As nurses, we are entrusted with the most vulnerable of society. We watch over the frail elderly, take care of laboring mothers and newborn babies. We are responsible for critically ill children on life support. Always we do our best to bring healing to those who are in our care--wholeness to spirit, soul, and body.
The word "nursing" in English connotates a young mother tenderly nurturing her child.
We do such a wonderful job of taking care of so many people--why can't we nurture ourselves?
Instead, we cannibalize those in our ranks who are young; those who we perceive as being weak, infirm.
Try as I might, I just don't understand the argument that this behavior is exclusive to nursing or that nursing should be exempt from it. This sort of behavior is ubiquitous.
I think we are our own worst enemies a lot of the time... and the image of a Florence Nightengalian angel of mercy female nurse who is "called" to the sick to heal and save them with no interests of her own is part of the problem. The sooner we realize that we are highly skilled, educated professional people and assert ourselves to management for the benefits and salaries we require, the better off we'll be, nurse eating or no.
Besides, I happen to believe that Darwin wasn't all wrong.
:roll
I totally agree with you about standing up to management!
However, there IS a lot of cronyism and clickey behaviour in nursing. Often to the point where the work environment is nearly intollerable. I'm on my 3rd career (been in nursing for 15 yrs) and have NEVER seen this problem to the degree it is in nursing.
Yeah... Darwin wasn't all wrong, either!!!:chuckle
Try as I might, I just don't understand the argument that this behavior is exclusive to nursing or that nursing should be exempt from it. This sort of behavior is ubiquitous.
I think we are our own worst enemies a lot of the time... and the image of a Florence Nightengalian angel of mercy female nurse who is "called" to the sick to heal and save them with no interests of her own is part of the problem. The sooner we realize that we are highly skilled, educated professional people and assert ourselves to management for the benefits and salaries we require, the better off we'll be, nurse eating or no.
Besides, I happen to believe that Darwin wasn't all wrong.
Absolutely. I've seen this kind of behavior every job I've ever had. I guess however, the point Vicky was making that unlike other professions we are nuturers of others. Isn't it a bit sad and ironic as soon as we leave the patient that character trait doesn't follow some of us?
I too believe that only the strong survive. But in any profession and in nursing I don't believe in eating your young to toughen them up to the realities of nursing. We need to allow each other room to be ourselves, to grow and to help each other. It's not a profession where we can survive on our own.
Again, it would be just nice if we at least respected one another.
There's been other threads about whether nursing is a "calling" or not. I don't think it is, and that shouldn't be the image we put out there. But allow others their beliefs as well.
ERKev
34 Posts
:roll
I totally agree with you about standing up to management!
However, there IS a lot of cronyism and clickey behaviour in nursing. Often to the point where the work environment is nearly intollerable. I'm on my 3rd career (been in nursing for 15 yrs) and have NEVER seen this problem to the degree it is in nursing.
Yeah... Darwin wasn't all wrong, either!!!:chuckle
ERKev