Nurses have been portrayed in a variety of ways from 'Nurse Ratchet' to where ever it is that a nurse wears a white corset, thong, and stiletto heels to work. The truth is, nurses are regular people with a career that is more complex and demanding many people realize. Here are ten facts about nurses that you probably did not know:
1. Nurses have a great deal of say in your hospital care. More often than not, when your nurse calls a doctor to report complications the reply is, 'What do you want to give him?' or 'What's your opinion?' I have recently had a doctor tell me ''I'm on the other line with my mother in law. Write an order for whatever pain med you prefer and text it to me so I can update my notes."
2. Nurses probably have less medical benefits than you do. Most people think that by working in a hospital nurses have great medical or hospital benefits. Many patients are uninsured or under insured, and hospitals are always looking for ways to cover that loss. Unfortunately, benefits are the first to go.
3. Nurses wish they could tell you more than they can. We cannot tell you that we believe your doctor is incompetent or that most of his patients come back with complications. All we can do is go over the wound cleaning instructions an extra time or two and hope for the best. If we ever mention a second opinion, you should probably get one.
4. Nurses are not purposely holding back your pain medication. It is not just a formality. Most pain medication has to be asked for by a patient. Hospitals have gotten very strict about this. A nurse cannot simply walk into a hospital room with pain medication every four hours unless that is specifically how the order is written. Most likely, it ordered on an as needed basis, and that means the patient must ask for it each time.
5. Nurses often have unreliable childcare. When you count travel time and charting, twelve-hour shifts translate into at least fourteen hours of child care. Most day care centers are not open that long. If we are not fortunate enough to have a family member to rely on, childcare options are minimal.
6. Your nurse has had to go to the bathroom for hours. Most nurses go to the bathroom just before they punch in for their shift and will probably not go back until they punch out. That is at least twelve hours later.
7. Nurses are not happy to see your family. Family members are distractions. It is impossible to answer ten minutes worth of questions from every family member who visits (often multiple family members per patient) and still care for each patient. Please assign one family member to pass on the information to the rest of the family.
8. Nurses come to work even when they are sick. Calling in sick is not a quick or simple phone call. The nursing office will not make it easy. Most nurses must go to work when the rest of the world would have stayed home.
9. Nurses advocate for your care and correct orders on a regular basis. Charts are checked every shift. Catching complications before they occur, such as duplicate medication orders or medications that correspond with a patient's allergies are a daily occurrence.
10. Nurses are not in it for the money. Although there are a few specialty areas that pay very well (like CRNAS for example), for the most part, nursing is not a highly paid profession.
1. Nurses have a great deal of say in your hospital care. More often than not, when your nurse calls a doctor to report complications the reply is, 'What do you want to give him?' or 'What's your opinion?' I have recently had a doctor tell me ''I'm on the other line with my mother in law. Write an order for whatever pain med you prefer and text it to me so I can update my notes."
2. Nurses probably have less medical benefits than you do. Most people think that by working in a hospital nurses have great medical or hospital benefits. Many patients are uninsured or under insured, and hospitals are always looking for ways to cover that loss. Unfortunately, benefits are the first to go.
3. Nurses wish they could tell you more than they can. We cannot tell you that we believe your doctor is incompetent or that most of his patients come back with complications. All we can do is go over the wound cleaning instructions an extra time or two and hope for the best. If we ever mention a second opinion, you should probably get one.
4. Nurses are not purposely holding back your pain medication. It is not just a formality. Most pain medication has to be asked for by a patient. Hospitals have gotten very strict about this. A nurse cannot simply walk into a hospital room with pain medication every four hours unless that is specifically how the order is written. Most likely, it ordered on an as needed basis, and that means the patient must ask for it each time.
5. Nurses often have unreliable childcare. When you count travel time and charting, twelve-hour shifts translate into at least fourteen hours of child care. Most day care centers are not open that long. If we are not fortunate enough to have a family member to rely on, childcare options are minimal.
6. Your nurse has had to go to the bathroom for hours. Most nurses go to the bathroom just before they punch in for their shift and will probably not go back until they punch out. That is at least twelve hours later.
7. Nurses are not happy to see your family. Family members are distractions. It is impossible to answer ten minutes worth of questions from every family member who visits (often multiple family members per patient) and still care for each patient. Please assign one family member to pass on the information to the rest of the family.
8. Nurses come to work even when they are sick. Calling in sick is not a quick or simple phone call. The nursing office will not make it easy. Most nurses must go to work when the rest of the world would have stayed home.
9. Nurses advocate for your care and correct orders on a regular basis. Charts are checked every shift. Catching complications before they occur, such as duplicate medication orders or medications that correspond with a patient's allergies are a daily occurrence.
10. Nurses are not in it for the money. Although there are a few specialty areas that pay very well (like CRNAS for example), for the most part, nursing is not a highly paid profession.