Time to call a duck a duck?

[eriksoln]

I remember having this debate with other students while I was in school. I have seen nothing during my time practicing nursing to change my mind about the issue. Now, with the recession bringing out the true colors of nurses and everyone around them, my opinion seems even more valid. I wonder what others think about it.

I remember sitting in nursing school as the instructor drummed on and on about how "Nursing is a profession." That exact theme butted it's head into almost every single class one way or another, regardless of the subject matter. I often found myself thinking "Who cares?" or "What's the point in that?". Then came the dreaded "Dimensions of Nursing" class. It was the class all RN's must go through at one point or another (IDK if LPNs do or not). There are other names for it "Political Aspects of Nursing" I've heard among a few others. It is the class in which you must discuss the political issues that involve nursing. You are encouraged to join this and that group, Nursing as a Profession is discussed over and over, and you must do a research paper. I never really said in that class how I really felt about the whole business of nursing being a profession in fear of drawing the ire of my superiors.

What is it I had to say that my fellow students got to hear during breaks that my instructors did not? Well: Nursing is not a profession, not even with a very generous stretch. It is a labor, a trade. We are judged solely by the amt. of patients we can handle and still keep the minimal quality expected by our administration up to par. Not very much unlike a McDonald's burger flipper. The faster you can cook those patties without screwing too many up, the better you are. That's all there is to it really. If you don't believe me, take a gander at where nursing expenses falls in the budget. We are not logged next to the admin./doctors/lawyers or any of the other professionals. We are grouped in with dietary/housekeeping/security. As far as budget makers are concerned (and, lets be honest, they make the rules), we are a debt, like a labor.

IT IS TIME FOR NURSING TO GIVE UP THIS IDENTITY CRISIS, THIS INFERIORITY COMPLEX IT HAS DISPLAYED SINCE ITS BIRTH AND MOVE ON, EMBRACE BEING A LABOR AND LOVE IT.

Ever see the movie "Man in the Iron Mask"? The King/spoiled twin tells his brother "Into the dungeon you will go, and you will wear this mask again, and you will wear it until you love it."

We are wearing the mask, but are for some reason we are unable to learn to love it. So we will forever stay in the dungeon denying what we are.

Lets face it. All the aspects of a "profession" are an illusion in nursing.

Definition of a profession:

A profession has a unique body of knowledge and values – and a perspective to go with it.

A profession has controlled entry to the group eg registration

A profession demonstrates a high degree of autonomous practice.

A profession has its own disciplinary system.

A profession enjoys the Recognition and Respect of the wider community.

1. Unique body of knowledge: We do need to go to school and must learn a lot, but I don't know about the unique part of it. Most CNA's pick up on how to do what we do after just a couple years, without the schooling. As far as values and perspective go, lets face it, we can't even agree in here on what that is. How many "Calling from God vs. Its a job" threads/rants have you seen on this site. I've lost count. We can't even agree amongst ourselves what degree we should have. I've also lost count of the "BSN vs. ADN vs. Masters" threads.

2. Controlled entry: Phfffft. It is controlled, but not by us. The hospital/medical field administration decides this. Whatever they decide they are willing to hire is what the rule is. If they decide tomorrow to never again hire ADNs.........that's that for them. We have no say in it. Seen any "Nurses eat their young" vents/threads lately. I know you have;), even if you were a blind, deaf mute with both hands tied behind your back you can't help but run into them on here. If we truly were in control of who came into the profession, such threads would be minimal. Can't be angry about who is allowed in when its your decision who gets in.

3. Demonstrates a high degree of autonomy: Again, I lead with PHfffffft. Our job description continues to be and will forever be everything and anything they can't pawn off on the other laborers. How many of us, since the recession hit, have been told to pick it up and help out in non-nursing job related ways? Empty the trash, stock the cabinets, hand out trays, collect and clean the trays..........its endless. We are unable to define for ourselves what we will and will not do. You don't see them sending the Legal dept. any emails about helping maintenance do you? Any rules/laws concerning scope of practice are simply to protect patients from us should we decide to play doctor. No laws exist to restrict what can be expected of us away from the bedside (no, that would actually be useful, help the pt., can't do anything silly like that).

4. Has its own disciplinary system: Do I need to insert Phffffft again? Oh, I just did. We only qualify here if badgering, cattiness and petty write ups are "disciplinary". Nuff said.

5. Respect of the community: I'll resist the urge to insert the obvious lead here. I'll just point out the complaining about surveys that's been the norm lately. Lets face it folks, professions who have respect are not surveyed like this. These surveys resemble grade school report cards "Nursey doesn't play well with others". If we were "respected", we'd be the ones filling out the surveys on how to improve the model of care given.

Think back to your highschool days. Remember that class clown who tried way too hard to be funny? The not so good looking girl who never stopped digging for compliments on her looks? The not so well liked guy always asking if you and he were buddies or not? That's what nursing has let itself become. Constantly running around worrying about impressing people and all the while completely losing its focus on the primary goal. A lost teenager suffering from an inferiority complex.

Maybe if we embrace the fact that we are............:eek:gasp..............a mere labor, we will be able to dedicate ourselves to our patients. Instead of worrying about proving nursing holds a "unique body of knowledge" and making up useless, pointless "theories" and such (tell me one instance you have found a use for nursing diagnosis), we will become more useful. Focus instead on better time management, better understanding of the things we actually use on the job (the equipment for instance) and a better understanding of the tasks expected of us (study IV insertion in school instead of writing papers about why nursing is a profession).

I know many of you will be upset with me and my views. They are what they are. I make no apologies for them. Not having a well liked opinion has never stopped me from saying what I feel needs said before.

So...............am I wrong? Why?

[pedicurn, LPN, RN]

erik/sue....can we get scrubby and pedi up from oz and have a party?......we seem to agree on a lot....lololol

I would love to party with you guys ....can we go to Vegas ?

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

am i the only one that wants to come in here and just post:

goose!

just me? carry on...

too funny! i didn't even think of that. thank you for bringing a little levity to a serious thread, it gave my brain a minute to reboot!

[morte, LPN, LVN]

I would love to party with you guys ....can we go to Vegas ?

lets pick a date, lol, I will pick sue up on the way...her SO is welcome too....

[Scrubby]

erik/sue....can we get scrubby and pedi up from oz and have a party?......we seem to agree on a lot....lololol

Lol...well they say that great minds think alike!

[NurseRobbi]

I can't think of too many laborers that make 100 thousand a year, or spend several years in college to receive the education required to do their jobs, so I must respectfully disagree. Nursing is a profession. At all levels. I believe the reason we don't receive the respect that other professions do can be chalked up to one very major reason and a few other small ones. The major reason? Representation by labor unions. What other professions arm themselves with Jimmy Hoffa types to represent their interests? None. You don't see the doc's joining unions, or lawyers, either. I agree that nursing theories and nursing diagnoses are silly and pretty much a waste of time that could be better used at the bedside, but I still believe that nursing is a profession, with or without a central theory.

Next, we are currently employed (most of us) by these large companies called hospitals who concern themselves far too much with patient satisfaction scores as opposed to patient outcomes. These companies have decided that patients should be treated like customers and be given excellent service and if they aren't then they should heartily complain. The trouble is that patients don't always like what is good for them and the procedures that they need. Have you seen the post hospital stay patient comments? Good grief! They are full of stupid crap like how they didn't get to eat all the time (kept NPO) and their linens weren't changed daily.You seldom see comments like, "I am thankful for the care I received because they saved my freakin' life!" It's like as though we are supposed to provide excellent care to these people and help them to have great outcomes but they are never supposed to suffer for a moment. Suffering often accompanies sickness and procedures, we minimize it as much as we can, but come on! We aren't miracle workers! This stupid business of catering to the "customers" wishes as though they were residing in a luxury hotel is ridiculous! Oh, and it makes us appear like waitresses and that's how they treat us. So there goes the respect of the public...

Then, to top it off, many of us wear ridiculous clothing to work. Who is going to be treated like a professional while wearing scooby doo scrubs??? Unless you're working in Ped's, you need to dress like an adult. Period. End of story. I kind of think lab coats are a good idea only because it adds professionalism.

Furthermore, I don't really care about the term "professional", I have a job to do, one that I spent many years in school to learn how to do. I work with some excellent CNA's, so no disrespect to them (and being a CNA is a great base for future nursing knowledge) but, NONE of them, or the community as a whole have been educated in pathophysiology or pharmacology anywhere near to the extent that we have been, so saying that CNA's could do the job?? That's ludicrous. Maybe you work on a floor or LTC where you use none of your skills and never act with autonomy, but that is not the case in my job. I use my brain constantly, and I clean poo and pass trays, and fetch pitchers of water. It's what I do, it's my profession, and I love it. And yes, it is a profession.

[Cul2]

There's a tendency among some professions and society to consider those members who work

directly with the client/patient/customer as less professional. You can't get away from the historical fact that 19th century history of nursing ties in with women's rights, the industrial revolution, the growth of cities, and the reform movements. The fact that 19th century nursing was a women's job, the dirty work, is an important part of the history. It was domestic work, as far as society was concerned. As more men go into nursing that may help with salaries and image. Don't misunderstand. Men aren't smarter or better nurses than women. it's a social issue. Why do you think women wanted to break into male dominated occupations? Status. Money. Respect.

Look at teaching. Elementary school teaching is dominated by women as with nursing. Do you think it affects salaries, status and professinalism? You bet. How does one

rise in the teaching profession? Simple. Get out of the classroom. Become a principal. Even better -- get a Phd and become an a director or asst. superintendent or superintendent. Move out of the school, out of the classroom into an office. Does gender play role in what's considered professional? Yes, it still does.

Some principle may apply to nursing and other labor oriented professions. No one is more professional than a seasoned nurse or teacher, someone who has years of experience to back up their academic training, someone who knows the material and skill so well that he or she can really focus on the student or the patient. Remember, in early medicine, surgeons were considered hacks because they used their hands, their bodies and got dirty and bloody. A surgeon was considered a laborer. Recall the old barber's pole with the red stripes. Some of the old barbers were surgeons. They pulled teeth and did other dirty, hands-on cutting. Little academic training. it was an apprentice system. The "real" doctors were the "physicians," from "physic" or drug. These guys didn't get their hands dirty. They examined the patient and wrote out a prescription for a drug. They were considered the real professionals.

Nurses are real professionals. Teachers are real professionals. But the fight to empower these professions further must continue.

[AZ_LPN_8_26_13]

I guess it depends on where you went to or are going to school. I just started Block 1 of nursing school, and one of the first things my nursing theory instructor told me is that nursing isn't really a profession. She said that it could be, but a lot of things need to happen first for it to actually become one. And that our goal should be to help make it become one someday. I tend to agree with her point of view.

[eriksoln, BSN, RN]

I guess it depends on where you went to or are going to school. I just started Block 1 of nursing school, and one of the first things my nursing theory instructor told me is that nursing isn't really a profession. She said that it could be, but a lot of things need to happen first for it to actually become one. And that our goal should be to help make it become one someday. I tend to agree with her point of view.

Yeah, I think a lot of people forget nursing 101 and that we are not a profession. Somewhere between 101 and now, people scramble the message into "Nursing IS a profession but no one else acts like it". Formally, as we speak, nursing is NOT a profession. We in the industry insist differently but, well.................no one is listening.

To be frank, its not a profession and never will be. Its not because we "get down and dirty" or because there are so many women in the field. I have my own opinions/reasons why it isn't, some already listed. That's why I argue that giving up the identity crisis and moving on to more pressing issues would boost our standing tenfold.

[eriksoln, BSN, RN]

I can't think of too many laborers that make 100 thousand a year, or spend several years in college to receive the education required to do their jobs, so I must respectfully disagree. Nursing is a profession. At all levels. I believe the reason we don't receive the respect that other professions do can be chalked up to one very major reason and a few other small ones. The major reason? Representation by labor unions. What other professions arm themselves with Jimmy Hoffa types to represent their interests? None. You don't see the doc's joining unions, or lawyers, either. I agree that nursing theories and nursing diagnoses are silly and pretty much a waste of time that could be better used at the bedside, but I still believe that nursing is a profession, with or without a central theory.

Oh my, lol.

The avg. nurse, with experience even, doesn't make half that. Not even close. The only one I know of that comes close to that is the nursing anesatist. As many have complained about in other threads, you get raises your first few years, but when you get to be "too expensive" you pretty much top out and stay at a certain salary for years and years.

Yes, the plumber and electrician and chimney sweep don't spend as much time in school. Hmmmm.......could it be partly because their school curriculum is not flooded with silliness like "Chimney sweep diagnosis" or "plumbing toilet overflow careplans"? And, remember, many of the skilled trades must perform apprenticeships that last a very long time. While we are in class rooms half dazed with boredom going over "Risk for impaired skin integrity R/T.........." they are in the field completing their education. Again........the skilled trades have no identity crisis holding them back. They are focused, we are not.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

Right ON my pal!

[eriksoln, BSN, RN]

Right ON my pal!

LOL, I thought this thread was dead. Seems some people tried to sneak in while I wasn't looking and post, make it look as though they had the last word. LMAO.

I'd love to begin this debate again though. BRING IT ON

[netglow, ASN, RN]

You just posted - ..."Yes, the plumber and electrician and chimney sweep don't spend as much time in school. Hmmmm.......could it be partly because their school curriculum is not flooded with silliness like "Chimney sweep diagnosis" or "plumbing toilet overflow careplans"? And, remember, many of the skilled trades must perform apprenticeships that last a very long time. While we are in class rooms half dazed with boredom going over "Risk for impaired skin integrity R/T.........." they are in the field completing their education. Again........the skilled trades have no identity crisis holding them back. They are focused, we are not."

I totally agree, I posted elsewhere how silly the whining about how expensive it is to train a NG really is. Now, if it were an residency that lasted at least 6 mo to a year, and intensive. Being placed with only those who are proven to have the experience and knowledge and ability to mentor. Then I'd agree that a "worth" could be placed on it. I find it hilarious that hospitals can even think they provide anything that separates them from what any other skilled profession out there requires. Such martyrdom. It's likely that the "trades" like plumbers and electricians don't get the same belly aching when they are new about how they are such a hardship to their profession.