unique

Sleepyeyes · May 16, 2002

I think it's not the profession that's unique; it's the relationship between patient and caregiver that's unique.

boobaby42 · May 16, 2002

What a question. Nurses are "jack of all trades" yet not given the respect of such. The janitorial crew gets 90,000 dollars a year for cleaning our building, never touching hazardous wastes or materials. RN's get 33,000 starting out where I work and we expose ourselves to possible deadly germs every minute. We are unique because we continue to let this happen. I love my patient's and have a deep rooted need to help someone in pain, or someone suffering. Otherwise, I would not be happy. Maybe this is one reason we used to be called "angels of mercy".

shannonRN, BSN, RN · May 16, 2002

mother/baby, our class never did find out what our professor thought was the correct answer. i graduated more than a year ago with my bsn, so i won't get to ask her. but i thought about emailing her this thread to see what she had in mind. :wink2:

betts · May 16, 2002

Nursing

-a career not measured in years but in moments...

live4today, RN · May 16, 2002

ONCE YOU ARE A NURSE, YOU CAN'T GET IT OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU MAY BE AWAY FROM IT, OR HOW MANY DIFFERENT CAREERS OR JOBS YOU WORK IN THE INTERIM. I LEARNED THAT TODAY, AND SO MUST DO WHAT ONLY A SEMI-RETIRED NURSE MUST DO...RETURN TO NURSING! :)

talaxandra · May 22, 2002

I believe that administration, families, doctors, allied health, and often patients themselves, see the tasks of nursing, and believe that anyone can do them.

In the current climate, where everyone says that there's a drastic shortage of nurses but still nobody seems to value the work we do, and we so often seem happy to let others nibble away at what has been traditionally our domain, I say:

Many can do the individual things I do, but only a nurse can do everything I do.

Oh, and I agree with fedup - so much of what we do is uniquely intimate, whatever arena or specialty we work in. We see people at their most vulnerable; (ideally) protect and restore their dignity; are the only ones, often, acting as their advocates; and we have a unique, inverse, responsibility-to-power ratio.

JillR · May 23, 2002

Nursing is the only profession that I know of that is accountable for providing, not only nursing care, but is expected to do the jobs of all other areas in the hospital. We are expected to perform dietary, housekeeping, physical therepy, occupational therepy, respiratory therepy, pharmancy, social work, spiritual care, emotional support, security, safety, maintenence, and depeding on the protocols of the facility medical care for the patients at the hospital. We are accountable for all of the this for each and every patient and then treated and if we are maids because we provide these services.

We are expected to be experts in our fields, but not given credit for being experts in our field. We are expected to also be able to competantly work in other fields of nursing that we do not have experience, but other professions are not. I would like to see a physical therapist make sandwiches for a hungry patient, it would never happen.

We are expected to get hit, sworn at, treated like maids, and say nothing and just take it. We are expected to give up weekends, holidays, birthdays, and our days off, all without adequate compensation. If we say no, then we are not "team workers".

Personally I am sick of being a team member, when we don't even get a measly thanks for it.

I work the baylor program at our hospital and then volunteer one or two days during the week to help fill staffing voids, so what does my employer do, they let the weekday people have that day off because I am there as a volunteer. This has happened to me the last 4 weeks I have worked, so I am not doing it anymore. The weekday people don't ever offer to work even 1/2 a shift on the weekend and I know there would be hell to pay if a weekend person was allowed to take a day off on the weekend because there is a volunteer on.

It has come to the point that I am not going to volunteer for anymore weekdays because of this. From now on they can call me the day they need me and pay me the two hour call in pay for it too.

shannonRN, BSN, RN · May 23, 2002

betts, i loved your quote...where can i buy my t-shirt?!?!:wink2:

jevans · May 23, 2002

Agrre with shannon,

Betts, I will always remember your quote

i personally feel nurses care, when its gone get out!!!!!!!!

j

betts · May 23, 2002

You may buy a t-shirt wherever they're sold. LOL

You'll not find one with that quote but you may go to a printing shop that does silk-screening and have it put on one.