To be pissed off at being 'just' a nurse?

[bottleofwater]

Three times in the last week Ive had different family members making sarky comments regarding some recent achievements & promotion at work.

Usually comments along the lines of "Oh Florence Nightingale you will be telling the Doctors what to do now" " You will be a surgeon in no time" & " What do nurses know about blood pressures, they are not doctors".

Im so fed up of how its like being a nurse is rubbish & that only Doctors are of any value

Also comments regarding how I dont make the same amount of money as other family members but thats probably another thread!

Not sure what they think nurses actually do but aibu to be pissed off at the constant sneering at me?

As a band 6 nurse I can honestly say I love my job, we take flack but that's part of being a public sector worker, I feel privileged to do my job I am with people at their best, worst and most vulnerable. I like to think I work well with my medical colleagues I can learn from them and they from me as can be said for all members of the MDT.

I don't think you can quantify nursing and therein lies the problem with pay, if our role was measured the level of pay would need to increase, that is why most people are unsure about the nursing role.

At weekends I am a nurse, manager, physio and OT, there are less Doctors so skills permitting that
role also needs covering. I have consultants ask my opinion as I know the patients, the system and have years of experience, however I don't know everything or have the depth of knowledge of Doctors so I refer to them. I don't want to be a Doctor I love the patient contact.

Yep. That's how it goes. I think doctors' status is going to fall greatly in the coming decades.

Don't worry, they'll think we're nurses. Certain patients still ask for nurse getoutofmygarden despite me introducing myself as a doctor, wearing scrubs that say doctor in big letters on that are completely different to the nurses uniform, and seeing them on the ward round every day with the other doctors.

I went and saw a patient once with a male nurse. Fucking hell, that confused him.

Garden
Are the consultants not coming today nurse?
You saw the consultant this morning
No I just spoke to that lady who helps him out
That was Ms X, our other consultant
Mr X is the main one though isn't he?
No they're both consultants, you're actually under Ms Xs team, MrY was just covering last weekend
Will I see MrY tomorrow?

It drives me mad GingerbreadMa!

"What do you want to specialise in?"
"I enjoy surgery, so maybe -"
"Nurses don't do surgery, only doctors do that "

I was doing an on call and I went and saw a patient with his male nurse present since I'd be doing intimate examination. He directed the questions about his diagnosis to his nurse and asked me if I knew when the tea trolley would be round, when he'd get his meds and if I could change the sheets.

Haven’t RTFT sorry but I just want to say that nurses are probably the most undervalued but valuable to society group of people that it is possible to have. They do an amazing job but are not paid anything near what they are worth. Why? Market forces and capitalism unfortunately. We should be paid for our worth to society not for how much money we can create. Sadly our society values money-making far too highly. Socialist rant over! You and all nurses are amazing.

Haven’t RTFT sorry but I just want to say that nurses are probably the most undervalued but valuable to society group of people that it is possible to have

I think teachers can be included in that criteria too... in fact if there's any profession that routinely gets shat on from a great height by all and sundry it's teachers.

e are all just something,,who cares ? Just dont get involved. Do your job and no more and make as much money as you can out of it. Do job,check out,collect cash.

Agree re teachers.

Garden I get that with male HCAs, patients telling me hes a top specialist nurse and can they have him to do their dressing because hes the special expert top nurse and do I know what Im doing?

We've got a male HCA on my ward and many times I get asked if he's a student doctor....

Funny how I never get asked the same question about our female HCA's who wear the same uniform

You clearly have an old one fashioned view of nurses, redhelenb and rosewhite.
Junior doctors will sometimes ask nurses for advice when they first start including how something is to be prescribed. I myself am a diabetes nurse specialist. I am able to prescribe insulin, something which many gp’s I have come across will not initiate and will not prescribe and would rather refer in to specialist service for the nurses to prescribe this and initiate the insulin.
There are other specialities working similar in COPD, heart failure who all prescribe drugs the same as a doctor can.
Most nurses now do catheters, IV cannula, prescriptions, and there are many who can prescribe drugs from the whole of the British national formulary with the exception of very few opioids. Please get your facts right!

Redhelenb, in terms of diagnostic. Band 8 assistant practitioners are on more than junior doctors and are diagnosing on a daily basis. Requesting x rays, bloods. They may even diagnose you one day when you attend a&e

I am just a teacher so I know exactly what you mean. Yes ou could do the bare minimum. To fulfill the role but the best people go way above and beyond and it's definitely not for the money. Outsiders just don't understand so ignore them. Congratulations on your promotion and just enjoy being in that rare band of people who are actually worthwhile

YANBU wait until they have to take a stay in hospital and then see how much that appreciate nurses!