Who we are, What we are, Why we're here; An open letter to us nurses

[elijahvegas, ASN, RN, EMT-P]

Something has been weighing on me for some time now, and I've generally kept it to myself mostly because I'm usually part of the "unpopular opinion" side of things, and for some time i decided to take the more helpful approach to making and responding to posts rather than the alternative. I'm part of a number of forums, especially on facebook, and i see a lot of posts and remarks that irk me, are inherently inaccurate in nature, or are downright misinformed, biased, and what I would regard as harmful to our professional standing.

But i would really like to get these sentiments into the air. They will be controversial. They will go against the grain. They will rub many of you wrong. That is not my intention, however i genuinely feel that blunt is the best edging

So i urge all who reads this, to read the ENTIRE post, before replying and being up-in-arms about some of the statements made and sentiments expressed. i welcome genuine opposing views to any and everything i say, so long as it is not coming from a place of hostility or just vindictiveness.

(sidenote: i am abandoning most punctuation and grammatical conventions from here on out)

I've seen a lot of posts and sentiments regarding a cna calling themselves "a nurse". ive witnessed a lot of nurses remarking that they could "basically be a doctor", or tooting their horns when they catch a mistake made by the prescriber that needs correcting. i see a lot of nps and pas regarding themselves on that same level. i see and hear a lot of nurses hating the way that they are treated and spoken to by mid and upper-level provides, and detesting that they are being treating as or regarded as "lesser".

the truth is, we are. objectively. our knowledge base is lesser. but the thing is...

T H A T I S O K A Y .

I roll my eyes when i hear cnas/pcts talk about lpns or rns, demeaning them, and saying that they know better. but the truth is, we know, that generally they dont.

this isnt to say that they are just peons or anything like that. but a fantastic and knowledgeable cna is more than likely on par with a rather sub-par lpn/rn. an rn that feels they are as knowledgeable as the nps/pas they work alongside, probably work alongside subpar mid-levels. and mid-levels that claim to rival the knowledge of physicians, likely rival sub-par physicians.

if youre a pct/cna and want to claim the title of "nurse"--go to nursing school.
if youre an rn/lpn and want to claim the title of np/pa/md/do--go to med school.

any given individual may be exceptional in their station--i know brilliant techs. and when asked if they want to pursue nursing they say no because they enjoy providing that level of care. which i find beyond admirable. i know many rns and lpns that are the same. toyed with the idea of np or md, but at the end of the day enjoy bedside. but they have profound understanding of many subjects and systems that are otherwise out of their scope.

the point that im really trying to make is that, we are not providers. and we shouldnt try to be. what we are, is a very important cog of a complex clock. and i feel like a lot of us forget that. the glory and glamour goes to the higher level providers all the time, we see it every shift. if thats what you were looking for when you got into medicine then again, go for it. because we all hear the same things from our patients..

"just" a cna? when are you going to nursing school?
"just" a nurse? when are you going to med school?
"nurse practitioner?" why didnt you go all the way?

for many of us medicine is a passion. or a fascination. for just as many, it is a steady job and a paycheck. no judgment. but i have to think that for anyone who picked THIS field, of all the way to get income, even if it was a steady secure paycheck, you picked it for the people. to be of service; to help.

and thats what makes our "lesser" station worth it. the upper levels read numbers, make orders based off that, and make decisions after a few minutes of interaction. WE are there. every step of the way. we SEE what THEIR numbers relay. we know that a pressure of 90/55 means something from the patient in room 9, and means something completely different in room 11. and i think thats important to remember. and i also think thats something thats getting lost on us.

we're not doctors. we dont rival their 12+ years of knowledge. nor should we. our victories lie in the 101 things we do in between each decision they make. and i really wish that more of us would be content and take solace in that fact. because thats what we signed up for.

-sincerely,
that guy.