I am sure that I am opening a pandoras box here but I will probably not be visiting this website much longer.
I have been a daily reader for several years and I have laughed, cried and been educated by what I have read on this forum.
It seems that for a several months now, the majority of opinions on issues and problems in nursing are being addressed by:
1. Nursing students...
2. Pre-nursing students...
3. I want to be a pre-nursing student...
4. I thought about becoming a nurse once...
5. My mother, sister, cousin, neighbor is a nurse...
6. I talked to a nurse in the hospital once...
7. I watch Mercy on TV...
8. I read a book about a nurse...
9. I met a nurse in the grocery store line
10. I once saw a photo of Florence Nightingale...
Well, you get the picture.
I have absolutely nothing against students (obviously we all started out that way) and they at least have a handle on some of this, but until you have worked in the TRENCHES, you CANNOT even IMAGINE what nursing is like as a profession!!!! The exteme highs and the extreme lows! The Humor and the Horror!
I do not have an issue with non nurses reading all of the posts however, I draw the line at expressing opinions as if you had a clue.
So to all of the layperson nurse " wanna bees" PLEASE do not post your advice and snide comments, especially in the vent threads. I have read "Oh, wow, I sure hope I don't think or act like that when I become a nurse".... or "oh wow, that nurse actually laughed at/told off /or disliked her patient-how awful !" ....so many times I now just skip these responses.
The vent threads are for experienced professionals who have "Been there and done that" to relate and to commiserate!!!
There is a forum for students, maybe there should be a forum for non medical/nursing persons.
After all, the official website states:
"A Nursing Community for Nurses" and 400,008 nurses talking about nursing...
In closing, Where oh where are all of you seasoned nurses? Are we just outnumbered? or is it because we are too exhausted from actually Working as a Nurse to post???????
My two cents, and yes, I have almost 20 years of experience. And Yes, I guess this is a VENT.
Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.
My husband already thinks I am impossible to live with, (I live with me just fine so I think it's him ) and I naturally already have a big pumpkin head :|
I have only been a nurse for a year so I am far from seasoned, but I can say that I get on here a lot less than when I was a student because I am just too tired and do not have the time. I think students and non-nurses have more time so their posts out number the nurses and experienced nurses.
I understand your frustration, I have only been a nurse for a short time and already find my self annoyed at times at posts you speak about. But I have to remind myself that some people don't get it and will not until they experience it and other just post stuff to tick people off and push buttons; and when I remind myself of this I just get over it and move on because there is a lot more things to spend my energy on getting mad over than some comment on an on-line form from some person that I do not even know and who's opinion I could give a flying rat's butt about.
Personally, with 48 years invested in my nursing career, I love to read fresh viewpoints and laugh myself silly when I recognize some feelings as those that had been mine, in ancient history. I also get state of the art information about things that developed after I left full time general nursing employment.
I do believe that "seasoned" nurses have an obligation to set things straight when our younger counterparts are steering off the charts. I teach when I have better information, usually about ethics and current legislation for better health care. I worry when I see that some nurses swallow propaganda pitched by oppositional forces, against newer, better methods which are affordable, or frankly opportunistic (for the moment, until wellness is achieved). It seems as if the status quo, and their own finances have more impact than what is best for people in general.
As someone who was "trained" (and educated) in a 3 year hospital program, I had wondered what the new nurses attained, when they received their education outside nurses' residences. In my student days, (just to give readers a giggle), we had curfews with doors locked if they were violated, we were forbidden to be married, go into the interns' and residents' quarters (all male), go out of town without permission and good reason, etc., etc., etc. There were occasional rare exceptions from rigidity, for an attorney who was married and wanted to become a nurse. She was allowed to go to her marital home on weekends.....
The starched bibs on our student aprons were intended to keep male coworkers' minds on business, our laundry was sent to the one in the hospital (never to come back, if we sent anything special). Everything was focused on keeping our noses away from anything that would interfere with the knowledge needed for a nursing career. Being in such close contact with fellow students created an esprit d'corps at work as well as study. When one of us fell behind at work or her grades, we stayed with her until the work was done, were up at nights with her until she understood concepts that previously escaped her.
It was hard to imagine how teamwork would evolve once students left each other to their solitary endeavors, once university programs came onto nursing's horizon. Sadly, I've seen that consideration for fellow nurses and collective responsibility for patients' welfare has fallen to the wayside (not entirely). I wouldn't want to return to the nun-ish environment, but I do miss knowing that we haven't that "all for one and one for all" spirit.
On the other side of that coin is the loss to nursing of 90% of the graduates within the first 5 years of graduation, during my time. Since nursing, teaching and secretarial careers were available for women then, many of us found we were more suited for other work, once it became attainable. The one thing the past generations have in common with the present one, is the thirst for higher education. That could be more easily quenched when the price of it was lower. Now, however it is a far more distant dream for many.
If we could draw together after retirement, and raise money for scholarships for our younger cohorts, it would restart solidarity. In VA there is an organisation newly started, of retired and semi-retired nurses, who provide treats for hospital nurses. There's much more that we can do for each other....
If that esprit d'corps was resurected, we might help future nurses financially and tutor beginning prenursing and student nurses (anatomy doesn't change, surely; and it would keep us in touch to brush up on established and new physiology, pharmacology, and legal areas). Perhaps allnurses could be our infrastructure for that movement.:hug: instead of this :chair::sofahider
I am a new grad, so I don't have the same viewpoint as a lot of nurses that have commented...but even if I were more experienced I would gladly read 100 of the posts like you described versus the type that I see more and more often: newer grads asking for input in deciding about a job and hearing 'you should just be glad you have options' or something equally irritating. Or my personal favorite: 'must be nice...'
It's a sad day when we can't cheer on our fellow nurse
We have to deal with a lot of the same stuff in the General Nursing Student forum. It can suck.
There are endless threads about this or that school, yet there is an area for each state and info about the schools and someone is more likely to get a response about BFE school in at least the states forum.
Than there is 100 posts of, I just got accepted or I am thinking of starting, how can I prepare and what should I expect. Like literally there will be 6 posts on the same page asking the SAME EXACT THING.
There are do my HW questions when there is a student assistance forum.
There are people coming in putting down others vents about Nursing School when they are still in their pre reqs and not actually in Nursing school.
What is the best book to use for NCLEX, gee I don't know, how about go to the NCLEX section and ask those that have TAKEN NCLEX
than everyone has a professor out to get them, a fellow student they don't feel should graduate even though they are doing fine grade wise and they feel it's their mission to save the student from themselves.
Or I have perfect 4.0's on everything but I can't seem to grasp this or that but really I am a perfect student and I shouldn't be having problems because I got 4.0 in all pre reqs and so the exams must be rigged and they are trying to fail me blah blah blah blah.
Or should I do ADN or BSN and why this one is better than that one (there is a forum for this discussion too)
Or C students suck and A students are what makes a good nurse, or A students have no street smarts (common sense) and C students are the only one with street smarts.
Sorry I have been getting more annoyed lately with the entire first few pages of the General Nursing Discussions being filled with 3 different topics and 5 posts of those same topics. I mean I can understand if you don't want to take the time to search. Really I get it. But can you at least read the first page and see if your topic is being discussed????
I'm a student as well-Mi Vida and I started the same semester and will finish at about the same time. I have to say, the complaint that Mi Vida mentioned regarding the General Nursing Student forum is exactly why I don't go as much any more. Is it that hard for people to post in their own region?
Also, if I see a post one more time entitled 'Should I be a nurse?' or 'Will I be a good nurse' or 'Will I get in', I'm just going to say 'Probably not'. And then start a flame war on accident.
Specializes in ICU, PICU, School Nursing, Case Mgt.
I'm a student as well-Mi Vida and I started the same semester and will finish at about the same time. I have to say, the complaint that Mi Vida mentioned regarding the General Nursing Student forum is exactly why I don't go as much any more. Is it that hard for people to post in their own region?
Also, if I see a post one more time entitled 'Should I be a nurse?' or 'Will I be a good nurse' or 'Will I get in', I'm just going to say 'Probably not'. And then start a flame war on accident.
LOVIN' YOU!:redpinkhe
THis is exactly why I started this thread...whenever that was!
THANX
s:D
Again you guys, this was not ment to not "cheer our fellow nurses on " or to not stick up for them....it is for the reasons stated above by Hyper....please read and then read again
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
LOVIN' YOU!:redpinkhe
THis is exactly why I started this thread...whenever that was!
THANX
s:D
Oh Good Lord!! Was that you?? (jes'kidding) but it has been a while. . .
Lamazeteacher, I absolutely love hearing firsthand descriptions of the 3-year diploma programs, especially those with a residence for nurses that apparently also featured a House Mother of sorts to protect the virtue of the young ladies under their charge. At the time I started a new grad RN with me was one of the last that went through LA County (the "General Hospital" building) and I was actually jealous because I knew she could already run circles around the rest of us. I know there was an element of "indentured servitude" in the old programs that would never fly in today's environment. Perhaps I'm romanticizing the past, even though by the 70s diploma programs were fading fast.
My two cents, and yes, I have almost 20 years of experience. And Yes, I guess this is a VENT..thumb.jpg.5aa4d55557c0228e31b94de19666bbbb.jpg){kind=small}
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Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN
2,369 Posts
Wait, MVL - is this you?