Do nurses think too highly of themselves???

[3rdMolarRoller]

This is not a flame thread, but out of curosity. Back 15 years ago when I was deciding should I do the MD route, I was shadowing a physician twice a week in 4 different hospitals. Sometimes the patient would not feel comfortable with me watching some surgeries so I would have to wait in a different area until the doc I knew was done. Usually I hung out with nurses and they would ALWAYS talk as if they could run the whole show. Would always say how PA's are overpaid and nurses could easily do their job, how they felt they were almost like MD's except the only thing holding them back was a medical school degree...essentially they were talking as if they could do EVERYTHING and knew it all.

Well after I shadowed and determined that medicine wasn't for me I brushed off that experience and forgot about it until this week. My wife is a PA in her rotations and I was dropping her off and I was talking to the doc. He said since I was on summer break and really wasn't doing much that day that I should stay and hangout.

So I agreed since I haven't seen the stuff in awhile and just was curious what a PA really does bec I have not had too much interaction with them. Again, I could not attend all surgeries and was asked to go elsewhere to wait. Sure enough, what did I hear 4 nurses talking about? How they can't believe they need to ask the MD for permission since they (the nurses) feel they know more about the dosages, etc. They felt as if they had all the medical knowledge as an MD. Now this is in a hospital 500 miles away from my previous experience.

Is this common thinking among nurses, that they know it all???

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[J Lucas]

cant see it any other way but a flame thread

 

[3rdMolarRoller]

no its not bec I will not argue with anyone. I just want to know if this is common thinking among nurses

 

[FNP2B]

a for sure flame thread...!!!!!!!!!!???????????

 

[Neuron]

no its not bec I will not argue with anyone. I just want to know if this is common thinking among nurses

And how would asking your question on an internet forum with an active membership of perhaps two dozen nurses give you an answer of any significance?

You know what the response from most nurses posting here would be. You know what the response of the occasional medical student (and plausibly some of their less than thoughtful superiors) would be.

Will hearing 10 indignant NOs and another 10 gleeful Yeahs change your own (clearly well thought-out) position (on a social issue of such enormous consequence)?

 

[fab4fan]

OK, I'll play.

No, I don't think I know more than doctors, for the most part. However, my specialty is palliative care, and in my exp., yes, I do know more than most docs when it comes to mgmt. of pain/terminal sx. Mostly I know this because when I call the docs for orders, they will usually say, "What do you think we should do for the pt's pain/dyspnea/nausea/etc.," or "Go ahead and just write the order for what you want." (That drives me crazy...no, I'm not just going to write the order, I am going to tell you what I think is appropriate and then ask you if you agree. I suppose I should take that as a compliment, that they trust my judgement, but still...)

I will defer commenting about PAs...I'm sure there are some good ones out there, that's all I'll say.

I haven't seen the kind of behavior you describe very much. Some of us may say that when we are dealing with a doc who is, well, not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but in general I haven't seen this very much. (And since I've been a nurse for 20y, I've had plenty of opportunities to observe other nurses.)

So now my question is, why are you really asking this? What does it matter...you're not a doc/med student. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but it really does look like you're trolling.

 

[3rdMolarRoller]

I will defer commenting about PAs...I'm sure there are some good ones out there, that's all I'll say.

So now my question is, why are you really asking this? What does it matter...you're not a doc/med student. I'l give you the benefit of the doubt, but it really does look like you're trolling.

Shoot, I didn't mean to come off as a troll. If you go to the dental forums I try to give the best advice. The ONLY reason I asked this was because I have limited exposure to medicine and only experienced I guess you would say a negative perception of nurses.

I was only asking to see if this was common or a rare thing. Fab4fan thanks for giving a honest response because that is what I was looking for. Sorry if I offended anyone...I was just stating what I experienced and was asking if it was common

 

[3rdMolarRoller]

I will defer commenting about PAs...I'm sure there are some good ones out there, that's all I'll say.

Since my wife is a new PA, could you please expand on this (just for me to learn). If you do not want to post here, please PM me with a personal response. I will in no way respond in a negative way. Thanks

 

[fab4fan]

PM sent

 

[Luck]

I don't know why that is the case. Is it because nurse's have a chip on their shoulder and get less respect than they deserve? Probably.

 

[ang19]

brocnizer2007, i can't help but think that you are exaggerating a tad bit. i just don't think a bunch of nurses were standing around bragging about how much more they know than the doctor and how they can handle the whole "show" without the MD. get real. maybe what you REALLY observed was nurses that were competent in what they were doing and didn't require to be lead step by step what to do in a job that they were educated to do. let's face it... most people outside of nursing really don't know or understand the knowledge that nurses hold. you apparently are no different. and i just don't believe a nurse would say "i'm just like a doctor, but without the md degree". give me a break. give people respect where respect is due, no matter what position they hold. never assume that anyone "knows everything".why don't you try being a nurse for a day.... i guarantee your attitude will change.

 

[Kev (UK)]

Is this common thinking among nurses, that they know it all???

As no one knows it all, no it is not common, in fact it is impossible

Some nurses may think they know it all...most do not think that way.

Same goes for docs, dentists, pharms, technicians.....

There is no doubt that the experiences of a qualified nurse, who is specialised in their field, can sometimes give them insight into a situation that an inexperienced medic may be oblivious to. So at times they may indeed know better! Many treatments are algorithm driven and most people with a jot of intelligence can learn to follow such management plans with ease. However, it is only with experience and education that a health care professional can make an informed decision to go beyond the algorithm/ standard protocol when necessary. This is what makes a good medic. This applies again to all health care professionals.

As I am a nurse and now a med student the more in-depth education I am now receiving has opened my eyes to how little I actually knew about certain aspects of medical care! Perhaps some nurses may not appreciate how advanced a medical education actually is? They can only comment on what they frequently see on a day to day basis: docs following set treatment algorithms. It all looks so simple and straight forward to them perhaps?