the image....

wow...some intense blog posts as of late...this will probably be my last one as i am all thought out for the time being and i really need to de-stress from the "school" studies....

the issue i want to talk about is something that has been bugging me for awhile. it started in first year and has progressed to now. i am sure many other careers have the same issue...it is none other than the image of nursing. a few months back a fellow student posted on facebook: "what do you think nurses do?" one response hit me hard. it was simple really. nothing to get mad about, as this was their perception, but basically the reply was "to follow physician's orders". argh.

it then got me thinking what i thought nursing was when i first went to school. many of my impressions were the "skills" they do, the giving of needles, the operating equipment. i didn't have a good perception of what the hospital was like...i had some ideas of what a nurse was...but it was vastly different to what i ended up studying. obviously i was very ignorant.

with that said rant mark mentioned today that the same things i get frustrated about regarding my career choice is something he has experienced with his.....like i said others are surely feeling the same.

so what can be done to change it?? i think to truly understand something one must educate themselves on the "said" issue. when it comes to working all the jobs i have had, i have gained a vast amount of experience and knowledge on the "said" work. for instance many people will have no idea what it means to live a "whole life" when working with the population that i work with. they may not understand them, while i know how valuable they are to the people and society in general. people need the education and understanding to further grasp what this population needs (and they do need so much yet so little).

with that being said...i hope and wish to see the image of nursing change just a little while i am working. i believe it will happen and i hope i am part of that change! :)

love