I have been a RN for over 3 years. I am not 'seasoned' by any means and I continue to learn new things everyday. However this is my problem. I got into a major debate with a Resp therapist recently that still burns me up. The resp said 'I am sick and tired of being here for 5 years and I still don't get paid as much as RNs do' I replied 'the reason nurses are paid more is because we are responsible for more care than respiratory is' She sneered and asked 'are you saying you do more than I do on any given shift?' I said 'No I am just saying that when a pt is sick, I clean it up. When a pt is bleeding, I make it stop. i have climbed up and fixed TVs because maintenance said 'That's not my job'. I have given a pt a tissue when a resp was in the room because the resp said 'That's not my job'. I had to get on my hands and knees and mop up vomit because housekeeping refused to loan my am mop or clean the mess themselves and they told me 'That's not my job'. I have fixed beds, remotes, telemetry leads, cleaned floors, changed linens, fixed computers, fixed vital machines, charged lift equipment, charted and cared for my pts all in one night. I have never said 'That's not my job'. So why am I upset? I get paid because I do my job so why can't everyone do theirs?
My comment comes from experience. Nursing is my second degree/career. I have 20+ years experience dealing with many areas of science and technology, including big pharmaceutical and device innovators in which I worked with some of the best, as well as in administration of private practice. That is just counting healthcare. Many conversations had, as well as the opportunity to see a lot of edu material that is out there.
You have to be on this earth a while, and work in different areas to gain perspective.
Well as an RT, that's very unfortunate that the therapists you work with only do the bare minimum, however where I work we do enough to make as much as the RN's do. In fact we do make as much. And i pull more weight than my whats in my job description. It's kind of arrogant if you to talk about us like you do. If you don't have an airway you don't have life. You must be a floor RN...and work in a ****** hospital. Don't take your bad days out in respiratory. That RT was a complete jerk to say something like that but don't judge every RT you come in contact with based in that debate.
It is great that you guys do more than what is required to help your patients but aren't you worry about doing something that you did not need to do but could get you in trouble? What did you do if you did get in trouble?
P.S.: Major props to the OP. In regards to burning bridges, I say let them burn. Who in their right mind want to be associated (personally) with a RT who would be so stupid to degrade RNs within the vincity of a RN? Actually, the RT, not the OP, should be the one worrying about burning the bridges.
My comment comes from experience. Nursing is my second degree/career. I have 20+ years experience dealing with many areas of science and technology, including big pharmaceutical and device innovators in which I worked with some of the best, as well as in administration of private practice. That is just counting healthcare. Many conversations had, as well as the opportunity to see a lot of edu material that is out there.
You have to be on this earth a while, and work in different areas to gain perspective.
I would have just said "maybe you don't really know what kind of money RNs make". Or, "gee, why don't you just go and become an RN then?". Gosh, that RT has no respect for herself or anything she does....that is what her comment makes me think. I feel sorry for the patents she cares for. I may have even reported her comment to her supervisor. Who needs that crap when we are all working towards the same end!!!
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I think the point was more about all non-nursing ancillary services and not meant to single out RTs. My first thought on this subject is that the two things are different in lots of ways just as the housekeeping and dietary depts are - and a human breast for tat argument is not likely to result in anything useful.
I'm glad I work in private duty with vent patients now because we do RT stuff all the time and our RTs come around to check equipment. I love that because it gives me the chance to pick their brains and many of them really like to teach.
Netglow - I've never heard the term "floppy hat" but it's just perfect for how I visualize a certain sector of the academic nursing establishment. They dress sorta kicked up a notch from Birkenstocks and tie-dye skirts and will fight like hell to keep "disturbed energy field" part of the NANDA dx -- lol
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
RNs that don't say "That's not my job"-
It is great that you guys do more than what is required to help your patients but aren't you worry about doing something that you did not need to do but could get you in trouble? What did you do if you did get in trouble?
P.S.: Major props to the OP. In regards to burning bridges, I say let them burn. Who in their right mind want to be associated (personally) with a RT who would be so stupid to degrade RNs within the vincity of a RN? Actually, the RT, not the OP, should be the one worrying about burning the bridges.
What we do or don't do is pretty clear cut in health fields due to scope of practice and hospital (or longterm care - whatever facility you work in) policy. Generally for things not governed by scope of practice you wouldn't get in trouble (for example) going down to the cafeteria to pick up a patient's tray or by cleaning something normally done by housekeeping like mopping up a spill.
Those things may be against policy, though so theoretically you could get in trouble for that. I never have but nursing is such a broad-based field it's really hard to say things are "always" or "never" other than scope of practice. Hope that helped a little! :)
Didn't read all of these posts, but just in reply to the first post and first few responses.. I agree with NightNurseCarol. That isn't your job, although it's nice of you to do those things. However, I'm surprised you listed fixing the TV, cleaning the floors and changing bedsheets as the things that earn you your nurse's salary. People should not expect you to do those things, nor should you have to. Nurses are educated professionals, not maids. I'm not saying it's below a nurse to do them if the people who are paid to do them need some help, nor that I wouldn't help out if the time called for it, just saying that you sort of make it sound like nurses deserve decent pay because they have to do crappy work that no one else wants to do. What about nurses' jobs as educators, teachers, supporters, grief counselors, comforters, nursing professionals, what about your knowledge about different illnesses, medications, your ability to bring someone back to life when they crash with a team of other nurses, etc.? Also, although it's nice to help out with everything that you can, you can't let it take away from the work that you get paid to do, and you shouldn't let others just expect that you're the one to do it because you're the nurse. Especially because there usually is someone whose job it is to do those things. That's why it's not in your job contract. There just might be a reason that some people treat nurses like their personal service/maid. I think at times you CAN say, "Hey, that's not my job." For instance, I've had patients in nursing homes who were perfectly capable of moving around themselves, ordering me to put clothes in their cupboards for them, and yelling at me if I put them in in the wrong order. It taught me that sometimes, occasionally, a nurse needs to say "Hey, I'm a healthcare professional and this is not my job." Especially because with a patient like that, doing everything for her is actually detrimental to her health. The situation would be different, of course, if it was a patient who really couldn't do it themselves. In that case of course I would help them, though I'd expect to be treated politely.
Not saying a nurse's or a resp. therapist's job is more important than the other. All members of the medical team are equally as important and I see no point in comparing who does more or whose job has the most significance or deserves the most pay. All I'm saying is take a little pride in being a professional. You don't have to take crap as a nurse. There is a way to expect respect while still being nurturing and helping out with things that AREN'T your job just because you're being nice.
netglow, ASN, RN
4,412 Posts
Princess,
My comment comes from experience. Nursing is my second degree/career. I have 20+ years experience dealing with many areas of science and technology, including big pharmaceutical and device innovators in which I worked with some of the best, as well as in administration of private practice. That is just counting healthcare. Many conversations had, as well as the opportunity to see a lot of edu material that is out there.
You have to be on this earth a while, and work in different areas to gain perspective.