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I'm betting that this particular post will cause a stir. But I'm curious which nursing profession is considered to be the coolest or most exciting or over all glamorous job in the nursing field. Is it Flight Nursing, TCVPO, Cath Lab, ED, etc.
Don't ask me why I'm just wondering.
I don't know, guys, I felt pretty glamorous with an elbow-length glove on, digging impacted stool out of my cursing, aggressive home health client the other day. While his care aide looked on in horror and sympathy. Did I mention it was like thirty degrees Celsius in that tiny room? Yeah, you guys definitely have to get on board with my extremely cool and glamorous job.
Glamorous? Probably flight or critical peds transport... they get to wear those cool flight suits with all the pockets and MOLLE gear.
Elite? Setting aside the various advanced practice roles, I'd still settle on flight, mostly because their protocols include some very advanced treatments. Of course, the cardiothoracic ICU has the coolest inpatient toys including ECMO.
Specialized? Perhaps burns or L4 NICU -- the two places where I'm in over my head the moment I walk through the door.
To whatever degree the train-wreck that I send to the ICUs from the ED actually return to some semblance of a functional life is due completely to the PM&R nurses and their PT/OT colleagues.I am so tired this type of posts.I am a rehab nurse. Yes, you nurses who work in ER and ICU may save the persons live, but you know what what? I am the person that gives them their life back.
We rehab nurses are the ones the get the pts bladder and bowel control back. We take the person who was a hoywr lift to person who can get up with minimal assist.
We get the pts from being totally dependent on help to being independent.
My job is not glamourous. It's not excitingly.
But I am very proud of what me and my colleagues do.
In some ways, my job in the L1 ED is much easier than is theirs... I'm guessing that you, Pepper, get many more letters of gratitude from patients than do I. That should say something about the 'glamor' of our respective roles.
I have a theory. My observation is that most of the "which is the coolest/most respected area of nursing" posts are from men. Do you guys who are preoccupied by that, feel emasculated by being a nurse, so you need to be in the coolest, most "manly" area of nursing possible?
You are so on to me. It's all about image!
I work with semi-conscious patients so I can implant in them the image I choose. I am THE mostest, coolest nurse cuz I control the ice chips!
Then they promptly forget all about me. Whaaaat??
My job is fun. I know everyone in the hospital. I get to go to all the codes and rapids. I get to piss off doctors, nurses, and patients on a routine basis. You can't admit your patient until you get an ICU consult, you have to float, and you're not getting that same private room with a view you did last admission. Sometimes I just feel downright evil. But not glamorous.
Glamorous? Probably flight or critical peds transport... they get to wear those cool flight suits with all the pockets and MOLLE gear.Elite? Setting aside the various advanced practice roles, I'd still settle on flight, mostly because their protocols include some very advanced treatments. Of course, the cardiothoracic ICU has the coolest inpatient toys including ECMO.
Specialized? Perhaps burns or L4 NICU -- the two places where I'm in over my head the moment I walk through the door.
lol. It truly is in the eye of the beholder. I worked as a RN and NP in a couple of Level IV NICU top 10 facilities and did some transport work as a NP picking up the teeny tinies. The "cool" factor of being out on transport on a mini plane lost its glamor when I realized I'd be home 2 hours late when we got the dreaded 1700 call that was too early to wait for night shift and too sick to wait...again!!
I agree that ECMO is cool. But it has so many people's hands in the pot that it was hard to define my role when I was taking care of the baby as a NP. It did help my skills being in the hot seat presenting the patient on rounds to over a dozen people, though :)
Wuzzie
5,238 Posts
I never felt more glamorous than when I was wearing Nomex and jump boots in 90+ degree heat cleaning up puke in a aircraft that only had AC when at cruising altitude but otherwise sat on a hot pad that acted as a de-facto reflector oven. Woooo baby. That was some fine living!