medical personnel and LIE while at it.
I have had family members threaten that to their kids too! Kid eyed me for the rest of my shift, afraid I was going to come after him. He was only relieved when grandma was discharged and they were leaving!
#11 Must be nice to be able to get a recession proof job anywhere with a sign on bonus -because there is such a HUGE nsg shortage.
While this may have been true a couple years ago it isn't so much now. Our 'job opporturnities' were very much overdramatized by the news media. And we are finding out nsg is NOT immune to the economic downturn.
Oh yes I HATE that one....yes well if there is a HUGE nursing shortage somewhere...it's not here! That is always the 2nd thing people say to me (...but there is a nursing shortage!) 1st thing...do you have a job yet?!? No I just love being a waitress so much I decided to stay 4 months (hopefully not longer ? ) after I graduated ha.
Here's the thing for me with angels, born and called nurses - they don't study, are always lovely and loving, forgiving, near-perfect, don't make mistakes, and what they do is effortless. In short, they don't have to be treated like human beings, the skills and knowledge they have is innate not earned, and what they do is natural not hard work.
I love my work, but it is work, sometimes hard and bloody and frustrating and emotional and did I mention hard? It took more than natural ability to get through my training, and I'm as good as I am in part because I enjoy it, in part because my skills and personality lend are compatable with the role requirements, and in large part because I work at it. Don't take that away from me by thinking that this all comes easily, effortlessly and without cost, and then impose on me an expectation
that I ought to take pleasure in adjusting your pillows for the eighth time this morning.
pageygirl
54 Posts
love all those responses
i remember myself and the another nurse were in a room with the cardiologist and anestesiologist i know i mispelled that with a rapid that ended up being an in room cardioversion and the family was mad because the nurse wasnt available to answer why her mother wasnt bathed yet omg