Don't know if I've ever posted before today (been a member for a while), but a post in another thread prompted me to respond to it and to post this. I've spent the last few years preparing for a career change into nursing and am in my first semester as a BSN student, and I'm irritated. I am NOT bashing nursing as a profession, but I am dismayed at the constant whining and complaining as well as the lack of any trace of intellectual curiosity that I have found in my short time around the profession among many BUT NOT ALL nurses. The #1 complaint among nurses that I have seen is a lack of respect by other health care professionals. You want to know why there is a lack of respect? Read on. In my short time, I've been around amazing nurses (bright, dedicated and excellent in what they do), but there are far too many that should be doing some else. Here's why nursing gets less respect than it should...
1) Constant whining. Nursing school is too hard, floor nursing is too hard, etc. News flash: most professions are really hard. Nursing isn't special in that regard. Medicine is brutal. IT, my former career, is cut throat. School teachers often have a miserable jobs. Cops work bad shifts and put their lives on the line. The list goes on an on. People that whine about nursing would whine no matter what career they are in.
2) The nursing culture. The claim of nursing being a "caring profession" (as if med techs, rad techs, RT's, etc. aren't caring), yet there is constant bashing of "bad" patients that are "noncompliant." In addition, many nurses go out of their way to humiliate students and new grads, talk about each other behind their backs, call physicians and other providers incompetent, and are in general rude, sour and bitter. Yet nursing is supposed to be the "caring" profession.
3) The nursing culture part II: Running around the hospital with balloons, teddy bears, flowers, whatever on your scrubs says to your colleagues, "I don't have a brain."
4) Nursing education. Learning to "diagnose" a patient with "Ineffective coping mechanisms related to disturbed transpersonal energy field" sounds like a bunch of hooey to a lot of people. Why? Because it is. It too screams, "I don't have a brain." Thankfully such stuff is only in the textbooks and not in the real world.
5) Feminization. I have heard ad nauseum that traditionally, physicians are men, nurses are women and that accounts for much of the disrespect. I actually agree. Ironically, many more women now are entering all health fields traditionally dominated by men (pharmacy, medicine, etc.) but there's barely been an uptick in the number of men going into nursing. Why? See #3 above for starters. Here's some other reasons. The local Sigma Theta Tau chapter at my school has brown and pink for their colors. The local CC has a teddy bear wearing an 1800's nursing hat and a big heart on its (her) chest (that'll make males race to apply to the program). Which, BTW, also screams, "I don't have a brain."
6) Lack of intellectual curiosity/knowledge. See #3 and #5 as well. One of my instructors this semester (who is a licensed pediatric nurse practitioner) could not answer a question as to what a lesion is. A nurse during my clinical last week did not know the difference between a H2 antagonist and a proton pump inhibitor, yet has been nursing for 20 years. My clinical instructor (with an MSN) "corrected" me and explained that myasthenia gravis is an intestinal disorder. I'm guessing they are like the students I had in my science prereqs that hated science and were just glad to get them done so they could apply to nursing school - never mind the fact that the sciences are the foundation of all modern health care practice. Would you go to a doctor that hated or was bad at science? What about a respiratory or physical therapist? Do everyone a favor - if you hate or are bad at science, spare your future patients and find another career.
In short, there's got to be a change in nursing culture for the profession to be respected.
Plenty of studies in psychology have shown that men are no less emotional than women. The differences we perceive between genders are primarily due to the fact that men are beholden to different social rules than women concerning how, when, and if they show emotion. But trust me, there are those (women even) who are keen to your social restrictions and adept at identifying your emotions. It's easy enough to judge the 'emotional undercurrent' present with contextual 'omission' of emotion, for example, and easier still to identify the parallel to a more 'socially accepted' emotional display within the context of the male 'social contract'...and men do display emotion - with just as much consistency as women. You'd be surprised just how much you wear on your sleeve.
Specializes in Ortho, Neuro, Surgical, Renal, Oncology.
Until you become a nurse your opinion does not matter to me. I am not condoning anything you have mentioned just trying to make you see more than your side. For some people, whining is the only way they know to deal with the stresses of our career. Nursing is a caring field if you make it one but if you focus on all of the negatives then you too will be a whiner. Some people wear balloons and teddy bears as a way to express their individuality and it does not make them less competent than anyone else. You have an inflated narcissistic attitude. In regards to #5, your statement is broad and general and you have given no proof to substantiate it (just your opinion, which for me, does not matter because you aren't a nurse and you do not know what you are talking about). Finally, you are the person or people you talk about. You are a basher.
Apparently, mostly everyone here believes that you have to have had experience in a particular career to be able to have an opinion about it. Therefore, those of you who feel this way have never had an opinion about a politician, doctor, lawyer, real estate agent, salesman, teacher, police officer, etc. Interesting.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i can't imagine why you think someone who calls nurses rude, sour, bitter, stupid, immature whiners deserves to have a happy, sweet, intelligent and mature response.
there's a link at the bottom of your e-mail called "unsubscribe from this thread". another option might be to delete the e-mail when you recognize the objectionable subject matter. last, there's the option of not clicking the link in the e-mail that takes you to the pointless thread.
i only wish there were a button to give multiple "kudos" to a post. seven or eight of them ought to be just about right!
Good luck with your career, I am concerned that this might not be the job for you. There appears to be a superior attitude in your post. I have worked with many new grads with similar attitudes. In fact I might have even been one. In my years of experience I learned to look at the best each of my co-workers has to offer instead of what I would have liked them to be, it has made my work days much more enjoyable and opened my eyes that the "intelligent" nurses can learn something from our goofy print wearing scrubs co-workers :-)
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
apparently, mostly everyone here believes that you have to have had experience in a particular career to be able to have an opinion about it. therefore, those of you who feel this way have never had an opinion about a politician, doctor, lawyer, real estate agent, salesman, teacher, police officer, etc. interesting.
"nypd blue" was fun to watch, but did i learn anything much about being a police officer? "dangerous minds" was a good movie, but what i know about teaching is still pretty insignificant. and "grey's anatomy" doesn't really teach anyone anything about being a physician.
i'm sure most everyone here has opinions about politicians, real estate agents, lawyers, sales people, teachers and police officers. i know i do. however, since i know next to nothing about any of those jobs, my opinion is hardly informed and lacks validity. ditto for the op's opinions about nursing.
You are comparing watching TV to someone who is in nursing school, and is actually venting about what she saw in person. Wasn't she observing what she is commenting on while she was actually in the hospital? I am not saying she is right or wrong, but I think it is funny that people here are saying she has no right to an opinion because she is not a nurse yet. Ooookay.
I was also not referring to having an opinion about a position based on TV characters. Haven't you ever encountered a really rude salesperson, lawyer, etc.? I guess you don't have the right to say anything about them because you are not a salesperson, lawyer, etc.? Are you people serious?
Damn you, Ruby, for saying almost exactly what I was going to say! I absolutely have opinions about individual politicians, police officers etc. I don't think my opnions have the same weight as those who work within, or study, these fields, because my view is uninformed and incomplete. I absolutely don't think I know enough to lecture to those working within those fields.
I've been a student for quite some time - I'm currently working on my third qualification through the same department at a Melbourne university. I've been a student rep for two of those seven (part-time) years. I don't think this qualifies me to tell the giant world of tertiary education, of which I've seen only a minute part, what their problems are and what they should change - being a student is not the same as being an academic.
The OP has identified issues s/he thinks are problematic for nursing as a whole. Though unstated, they boil down to: nurses aren't respected - this is because they are whine, uninformed, uninterested in learning, project a feminised image of themselves, and wear cutesy clothes.
Is s/he right? It depends who you ask. We're certainly not respected by everyone, but I'd be hard-pressed to find an individual, let alone a discipline, that was. We all know nurses consistently rank highly on trust scores, but trust is not respect. We all know that there are many people who believe nursing is little more than emptying bedpans, carrying out medical 'orders' and mopping fevered brows. And all of us who've worked on the floor have had patients or relatives who think we're maids, and physicians and allied health whose opinions are not dissimilar.
Most of us have also found this stance to be in the minority. The recipients of our care often appreciate the depth of our work; our colleagues across disciplines ask for our input and opinions. And we have multiple opportunities to educate the people we encounter, at work and in our personal lives, about what nursing really is, rather than how it's portrayed in the media.
The response to the OP has been vociferous in part because, based on a semester of partial observation, s/he feels comfortable that s/he has seen enough to not only identify this issue (which is only one of many) but deconstruct it into its constitutent parts. And then post his/her observations in a way that is inappropriately top down for someone with virtually no experience in the field.
To take the most defended point - s/he has a hate for cutesy scrubs, which s/he sees as being unprofessional, and which s/he believes allows observers to label wearers brainless. I agree that scrubs in general, and patterned scrubs in particular, are not as traditionally professional as a suit and tie. But they're worn in a very different environment than an office. Nurses have to get in showers, stretch, twist and contort, reach high and bend low, preferrably without injuring themselves or exposing inappropriate glimpses. We're the most likely group of people to come in contact with body fluids, thrown food and other messes. Out attire not only has to suit all of that but also meet other requirements. For patient populations who are frightened or discomforted by the strange hospital environment, particularly the young and elderly, outcomes are considerably improved by a lessening of the clinical - familiar, friendly characters or objects do this at a glance. The warmth the observer feels carries over to the nurse, facilitating ease and trust.
These are all aspects that the OP, who sees only vacuously smiling people wearing cartoons characters, misses.
I believe students can have useful insights that those of us, used to the floor, may miss. And experienced nurses can use these observations as learning opportunities (my actions are percieved thus) as well as teaching opportunities (what you saw was X, what I did was Y). But anyone trying to change any aspect of anything will find a more favourable response stating an observation rather than dictating from on high, particularly when their lofty perch is uninformed by experience or data.
1.Constant whining: Like you, nursing is not my first career. For me though, it is my last, and I sincerely wish it had been my first, as I would be that much farther along. My suggestion for you: more Zen, less pen. Beyond trivial annoyances is the job you want, and need to do.
2.The culture that I see (a large regional NICU in the mid-south) is one where a man can work beside mostly woman, and in my case, two other men, to do a job that many cannot. We three work in a world where it is all about the baby, and the families of the babies. We do not have the time to humiliate anyone. Is every day a picnic? Well for me, yes, but not for all. Crying babies coupled with dinging alarms, desats, tachys and bradys can take a toll, but at the end of twelve hours, even if I still have to chart on both, or all three of my babies in the step-down unit, I do it with joy and with pride.
3.As a man, I am jealous of the variety of scrubs available to woman, but recently discovered unisex Landou scrubs that allow me a bit more colour than the black, green, and teal scrubs that I started with. I have found no balloons, flowers, teddy bears, or other visual stimulation for guys to sport, but have only looked briefly online. Most of my babies sleep most of my shift, but families find comfort in having something other than a monitor to stare at. My colleagues like the colours too, and I find that the initials RN are sufficient credentials, and well respected by all, bar none. "No brainers" need not apply, but if they do, and if they succeed, they have earned it. We all take the same test. Nuff said on that.
4.As nursing evolved from Florence's observations, to the science we are taught, and the science we use on a daily basis, the language of academia became our voice. You may not chart "Ineffective coping" or refer to "transpersonal energy fields" (nor would certain of my "old school" clinical instructors) but the point is that you understand the words, and can apply the concepts to better understand, and thereby care for your patients (lawyers have clients) and their families. So stop being a "hooey hater" girlfriend, or boyfriend, whatever the case may be. We are not laypersons, but we must be able to decipher the jargon for those who are. Advocates, remember?
5.When our Surgical Fellow rounds at 0600, regardless of the previous twelve hours I have cared for babies, and coffee-infused my way to another sunrise, it is my job to give HER an update of patient status. I started nursing school with fourteen other males, in a coed class of 75 (where over 500 had applied) and finished almost a year ago in May with thirteen males, because one of us could not resolve an ego issue with a clinical instructor. Guess who won? And again, with the pinks and the teddy bears: Sponge Bob scrubs do not scream anything, aside from the fact that the wearer is willing to ease the anxiety of a child's hospital stay. Brains, believe it or not, were no doubt behind that life or death choice of "which designer should I wear tonight on the NICU runway?" So ease up soldier, or the small stuff will drive you to an early grave.
6.You will find no one who knows every answer to every question, but most will admit it if they do not. It does not automatically follow that everyone who is wrong hates, or is bad at science. Have you ever forgotten someone's name? Does that mean that you are bad with, or that you hate people?
In short, change is the only given, and people who complain are a universal constant. I am sure you chose our profession for noble reasons, but it does no one any good to sound off before you have any "real world" experience in nursing. School may not meet your expectations, but every nursing instructor has been where you are, and gone on to give back to a future generation of care-givers. Respect is measured in moments. I respect your angst, but promise you that there is no lack of respect for the career of nursing. You may be called upon to do things that others cannot imagine doing to or for another person. You may be witness to the first, or the final breaths of another. You may dry tears, or cry tears, but at the end of each day, you will find some merit in whatever you did that day for another. That is nursing. Florence knew it. I know it. Eventually, so will you. I sincerely wish you the best.
i'm sure most everyone here has opinions about politicians, real estate agents, lawyers, sales people, teachers and police officers. i know i do. however, since i know next to nothing about any of those jobs, my opinion is hardly informed and lacks validity. ditto for the op's opinions about nursing.
plus, i bet you don't go to lawyer forums and write posts entitled "the problem with lawyers," do you ?
What do I know? Enough to know that the OP wants to appear intelligent and articulate and failed in their IT career.
But then I'm one of this weird nurses who can appear in anything from white dress and hose to a flowery scrub top. Hell, it depends on the weather and mood I'm in.
Over the years my knowledge base had changed from unit to unit. If I need to know it, I know it. Do I remember what a normal BP is for a child? No, I haven't had a child patient in over 8 years. But I do know where to check.
Isn't that what we need to be able to do? Know where to find the information to give the best care for our patient.
PS, I hate tweetie bird scrub tops but I'll defend my co-workers right to wear one.
metal_m0nk, BSN, RN
920 Posts
Two things...
1) OP, do you dismiss these nurses who have years of experience and DON'T agree with you?!! How can you possibly??
2) Wearing plain colored scrub tops screams, "I have no personality!!"
The above is totally in jest, tongue in cheek, sarcastic, ironic, you get the idea...But I just couldn't help myself.