So I work at a state psych facility. Im a young, male RN and im charge on a unit with only men (generally lower functioning, older men).
I've worked med/surg, LTC, now psych. I love it. Good work flow, not too stressful, pretty chill job. So tonight, I have an agency LPN who's passing meds with me. We get to talking and she said she works at a local hospital in med/surg. Well I said "ew, no thanks, too stressful for me. Always understaffed with too much to do." She replied "well, I love it. Ive always loved being a real nurse. Im not a psych nurse."
Now, the OLD me would have popped off and said something smart (ex army). I just let it roll off my back. What would YOU have said?
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
and, not to belittle you, but i do not think nurses who get into nursing solely to make a paycheck are "real" nurses, whatever their specialty. true nursing comes from the heart, not just from the pocketbook.
not that tired old malarky again, please!
good nursing comes from the head, whether or not the heart is engaged . . . i'd much rather have an "in-in-for-the-paycheck" nurse who knows what she's doing than someone with a calling and no critical thinking skills!
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i would have said, "real nurse...hmmm....real nurses choose all kinds of specialities, mine is psych...i'm not sure how i would define a 'real' nurse, but i would define a 'good' nurse as someone who affords respect to their peers and to all specialities. have a nice day." lol.
with that said: i am not a psych nurse but i have a great fondness for that area. it takes great compassion and understanding as in many aspects it can be like a revolving door. in that it also takes great strength. patients in psych are frequently experiencing great pain that is not afforded public understanding and i find it sad, that often that understanding is lacking in our nursing community as well.
the person who spoke those words to you may be a very good nurse but her words suggest her character is lacking!
with all respect to the op, i think he may have, however inadvertently, insulted the nurse he was working with. and she, however inadvertently, insulted him back. they're even.
to suggest that the lpn who spoke those words may be lacking in character is ludicrous. i'd say she was just dishing out what she got . . . if she even thought about what she was saying when she said it. because i suspect the op didn't consider his words before speaking, either.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
if anyone disregarded anything, it was the lpn i was working with when she basically said i wasn't a real nurse because i worked in psych.
and before she said anything, you slammed her specialty. whether or not you meant to is another issue. she implied you weren't a real nurse? whether or not she meant to is another issue . . . and perhaps you'd do well to consider the first while you're considering the second.
with all respect to the op, i think he may have, however inadvertently, insulted the nurse he was working with. and she, however inadvertently, insulted him back. they're even.
to suggest that the lpn who spoke those words may be lacking in character is ludicrous. i'd say she was just dishing out what she got . . . if she even thought about what she was saying when she said it. because i suspect the op didn't consider his words before speaking, either.
like i've said about three times already, the lpn i was working with wasn't offended about what i said.she just happened to reveal her thoughts on psych nursing that others would have found offensive.
let's see..... i said "ew" and then explained that i couldn't do med/surg anymore because of understaffing and too much work, and more power to her. she essentially said a psych nurse is not a real nurse.
how are those comments even on the same level? i made a comment that was pretty accurate about med/surg enviornments, nothing offense... she discredited psych completely. get my point?
I don't know how I would have responded. Her statement was likely based on the belief that nursing is a series of tasks. Too many nurses equate nursing with hanging IV's , starting Foley's and reading monitors. And the more complex the task, the more highly skilled the nurse thus the idea that critical care nurses are practicing at a higher level than floor nurses (they are not). I expect this mindset from students and new nurses but experienced nurses should know better.
Maybe you could have gently explained that you still perform the core nursing functions of assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation that all nurses do no matter the functional area, thus you are a "real" nurse. She might have replied that she understands that but what she meant to say was that she prefers settings that require more hands-on clinical tasks and all's well that ends well.
and before she said anything, you slammed her specialty. whether or not you meant to is another issue. she implied you weren't a real nurse? whether or not she meant to is another issue . . . and perhaps you'd do well to consider the first while you're considering the second.
how did i "slam" her specialty? that's really a stretch. its pretty common knowledge that med/surg is tough and dirty work, and often you find the units understaffed.
again, if stating why i couldn't do a specialty anymore because of common knowledge is "slamming" it..... then i apologize..... i guess.
How did I "slam" her specialty? That's really a stretch. Its pretty common knowledge that med/surg is tough and dirty work, and often you find the units understaffed.
Again, if stating why I couldn't do a specialty anymore because of common knowledge is "slamming" it..... then I apologize..... I guess.
I was a med-surg nurse for many years and it was clear to me what you meant.......and you spoke the truth. No slamming noted.
I was a med-surg nurse for many years and it was clear to me what you meant.......and you spoke the truth. No slamming noted.
Well, at least you understand. If these people would have been there when me and the LPN were talking, they'd realize she wasn't offended. We were both laughing about me saying that. She laughed too when I said it. It's just she expressed why she liked it, and in that moment revealed her thoughts, which lead to my original question on the matter.
I didn't think I'd have to explain it in such depth, or be assaulted on here for "slamming" anyone or any specialty. I thought it was pretty straight forward what I was asking about.
Well, at least you understand. If these people would have been there when me and the LPN were talking, they'd realize she wasn't offended. We were both laughing about me saying that. She laughed too when I said it. It's just she expressed why she liked it, and in that moment revealed her thoughts, which lead to my original question on the matter.
I didn't think I'd have to explain it in such depth, or be assaulted on here for "slamming" anyone or any specialty. I thought it was pretty straight forward what I was asking about.
You're dealing with females here- over-analysis is a weak point. You know what you know, let it go at that.
Ruby Vee, BSN
17 Articles; 14,051 Posts
not that tired old malarky again, please!
good nursing comes from the head, whether or not the heart is engaged . . . i'd much rather have an "in-in-for-the-paycheck" nurse who knows what she's doing than someone with a calling and no critical thinking skills!