Just saw a thread from a fairly distressed RN who fears losing her first nursing job. The very first response was from someone who stated "while I am not a nurse, I think ...."
It made me stop and think - I wonder what draws non-nurse, non-medical people here? And to give advice? I can't imagine being interested enough in an engineering forum, for example, to hang out on it, let alone offer advice in an area in which I have no experience or training.
Don't get me wrong, I have no issue with anyone posting on any forum. I just find it curious. Perhaps my worldview is too limited and I need to expand my Internet browsing beyond AN.com?
Personally, I think the Reader's Digest is behind a lot of the mistrust of healthcare workers. You know their "be your loved one's advocate" articles. There is being an advocate and there is being an idiot.
I really don't go to work every day with a plan to harm, kill, overdose anyone's loved one. So yes, I resent being interrogated by daughters who haven't bothered to accompany Mum/Dad to the appointment with the specialist who set up the day surgery. And yes, it's day surgery, not a three week stay. If the concerned daughter had attended one appointment she'd know exactly why we are doing what we are doing. Mum/Dad usually are more fully functioning than the family member and often are heard telling them to "leave the nurse alone, I know what she's doing".
But you know the Reader's Digest is right, you have to stand there and demand to know WHY a pre-op patient is NPO, why can't s/he wear a necklace in the OR. Oh, an my favourite "give me your bag Mum, we don't want the nurses "taking" your wallet". Hell, if they'd read the leaflet, they'd know we tell people not to bring valuables to the hospital.
This site directs individuals seeking a career in nursing to join it's site. That is how I got here and I am sure numerous other did via the same avenue. Here is the link to the invite: Pre-Nursing Student
Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.
Who knows. I lurked until I did the Pearson Vue trick and found out I passed NCLEX. Then I felt like it was ok to post Wouldn't give career advice on other professional forums though.
Back when I was first contemplating nursing, I went searching for a nursing forum and found AllNurses. I looked around for a while and learned a lot about the field. When I found a thread I could and wanted to answer, I joined up. Soon after I became a per-nursing student, then a nursing student, now I am on the verge of being a graduate nurse, and in a month or two I will be taking the Nclex. I maybe bugging the regular nurses soon. j/k
While I usually only post in the student sections I have from time to time posted in Nurses section. Not often, I mind you, for some of the reasons already stated by other posters in this thread. I am not yet a full blown nurse and I am greatly hesitant to post out of my sections. But, honestly some issues are more universal to all fields and some are not. The "I think I am being fired" and "I am burned out",threads that pop up every few days are not exclusively nursing issues. The narcotic questions, and "the looking for a nursing job" that also pop up every few days, are more specific to nurses and I wouldn't expect a non-nurse to reply to these threads.
As for how non-nurses, non-nurseing students, and non-prenursing students end up here I blame Google. Whenever I type in a nursing related question it usually brings me here. Type in nursing and Allnurses is the first website to pop up. Why people stay, once they find us, I do not know. Its one of the great mysteries. Maybe they just want to hang out with the cool kids.
......Oh, an my favourite "give me your bag Mum, we don't want the nurses "taking" your wallet". Hell, if they'd read the leaflet, they'd know we tell people not to bring valuables to the hospital.
I give you alot of credit. I would probably be called on the carpet for saying something like "oh, no, PLEASE leave your wallet with me. I only need ONE MORE to finish my collection..."
I'm an outsider I joined because I respect the nursing profession so much. Members of your profession have always been good to me. I wanted to show my appreciation by offering kind words to a profession who in my opinion doesn't get the credit they so deserve, maybe offer a pick me up after a bad shift, and to remind nurses they have some fans and admirers out there! You all rock!!
Well I am a non-nurse who browses the site. At first I thought of going down the route and so it was a great way to see what the real world was like for nurses. Now I just browse for fun stories and to keep in touch with some of the medical changes (since I am still in a healthcare profession) that go on in my country. I think it's a great way to appreciate how nurses work because honestly I had no clue until I came on here... definitely will change the way I see them and how I will work with them in the future.
Specializes in ED, Telemetry,Hospice, ICU, Supervisor.
DRAMA
Most of the nursing field is made up of women. Anytime you put a flock of women together and give them the opportunity to anonymously post....well you are sure to have tons of drama.
Its like how MTV puts the most over the top drama queens/kings on The Real World. It makes life interesting.
I've often thought we should have a set-up similar to what they do on another healthcare forum . Their forums are open to everyone with the exception of one for chief residents. That's a closed forum. I think (and this is my personal opinion) it would be helpful to have a similar "gated" forum. That way, if a nurse wanted feedback from his/her peers, it would be feedback from actual nurses, not students, pre-'s or the "I'm not a nurse, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night" types.
I really don't get it either. I'm not an architect. If I went onto an architects' forum and read a thread asking for advice, I wouldn't dream of replying, "Well, I'm not an architect, but..."
And how would you know who is really a nurse? I can claim to be the king of Brunei, but you only have your generic trust in humanity to decide whether to believe me. Would you expect us to send in a copy of our licenses in order to gain access to the gated community?
Wouldn't give career advice on other professional forums though.
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j/k 
Fiona59
8,343 Posts
Personally, I think the Reader's Digest is behind a lot of the mistrust of healthcare workers. You know their "be your loved one's advocate" articles. There is being an advocate and there is being an idiot.
I really don't go to work every day with a plan to harm, kill, overdose anyone's loved one. So yes, I resent being interrogated by daughters who haven't bothered to accompany Mum/Dad to the appointment with the specialist who set up the day surgery. And yes, it's day surgery, not a three week stay. If the concerned daughter had attended one appointment she'd know exactly why we are doing what we are doing. Mum/Dad usually are more fully functioning than the family member and often are heard telling them to "leave the nurse alone, I know what she's doing".
But you know the Reader's Digest is right, you have to stand there and demand to know WHY a pre-op patient is NPO, why can't s/he wear a necklace in the OR. Oh, an my favourite "give me your bag Mum, we don't want the nurses "taking" your wallet". Hell, if they'd read the leaflet, they'd know we tell people not to bring valuables to the hospital.