What kind of nurse are you?

The place where I work seems to breed 2 types of nurses. Perhaps all places are like this? I don't know; I have only the experience of my place. In our place, we have the nurses that do, and those that don't. Do anything. By nurses, I am talking about our RNs. The one I work with most of the time, is one that does. She gets out on the floor, takes care of patients and all the while is still charge over the whole unit. On the other floor, those charge nurses sit at the desk all night and don't do. I overheard a conversation last night that postulated the type of school these nurses went to.. supposedly (hearsay is such a BAD thing) it was stated that they went to school to learn how to be a charge nurse. I butted in and said, "well it sure isn't where I go to school." They continued to make the comment that a nurse, no matter their degree or license, has to be able to do nursing stuff.. which includes vitals and wiping butts as well as assessments and orders and all the charting and paperwork. I sure told them that we get that full experience where I go to school.. we are taught to do. Get 'er done... is what my instructor taught us. I mean.. everyone can have time to take a break and sit for a few minutes... if everyone works together. I understand that different shifts have different responsibilities. I also understand that working nights on the floor spoils a person just a bit because of the lack of person-person interaction that we have... such as with families and doctors and such. But it doesn't mean that we don't work hard. Other shifts assume we don't work hard, but it's just different responsibilities.

There is one floor in particular that breeds these nurses that don't. The new ones come in and sees how those that have been there awhile do things... like sit at the desk and make the lpn's run their tails off while they sit there and say they are busy. They aren't busy, they can't be. We handle the same amount of patients on our floor and our 1 charge nurse (this other floor generally has at least 1 charge per 6 patients, while ours is 1 charge per 12 patients). Anyhow, the new nurses see how they do things, and thus it makes them become that way. Follow by example, right?

In that sense, I am lucky. If I follow by example, I will certainly not be one of those nurses. I will become a nurse that does. I even asked my mom.. after all, no matter what you can say about mothers, mine is brutally honest. So I asked her, "Mom, do you think I will be one of those nurses who will just sit at the desk and watch everyone work?" In her loving way, she replied," Nope... you don't mind getting out there and cleaning up poo." I hated to tell her I do mind, but it doesn't matter.. it has to be done, so it gets done. Get 'er done.

I see and hear how the nurses complain and have no respect for those nurses that don't... I don't want to be that nurse. I want to be one that has respect from my peers, one that they know will be there to help if it is needed. See I am learning something as an extern. So what kind of nurse are you?