Why Are Nurses Given Such A Bad Rap Today?

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Apr 7, 2005

Could you define "bad rap" a little better?

I'm not sure I understand the term. The only person who I'm sure has given nurses a bad rap lately is Schwarzenegger.

ryanfocker · Apr 7, 2005

i am starting nursing school next month, and i have had an overwhelmingly positive response from friends, family, etc....and i'm a guy!!

atleast in the northeast(i'm in philly); nurses are highly respected professionals.

it is extremely common to hear people say they would rather see a nurse than a doctor, and to hear that many nurses these days KNOW more than the doctors.

schwartsnegger is moron and frankly, california deserves what its getting in my east coast opinion.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Apr 7, 2005

I didn't know we were getting a bad rap. Whose giving us a bad rap?

JVanRN · Apr 7, 2005

Yes...I'm not sure what you mean by that either. Most people I know seem to hold nurses in high regard, but those same people would agree that they themselves could NEVER be nurses. I think the profession of NURSING has been given a bad rap but not so much NURSES themselves. Does that make sense? Probably not, sorry not great with words.

The general public needs to be educated on what the nursing profession actually does. Most equate it with handholding, buttwiping, diva docs, and long hours that pretty much anyone could do but won't put up with. What I'm trying to say is that I think most people admire nurses themselves but the nursing profession does not get the respect it deserves. The average person has no idea the knowlege and expertise that a nurse actaully must have. It's more than just following Dr. orders and holding hands. I hope this make sense. I'm tired.

That is the only kind of "bad rap" I can think of. When people find out I'm a nurse I have never gotten a bad reaction. Just the normal "Wow, I could never do what you do." but I don't necessarily see that as a negative reaction (or really a positive).

live4today, RN · Apr 7, 2005

Yes...I'm not sure what you mean by that either. Most people I know seem to hold nurses in high regard, but those same people would agree that they themselves could NEVER be nurses. I think the profession of NURSING has been given a bad rap but not so much NURSES themselves. Does that make sense? Probably not, sorry not great with words.
The general public needs to be educated on what the nursing profession actually does. Most equate it with handholding, buttwiping, diva docs, and long hours that pretty much anyone could do but won't put up with. What I'm trying to say is that I think most people admire nurses themselves but the nursing profession does not get the respect it deserves. The average person has no idea the knowlege and expertise that a nurse actaully must have. It's more than just following Dr. orders and holding hands. I hope this make sense. I'm tired.
That is the only kind of "bad rap" I can think of. When people find out I'm a nurse I have never gotten a bad reaction. Just the normal "Wow, I could never do what you do." but I don't necessarily see that as a negative reaction (or really a positive).

Your thoughts match what I was really referring to. I apologize for not being able to express these thoughts better when starting the thread. Thanks for posting! :)

I've been talking to a lot of people who work healthcare over the past two weeks when I'm out and about job hunting, and I've met a few nurses who work in non-nursing jobs (retail for example) because of their belief that nurses are not being respected............thus...what I termed "bad rap"...sorry to confuse anyone. :uhoh21:

Then, when I read the threads that are specific to the nursing profession in regards to how we are being portrayed in the media, the news, the movies, and so forth........this made me think of the "bad rap" term I used.

That's it in a nutshell. :)

mattsmom81 · Apr 7, 2005

In another thread a poster shared his sociology professors referred to nursing as a 'pink collar ghetto.' This term this illustrates pretty well the 'bad rap' nurses get. (I'm stilla bit in shock over that term personally.)

So...its gotten to the college professors...who teach our kids...who would want to enter a 'pink collar ghetto' if they had a choice?

I know things are pretty bad in nursing today...but do we deserve this? :stone

jnette, ASN, EMT-I · Apr 8, 2005

In another thread a poster shared his sociology professors referred to nursing as a 'pink collar ghetto.' This term this illustrates pretty well the 'bad rap' nurses get. (I'm stilla bit in shock over that term personally.)
So...its gotten to the college professors...who teach our kids...who would want to enter a 'pink collar ghetto' if they had a choice?
I know things are pretty bad in nursing today...but do we deserve this? :stone

Wow... that's appalling. Truly. :stone

live4today, RN · Apr 8, 2005

Wow! I'd never heard that term before mattsmom! "pink collar ghetto"??? That's not nice to teach the kids.

Sometimes I'm privy to conversations by others who talk badly about the treatment their loved ones got or didn't get while patients in a hospital. They always mention how "the nurse" didn't do right by their loved one....too slow getting the pain meds, not bathing their loved one in time...making them wait to be fed....not informing them of test results or discharging them in time when the doctor clearly said they could go NOW. :uhoh3: These are things that give us a "bad rap" if you will, and it isn't even our fault.

I once had a patient whose doctor discharged him at 0800 in the morning. That patient hunted me down in another patients room to tell me he was meeting friends for lunch and a golf game, so could I give him his walking papers so he could be on his way. He was totally dressed with bags in hand, too. :rolleyes: Never mind that the patient I was with was having difficulty breathing and in great pain. The man didn't get to leave when he wanted to leave because he was not my only concern of the morning. Golf game versus pain and respiratory distress? To the patients.....both were important. To the nurse.....we have to pick and choose based on priority and not on leisurely activities that a discharged patient must get to.

It's when patients are discharged that they give us a bad rap when we don't respond johnny-on-the-spot for them. So not fair to not understand the complexity of sick people vs. well people. :stone I'm always hearing stories from people about how their nurse wasn't this or that for them during their hospitalization. These stories spread from person to person like a virus, and that gives a bad rap to us as nurses.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Apr 8, 2005

I thought the "pink collar ghetto" remark was originally made at one of the student doctor sites?

Aellyssa · Apr 8, 2005

hi,

this is my first posting here so be gentle please :chuckle when i first started nursing (1970) i was told by my brother that i was committing intellectual suicide. now, of course, he realizes what a pompous ^%$#& he was and has since apologised profusely. remember also that at that time nursing education in oz was still in the apprenticeship model (ie in the hospitals). with its transfer into the tertiary sector - nursing began to gain a better academic reputation.

but now the debate continues to rage (albeit less intensely) about how academic educated nurses aren't prepared as well "practically" as their former compatriots. and that is often taken over into the press - it always sells good copy. so in some way that is still causing nursing to be questioned more.

i think that generally "society" (however you perceive it to be) views nursing positively, we are always in the top 3 as the most trusted and respected professions.

however, that cannot be said imho from other strata in our society. i think that we get a "bad rap" in two ways from my experience.

firstly, i believe that other academic disciplines still perceive us as not being acdemically rigorous enough and the "poor relation'. let me give you an example from the institution where i work. in oz, all universities have to meet a specific envelope of enrolments (a quota), if they do not meet that quota their funding gets cut. so if you under enrol in one discipline, you over enrol in another. the more students in one discipline means that the ter (tertiary admitting rating or score) is lowered. which some people equate with "dumber students" ie medicine has a higher ter. this happened in my university this year, and where did they top up their numbers - nursing. so instead of 210 students we enrolled 420. never mind that we didn't have staff or classes timetabled or that we didn't have a lecture theatre that takes that number of students. nor, might i add, did they consult with us about this. imho this shows a complete lack of professional courtesy and respect.

secondly i don't think we get a lot of respect from our employers which in oz are mainly the federal & state governments . we are all aware of the burnout rate in nursing, yet we consistently have fewer employed nurses with a workload that is literally back breaking. it's all done in the name of economic rationalism but it seems the $ is mightier than the desire for good quality nursing care.

finally just like some gays suffer from "internalised homophobia", i think that many nurses suffer from "internalised nurse phobia". how many times have you said or heard said "i'm just a nurse". there is no "just" about it, you worked long and hard to get where you are & should be proud of it. then of course there is the idea that "if you are that intelligent, why aren't you a doctor" i rest my case. sorry about the rave, as you can see, i feel pretty strongly about this :uhoh3:

cheers,

aellyssa

Tweety, BSN, RN · Apr 8, 2005

Aellyssa, great post! Please continue to share!

Renee, I think I understand what you're saying. It's kind of a mixed view out there about us. I know there are people that think bad about nurses, and get angry at the care their loved ones get, as well us internalizing some of that negativity.

Then again, people are lined up at nursing schools waiting years, jumping through hoops to become a nurse. People send nurses cards, thank you notes, give candy, call them "angels", etc. A poll once again said nurses are the most trustworthy of profressions.

Go figure.