Nothing but respect for the nurses I've encountered in hospitals and most doctor offices. Some of the women and men who took care of my dad in his last days (and took care of us, who were by his side) were absolutely angels.

But, I've shared an office with a nursing school and it attracted a lot of trashy students. I wonder if they know what they're getting themselves into.

Anonymous wrote:Saw the teacher thread and thought I'd ask the same, but for nurses.

This thread is much more pleasant than the teacher thread. Ironic when you consider without teachers we would not have nurses.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder why they didn't become a PA.

That didn't exist when I was in school twenty years ago.

Not true. Maybe it wasn't an option for the schools you were looking at, but PAs were around 20 years ago.

my wife is a mid-wife and makes six figures.

Smart. Probably financially independent.

Anonymous wrote:I wonder why they didn't become a PA.

I wonder why they did not become a doctor, or pharmacist or some other better respected/paid health care professional

Anonymous wrote:I wonder why they didn't become a PA.

That didn't exist when I was in school twenty years ago.

After having a loved one in and out of hospitals for 5-6 years, I can tell you that nurses work themselves to the bone. Seriously. I could not do what they do.

I think they must have a caretaker personality. And I feel bad about their hours.

I think of ER and it sounds really cool until I remember that nurses have to deal with blood and feces.

In general, I hold a high opinion of nurses, but on the downside, I think many are very territorial and kind of know-it-allish.

Anonymous wrote:They're a glorified NA.

I've met and had care from some awesome nurses but I've also had some that if they were the last nurse on the planet, I still wouldn't let them touch me or my kid.

NA = nursing assistant?

One of my biggest peeves as a RN is when those who aren't nurses call themselves nurses. I've met family and friends of patients who go to great lengths to make sure I know they're a "nurse" only to find out they are a unit clerk, phlebotomist, lab/patient care tech, dental hygenist, or an administrative assistant in a medical office. It's usually these types who will try to intimidate the bedside nurse by picking apart everything the bedside nurse is doing or taking issue with what a true nurse knows is standard, safe nursing practice.

I also wonder what their specialty is. My best friend is a L&D nurse. I love talking to her about her experiences at work. She has one of the hardest and also most rewarding jobs of anyone I know. It has bullshit office drama like everywhere else, but at the end of the day, she is the person who is there with someone on one of the most important days of their entire life.

Anonymous wrote:They're a glorified NA.

I've met and had care from some awesome nurses but I've also had some that if they were the last nurse on the planet, I still wouldn't let them touch me or my kid.

What is an NA?

They're a glorified NA.

I've met and had care from some awesome nurses but I've also had some that if they were the last nurse on the planet, I still wouldn't let them touch me or my kid.