Those Overly Exaggerating Nursing Stories

[Cvepo]

Do you ever read those stories from nurses that completely play up and skew what nursing actually is for the sake of an article? I see them now and again and I distinctly remember them all over the place during that stupid "doctor's stethoscope" debacle. You know, the articles that go something like:

"I am a NURSE. I've HELD A DYING WOMAN'S HAND while simultaneously SWADDLING A NEWBORN. All while I've been HOLDING MY PEE FOR 22 HOURS." And then there's like a stock photo of a newborn with like 12 IV pumps.

But seriously, does anyone know those articles? The ones your nurse friends post on Facebook that make you shake your head because they were clearly written by someone who was upset that someone said something insulting about nursing that they feel the need to validate their career by exaggerating the profession?

Yeah, they drive me crazy, and I feel weird that I can't relate to them. I roll my eyes everytime I see them, and yet I feel guilty if I don't "Like" the post. Am I ashamed to be a nurse? Not at all. Nurses do amazing work and we help people everyday. But I really get annoyed at how these posts over-exaggerate our profession. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this, or am I just a jerk for feeling this way?

[Purple_roses]

I have not reached rock star status, so no, these awesome stories aren't mine yet. But I have witnessed my coworkers handle true emergencies flawlessly and calmly, then get right back to bringing a warm blanket to the spouse of a patient who needs comforting (as if someone hadn't just coded).

ETA: I do, however, loathe the stories of the "stupid resident who I'm smarter than." Or the "I saved a patient from their doctor." Yes, we do catch mistakes, but we also make mistakes too. Everyone on the floor is a human, and so everyone will make a mistake. Let's all just have each others' backs.

[Reyn04, MSN, RN]

No, I agree & dont feel remotely guilty not "liking" such nonsense.

I worked hard to become a nurse, I work in an icu & worked hard to get there. I have a solid job in a facility I worked hard to get into... But the articles, posts, & memes by people who declare themselves a saint, a superhero, or a rock star just grate on me. I go to work when I have to but leave work there as much as I can when I go home. I just worked through a hurricane duty. Not because I'm a sacrificial lamb but because its my job.

Even those in my personal friends lists who post about how they're off to save lives every time they work a shift earn eyerolls from me. The higher that pedestal you put yourself on, the farther you have to fall.

[brownbook]

Reminds me of my husband, (and I have learned to smell a phony by hearing my husbands stories), knowing when a vet has really seen action or is dramatizing his exploits to impress others.

My husband did see plenty of action as a Marine in Vietnam. When he and his fellow Marines get together their stories are usually off beat and funny, (yes funny in a dark humor way), rarely serious, never self aggrandizing. He rarely talks about what he saw or did with "civilians" they wouldn't understand anyway.

[Guest374845]

My wife is a public school teacher and her Facebook newsfeed looks similar: lots of whiny e-cards, memes about grading all night and spending money out of pocket.

I have personally come to view nursing as a low self-esteem profession. It's bragged about and talked up as being a noble field, beyond reproach and with special dispensation to protect patients against all malfeasance. But I rarely see my physician friends complain, and I NEVER see them post childish memes or woe-is-me pablum. Why? Probably because they have collective self-respect and self-confidence.

[NuGuyNurse2b]

I have personally come to view nursing as a low self-esteem profession. It's bragged about and talked up as being a noble field, beyond reproach and with special dispensation to protect patients against all malfeasance.

Those are the nurses who run away from the profession once they realize what a monster the system is, and the memes and humorous stuff can't chase the reality away anymore. Fortunately not all of us are like that.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

Those don't bother me as much as many of the "articles" published here on AN. These are supposedly scholarly articles, but often they are poorly written, don't impart much practical information, and/or don't present any particularly compelling problems or issues. And the writing style is often just so unprofessional.

"It was a hot and sultry night as I approached the nursing station for my shift. Though the temperature was oppressively high as I signed in at the computer, I felt a chill at the dark and moody atmosphere oozing from every pore of the unit. This did not bode well..."

GAG me.

[Hygiene Queen]

"It was a hot and sultry night as I approached the nursing station for my shift. Though the temperature was oppressively high as I signed in at the computer, I felt a chill at the dark and moody atmosphere oozing from every pore of the unit. This did not bode well..."

"Suddenly, a tortured cry shook my foundations. It crumbled me to the core. It shattered my shimmies. I ran, though I ran blindly, not seeing but hearing, feeling, tasting the anguish which I knew I must quell. All my senses, but my eyesight, beckoned me to go.

Rounding the corner, I could finally see what had called me. My eyes had opened like a defiant flower in Spring. It was a man. A very handsome man... my patient who had entrusted his life to me... and he was in pain. My heart melted, but I knew I must be strong. Somebody had to save him. I readily accepted the challenge..."

[amoLucia]

Horseshoe & Hygiene Queen - more posts to make me LOL! Just love 'em!

[operations]

I find time to pee because I have time management skills.

And I don't get emotionally involved with my job. A baby being born is a nice thing, but it isn't my baby, so it's not special to me.

Seeing a beating heart is a cool experience, but I don't spend a lot of time admiring it because I have a job to do to keep it beating.

Etc.

[Beth1978]

"Suddenly, a tortured cry shook my foundations. It crumbled me to the core. It shattered my shimmies. I ran, though I ran blindly, not seeing but hearing, feeling, tasting the anguish which I knew I must quell. All my senses, but my eyesight, beckoned me to go.

Rounding the corner, I could finally see what had called me. My eyes had opened like a defiant flower in Spring. It was a man. A very handsome man... my patient who had entrusted his life to me... and he was in pain. My heart melted, but I knew I must be strong. Somebody had to save him. I readily accepted the challenge..."

You too should write a serial, lol.

[Hygiene Queen]

You too should write a serial, lol.

I've been waiting to see if anyone else would continue the story

[amoLucia]

"But to what expense all my other great needy ones would feel the bane of my neglect. Oh, the choice is tearing me apart! Deep gut wrenching sobbing escapes my lips. Salty tears cascade down my otherwise pale, but flushed cheeks. My bosom heaves as I race to be by his side.

Onward I fight my way to my beleaguered patient. I look away from all the others waving desperately as they vie for my attentions already so precariously stretched to their overburdened limits. No matter to meeting their seemingly petty needs. HE needs me. HE is my calling. For HIM I will forego all others ..."