An Open Response "Just Say No to Nursing."
Just Say No To Nursing
The above article is a blog post written by a former nurse. It is a list of 36 reasons to NOT go into the profession of nursing. I wanted to comment, but instead I decided to do this instead.
Dear Author of "Just Say No,"
I am almost in tears right now, after reading what I just did. And yes, I actually read the entire thing. First off, I must say I applaud the fact that you found yourself in a profession that you did not like and got out. That must have been a difficult decision to make....or perhaps not, based on your approach of how you left. Now that that is out of the way, there are some things you should know about me. I am a registered nurse in the state of Kentucky. I work in a private behavioral health facility in Lexington. I work with mentally ill adults with bipolar, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, or most commonly, those who have either tried to kill themselves or are having thoughts of killing themselves. This is my first job out of nursing school; I graduated in May of 2013 and got hired in July. You have your opinions and have freely expressed them because in this world we have the right to do so. But what I am about to say are some of my freely expressed opinions.
I am not at all angry or bitter by your post. However, I am extremely heartbroken. I feel sorry for you. I really do. I feel so very sorry that you clearly do not feel the same way I do about this profession. But I have to say, I honestly disagree with the majority of your post. Some of your points; spot on. I have been at my job for 6 months now, and I could not have asked for a better first job. Yes, you are right about new grads; it did take me quite a while to find my job I have now, but I did find one. I work with some of the best nurses I have ever worked with. They have helped me, as I have with them. We sincerely do all look out for one another. We have each other's backs. I have had patients spit and curse me to my face, but I have also had patients thank me for the work I do. Yes, after a long and stressful day, it does get daunting sometimes to not get a thank-you for busting your butt for the entire night, but to me that's not what nursing is about. And I will speak about this honestly; #17 point greatly offended me. I have so much respect for myself that I would never stoop to that sort of position. That's all I am going to say about that. I have worked with male nurses before and have not encountered "bitchiness" or "unconvicted rapists." In fact, some of them are some of the best people I have ever met in my life. And do not think for a second if I do not know a medication or what it does, I would just give it to my patients. Where I work, that's not just bad workmanship, it's against the law! If I don't know what a medication is or what it does, I look it up. I just don't understand why anyone would be so stupid. I do not know where you have worked in the past, but again, I am very sorry that you were in an awful situation that led you to write this. I would like to think that at one point you were very happy about taking care of those less fortunate than us, even if they didn't offer you a lick of gratitude. I hope that you do not think this about every nurse, and it makes me sad that this is what you think of the profession now, and yes, I'm still calling it a profession.
I will be completely honest with you, some days I hate my job. But I focus on the good; not the good things I myself accomplished, rather I remind myself why I got into nursing in the first place. Perhaps I could suggest you do the same. Call me naive. Call me someone who doesn't know better. Call me what you don't like in regards to a "confident attitude." The crappiness of the every day grind is so dismal to the rewarding profession I have found myself in. But I will say this; I am very sad that people will read these words and have a negative image of millions of people who work hard to care for those who need it. And yeah, I actually do work hard; I freaking bust my butt! I'm not asking you to change your mind, but I urge you to please choose your words carefully. Not all nurses are the way you described. In fact, I have met very few who are the way you described. But I suppose that is all I will say on this. I pray that when my career advances I never become "that" nurse. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Again, I do thank you for your honesty. I respect your opinions. I ask that the same respect be given to me. Thank you.
The above article is a blog post written by a former nurse. It is a list of 36 reasons to NOT go into the profession of nursing. I wanted to comment, but instead I decided to do this instead.
Dear Author of "Just Say No,"
I am almost in tears right now, after reading what I just did. And yes, I actually read the entire thing. First off, I must say I applaud the fact that you found yourself in a profession that you did not like and got out. That must have been a difficult decision to make....or perhaps not, based on your approach of how you left. Now that that is out of the way, there are some things you should know about me. I am a registered nurse in the state of Kentucky. I work in a private behavioral health facility in Lexington. I work with mentally ill adults with bipolar, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, or most commonly, those who have either tried to kill themselves or are having thoughts of killing themselves. This is my first job out of nursing school; I graduated in May of 2013 and got hired in July. You have your opinions and have freely expressed them because in this world we have the right to do so. But what I am about to say are some of my freely expressed opinions.
I am not at all angry or bitter by your post. However, I am extremely heartbroken. I feel sorry for you. I really do. I feel so very sorry that you clearly do not feel the same way I do about this profession. But I have to say, I honestly disagree with the majority of your post. Some of your points; spot on. I have been at my job for 6 months now, and I could not have asked for a better first job. Yes, you are right about new grads; it did take me quite a while to find my job I have now, but I did find one. I work with some of the best nurses I have ever worked with. They have helped me, as I have with them. We sincerely do all look out for one another. We have each other's backs. I have had patients spit and curse me to my face, but I have also had patients thank me for the work I do. Yes, after a long and stressful day, it does get daunting sometimes to not get a thank-you for busting your butt for the entire night, but to me that's not what nursing is about. And I will speak about this honestly; #17 point greatly offended me. I have so much respect for myself that I would never stoop to that sort of position. That's all I am going to say about that. I have worked with male nurses before and have not encountered "bitchiness" or "unconvicted rapists." In fact, some of them are some of the best people I have ever met in my life. And do not think for a second if I do not know a medication or what it does, I would just give it to my patients. Where I work, that's not just bad workmanship, it's against the law! If I don't know what a medication is or what it does, I look it up. I just don't understand why anyone would be so stupid. I do not know where you have worked in the past, but again, I am very sorry that you were in an awful situation that led you to write this. I would like to think that at one point you were very happy about taking care of those less fortunate than us, even if they didn't offer you a lick of gratitude. I hope that you do not think this about every nurse, and it makes me sad that this is what you think of the profession now, and yes, I'm still calling it a profession.
I will be completely honest with you, some days I hate my job. But I focus on the good; not the good things I myself accomplished, rather I remind myself why I got into nursing in the first place. Perhaps I could suggest you do the same. Call me naive. Call me someone who doesn't know better. Call me what you don't like in regards to a "confident attitude." The crappiness of the every day grind is so dismal to the rewarding profession I have found myself in. But I will say this; I am very sad that people will read these words and have a negative image of millions of people who work hard to care for those who need it. And yeah, I actually do work hard; I freaking bust my butt! I'm not asking you to change your mind, but I urge you to please choose your words carefully. Not all nurses are the way you described. In fact, I have met very few who are the way you described. But I suppose that is all I will say on this. I pray that when my career advances I never become "that" nurse. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Again, I do thank you for your honesty. I respect your opinions. I ask that the same respect be given to me. Thank you.
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