The 3 Types of Nursing Practice

[drmorton2b]

I have been a Nurse for 2 Years now been involved in healthcare for 8 years in some capacity now.

I am going to attempt to come up with a list of 3 types of nursing practices that some may find humorous.

1. The Laid Back/I Can't Make a Mistake/I don't care Pay me so I can go home type practice: This kind of nurse can be any age and of any experience level. Most are newer grads, however some are older nurses who have just had enough or have always "done it that way". They approach you in 2 ways. One they are very negative and simply don't want to do anything more then they have too.

Second they don't care about what management wants (I don't mean this in a Union Collective Bargaining way). Example the Nursing Administration will issue a Memo saying DO NOT DO THIS or DO THIS. Usually its something simple. They ignore it completely.

Their Documention is poor, incomplete or non existant. They also are very quick to blame others when a problem arises. Acountability is not a word they learned. Common presenting problems are excessive cell phone and face book use (with younger nurses). With middle aged nurses it usually Magazines and plain old telephone chat which is observed as you walk in the door and they say "We had no time to do anything tonight". The Union is on speed dial for The I don't care nurse.

2. The I want to be the Perfect Nurse type: I have news for you. You will NEVER be a perfect nurse. Well you will be when you retire or if you decide to leave nursing all together because you have gone nuts trying to be perfect.

The Perfect nurse documents EVERYTHING (and I mean EVERYTHING... things thats have 0 to do with nursing). Might as well ask the Patient what kind of car they drive and how many MPG it gets and note in the nursing note.

The Perfect Nurse all though they mean well also reports EVERYTHING to administration. Acting like they will get a cookie or something. Yes there are things that should be reported to administration we all know that. But we need to not "Call the DON" over every little thing.

The Perfect Nurse usually is someone who has never worked in a healthcare setting and in past jobs a huge brown noser and helps management which may or may not be competant push their agenda. Which in reality usually creates more duplicative work in the name of safety due to problems causes by the "Laid Back Nurse" not doing their job.

Little does the Perfect Nurse Know they are not perfect at all. They view this as a job (yes Nursing is a Job just like any other job.) You go into Nursing because you can't picture yourself doing anything else. You know your limitations as a nurse and your scope. These nurses tend to go into it for the money alone after multiple failed degrees in Art History and other useless things.

3. The Defensive Nurse: I admit I am one of these types. I Document EVERYTHING not too little not too much. If something happens I write what probably amounts to a well written press release of a nursing note. I make sure my written orders make sense. I just don't scribble crap down so the other nurses can YELLOW it out later because they have to repost the order. I avoid management at all costs unless it involves a patient safety issues that they should be in the loop on. Not petty things. I constantly want to learn and I try to teach what I know to younger/new to the floor nurses. I also shut up and listen when an experience older nurse is teaching me something. Most of the time the older nurse is correct but I don't take what they say as gospel. I work everyday like its my last day on the job. I know I am going to take flak (military term for when Anti-Aircraft guns are trying to shoot down the plane). daily and get dinged occasonally. I cover myself as much as reasonably possible.

I try to never leave loose ends. I do what management wants (once again this has NOTHING to do with Collective Bargaining) and If I don't know something I ask. Even if it means going to the Nurse Managers office and asking is this what you mean by that memo and bring up a hypothetical example. The Defensive nurse is always on the alert for any other nurse trying to fly into their airspace and cause problems.

Besides Police Work I can't think of no other job where the public doesn't support you and has no idea that not all male nurses are homosexual and not all female nurses sleep with the doctors and unless a Doctor is maybe at a Triage Site or in the field Doctors NEVER routinely draw their own labs, start IVs. You are constantly under the microscope and being Judged by patients, families, other nurses and if that doesn't get to you Judge by Management. The public thinks you make way too much money.

At one end of the spectrum you spend time dealing with #1 Nurses issues who worked before you while the Perfect Nurse turned you into Management because you didn't cross you T.

Nursing also the only profession where people are constantly trying to take your job either directly through Business Means (dreaded word cut backs), You are also constantly judged. Everyday your are fighting for your job. One error here, or one mistake there and you could be done for. There are not excuses. You are supposed to be everywhere all at once. That being said I provide the best patient care I can in 8 hours. I try to follow the polices and procedures of my facility the best I can. I don't gossip about other nurses or even talk about them unless it involves patient care. After the 8 hours or when my shift is over I go home sit on my couch and watch TV and relax or work out. Then I repeat until a day off or vacation comes.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

these are three (of many) of the types of people. nursing, while something we all know and (to a lesser or greater extent) love, is not so special that we need special care and treatment for our own human condition. live your life.

[OCNRN63, RN]

Am I the only one here who is confused?

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Nope so am I