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Image: Wendy Hope | Stockbyte | Thinkstock
Okay, so I know that nurses are human. We’re called to a profession that involves helping people. And while that doesn’t exactly make us saintly, we need to start putting more emphasis on the word PROFESSION.
I just finished reading this article from LPN Rachel Rainer, and I was really taken aback! Do nurses really do this? Do they act like this? Phone calls in front of patients, saying things like, “Yo, yo, yo—do me a solid dawg and start denudulating, aiiight?” I’m young and I have NO idea what that means… I don’t think anyone else does (I’m hoping they don’t!).
Obviously we’ve got our flaws, but are things really getting this unprofessional? That’s a scary thought. While I do think some bits from the “olden days” of nursing seem to be a tad strict, at least there seemed to be more of a sense of professionalism among nurses. What we’re called to do as nurses is special. We may not be saintly and perfect, but we are mature professionals, maintaining an image, not only for our selves, but for our units, our hospitals and for nurses everywhere.
I always thought the lectures on professionalism in nursing school were so boring and redundant, that it was just a bunch of common sense, but now I am not so sure. Fortunately I haven’t seen this kind of behavior all too often, but it’s going on out there. How the world sees nursing is skewed by so many TV shows, media images, and most importantly by how we act. Come on nurses, let’s save the not-so-profesh behavior for our days off and PLEASE, STOP acting like this at work!
