Friday, May 3, 2013

7 Myths about nursing

Nurses are attracted to the doctors. That is why they went to nursing school... to find their next McSteamy.

Sorry to my fellow doctor friends {that are male} that think that the status of MD instantly brought their attractive factor up a few notches. And I am sorry to all the girls out there that thought those TV shows accurately portrayed every doctor to be the next McSteamy. In fact, its very rare. Not saying that they are not attractive, but lets just say they don't all come out of medical school looking like Eric Dane. Which, might I throw out there, not all nurses go into the profession thinking they are going to graduate nursing school, find a doctor, and then stay at home. Really?

Nurses and Doctors have intimate relations

Since we are talking about the two above, lets just cover this base as well. Repeat after me... THIS IS NOT A TV SHOW. Right? I feel like all you ever hear is about how doctors hook up with nurses? Why? I mean... sure... you have your occasional story here and there. "This guy got this girl pregnant. That one cheated on his wife. That girl has no clue." But I don't think it is any different than any other work place? But then again... this is coming from the girl who finds out like a year later about a scandal. I'm like the old mom the doesn't get in on the gossip I guess.

No, but really, just think... the two professions actually come to work. Who would have thought.

Nurses are idiots and couldn't get into medical school

Not a very nice word to use period. However, its crazy how one nurse or one situation or one mistake can put this "name" behind the title. You see, both nurses and doctors are just human and do in fact make mistakes. Don't let one situation or one person cloud that image. Despite what some people say, some of the most brilliant minds that I have had the pleasure to meet have been those that were wearing the scrubs and not the white coat. Although, I have met some of the most brilliant in white as well.

The second part of that, is that many people think that nurses do what they do because they just couldn't make it into medical school. Like I mentioned above, I have worked, and still do, with some of the most brilliant nurses that could have very well gone to medical school but chose not so. I have also graduated with many nurses that went on to medical school, and worked with some that were going through medical school.

Remember, nursing is not just a profession, it's a lifestyle and passion for many. Not all, but many.

Nurses praise the ground a doctor walks on

When I went into nursing, I remember thinking that doctors were saints {and they are} and almighty {and they are}. I used to think that they walked on water. If I heard that someone was a doctor, I would be like... "Ohhh wow, so brilliant, amazing, and what a privilege." Not sure who fed that into my brain or what TV show I watched, one too many times? Regardless, I just had this high respect for the title of a doctor and had not yet realized that it cannot be applied across the board. And not that I don't now, it's just that I have gained knowledge throughout the years and am able to differentiate the really good ones from the eh-so-so ones. So when I started, I used to think that nurses dropped everything that they were doing when the doctor came by? Not so much. One of my friends {in white} used to tell me that when he was going through medical school, nurses would stand up as a doctor walked by.....

Boy have times changed.

You can find a job right out of nursing school, wherever you want

Want to be an ER nurse? Sure! ICU? Why not! NICU? Come on over!.... That's what I used to think nursing was all about. Pick your field and you're in. That's what they lead us to believe through school. But when I graduated? That was not the case. ER, ICU? Experience, experience, experience. And how exactly do you expect me to gain experience if you aren't willing to hire unless I have experience. So it was a big wakeup call when I actually had to get experience on the floor first before heading to the unit. But? I was lucky. I know nurses from other schools that had to get a nursing home job because hospitals weren't hiring.

They get paid to "clean poop"

One of the oldest and silliest myths out there. I mean, really, if you are sitting out there thinking that this is in fact true, shame on you. I remember hearing this for the first time from my parent's when they came home from my uncle's house one time. They had told my extended family that I had just gotten accepted into nursing school, and my cousin {very young naive cousin}, at the time chimed in about "HA! She's going to school to learn how to clean poop!" What. Little did I know, there were other people that were under that impression.

Rest assured, friends, nurses are doing a little more than getting their hands dirty.

Nurses don't collaborate in the decision of care

One thing that I learned early on in my nursing career, especially in the intensive care unit, is how big of a role the nurses had in the plan of care for our patients. In fact, many times, the doctors {the new ones straight out of school} were turning to the nurses for advice. Many times when we call to report a critical lab value or change in patient status, we follow that up with a request for a certain medication or intervention. Because of our critical thinking skills, our eyes and ears, our doctors trust our judgement and rely on us to help assist them in the proper care for the patient.

I have many more that I could ramble off here, but I felt as though these were some of my favorite. You know, like not nurses are women, no they don't wear just white, and those nurses cap are long gone.

Like I have mentioned before, the job is as "rewarding" as you hear.... however, it always has its challenges as well. Part of the challenge is when people are clouded by a certain image and expectation of "a nurse."

It sure isn't how you see in movies and shows.
It sure does have its highs and lows.

But? I wouldn't want to be doing anything else.
Don't forget, ending soon: $75 gift card giveaway


  1. Love this and it's oh so true! Can't tell you how many people have asked when I'm going back to school or what I plan to do in the future... I chose to be a nurse and I love being a bedside nurse and really have no desire to be any thing else ESPECIALLY not a doctor!!

  2. my oldest was born with medical issues and back in the day (before we all had internet...shock) i had no one to turn to for help...and there were no pedi ostomy nurses to help...then during a surgery and hospital stay the little girl in the room next to us was born with issues and needed a colostomy too....and they had no one to help and asked if i would go next door to chat with her...I KNEW right then and there i wanted to be a pedi ostomy nurse....granted here i am 6 kids later and no end in site for going back to school! haha but it still sits in my mind....i know where i need to be!

  3. Isn't this so true! I hate on TV shows when people in medical school don't pass so by default they get to be a nurse. Umm.. that's not how nursing works and if they wanted to default to nursing, they'd have to go back through nursing school just like the rest of us! lol

    On a different note, when you posted on instagram about your post ideas I definitely thought this was going to be a breastfeeding post! Lol

  4. I love this! My husband is a nurse and he is amazing at it! But the myths for male nurses still hold true. Some people assume he's gay, which is ridiculous. Other patients assume he is the doctor when he walks in the room! He works in the ICU and everything you've said sounds like what he goes through.

  5. Yeah my first job was nursing home and now I am doing agency. My town is just not hiring nurses at all!! :-/

  6. LOVE IT! I have to say in my 8 years of nursing I have been on 1 date with dr. No thank you! I married a fellow nurse and he kinda rocks! Couldn't have said it better. All so true.

  7. All I can say is Amen sister!!

  8. I agree with these right on, but the comment about how you were lucky because "I know nurses from other schools that had to get a nursing home job because hospitals weren't hiring." kind of strikes me wrong. I am a fellow Nurse, a Nurse who currently works in a nursing home, because of the area that we live in it is over 80 miles one way for me to get to the nearest hospital. At the end of the day it doesn't make me any less of a Nurse. Maybe that's un-appealing to you and that's ok, but I find that comment a little almost degrading to nursing home Nurses. You became a Nurse to care for people, right? As long as you're doing that at the end of the day it shouldn't matter what floor/unit/area of nursing you're in.

  9. I tried to reply to your comment, however, it went to a no-reply blogger. I was able to find your email from your past sponsorship and just wanted to take the time to respond to you real quick.

    I'm sorry you read that line in a way that made you think that I view a nursing home nurse as "less of a nurse". I never said that, nor do I feel that way, and I never want anyone to put words into my mouth. Perhaps I should have changed my wording around, but what I said was that friends who were told they could get a job wherever, were instead having to get a nursing home job, although that is not what they desired. And that is just the truth about how they felt. You are allowed to not like a job, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you are saying you are less of anything. I hope that makes sense? The point of that one sentence was that I was making a general statement about the myth that you can do whatever you want. Like you mentioned in your comment "The reason I work in the nursing home is because I live 80 miles away from hospitals," and if I were to look too deep into that statement, I would assume that you were saying the same thing that I was..."It's not what I want to be doing, but it's my only choice." I know that's not what you meant, but do you see how wording can be misinterpreted into something that its not? I know I love being a nurse, as do you, and I think ALL nurses are amazing at what they do, no matter WHERE they work. So thank you for what YOU do, as I know its not easy.

    Again, I'm sorry that that offended you in any way, as that was never my intent.

  10. Just sent you an email about how much I enjoyed this post & my current thoughts on the "you can get a job anywhere" kind of thinking..


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