Why are so many nursing related things childish?

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It seems like there are so many childish things around nursing and I just don't get it. The frumpy cartoonish uniform tops, the corny "angel" statues and dust catchers aimed at nurses. Our billboards at work speak of "Being on the Bus" and features a short yellow school bus and a "pledge" form that we are all supposed to sign that features lots of cartoon characters. The form is for us to say we agree with the hospital policies on working as a team, getting along with others etc. Seriously our bulletin board looks like something I would expect to see in a 4th or 5th grade classroom. Lots of big fat yellow smiley faces all over everything. IMHO it's demeaning, debasing and I hate having this nonsense aimed at me, a 58 yo nurse working since 1975!

There are rolls of bright cartoon stickers we are supposed to put on glasses of ice water to give to the patients with phrases like "I've been a good patient"!, "You are awesome"!, "You are someone special"!. You know, the sort of thing you would expect to see in pediatrics, NOT on a general med/surg floor. Needless to say I refuse to use them.

Our supervisor recently told us that if we hear someone say something "not nice" we are supposed to get one of those fat oily yellow face stickers and put it on the person upside down, so the smile will appear instead as a frown.

Does anyone else see this, I know the other nurses I work with also find it stupid and ridiculous.

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Some of that sounds hilarious, It's so corny it actually might make someone smile. I like the tops, though.

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Specializes in Home Health.

It sounds insulting.

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Putting a smiley sticker upside down on a patient or a worker to signify that they said something "not nice" sounds demeaning. It also seems to me that it might escalate the negative behavior further.

As for dust catchers... if people don't buy the stuff, there won't be a market for it. I'm not buying it. Hope it helps.

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Specializes in CEN, CPEN, RN-BC.

What's it like working at Candyland General Hospital? Do you keep lollipops and sprinkles in the Pyxis?

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You should have your manager visit a military base hospital and have him tell some active duty to turn their frowns upside down and then put a little sticker on their uniforms. I would love to be a fly on the wall for that!

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Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself.

As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda, in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience. Propaganda often presents facts selectively (thus possibly lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or uses loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the attitude toward the subject in the target audience to further a political agenda. Propaganda can be used as a form of political warfare.

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That does sound very childish! I wonder what would happen if the admin, DON, CEO, etc received stickers to remind them to play nice :)

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Specializes in ICU, ER, HH, NICU, now FNP.

"If nurses want to be taken seriously they need to quit wearing holiday socks and act like the intelligent educated professionals they are"

Don't remember who said it but it has stuck with me and served me well!

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Okay, so I think I am the only one that would be amused by the yellow smiley stickers, LoL. I still work in insurance, they are lucky I'm getting out of there soon or I'd have my fun with the stickers :p

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I also have to say, I don't think eliminating "fun" approaches to things means that anyone takes you more seriously. You've got the people in life that work so hard to get taken seriously, but then you've also got the people who are super successful and have kooky clothing and a relaxed approach to things and enjoy life, and are just as respected. You just don't have to be incredibly dull, boring and professional all the time to work in a skilled career or have people's respect.

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Specializes in Hospice.

If anyone came at me trying to slap a sticker on me, I'd have them arrested for assault.

It's entirely possible to have fun without being turning the workplace into a grammar school playground.

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