montessori2md said:I think mds who think nursing is distasteful are going to have a hard time relating to the nurses they work with -it's a lot easier to get on with your coworkers if you can put yourself in their shoes for at least a day and be able to think beyond "gosh, this sucks".
I also think that advanced practice nursing can help to solve some of the impending shortfall -if you believe there are many opportunities for advancement, and maybe even to move above the bedside running your butt off sort of day, then you might be more likely to start nursing to begin with, rather than just saying "gosh, I couldn't do this my whole life".
I've been in a career not unlike nursing -early childhood ed, which is also a lot of cleaning and caregiving, and it's great (I mean, you do get to teach kids how to read and multiply, you help their parents solve basic problems like how to get through a trip to the store without wanting to kill their child, etc), but I could not physically do this my whole life, I couldn't live on my income without my spouse, and I would mentally disintegrate. I imagine many nurses who jump into advanced practice are similiarly motivated.
Another good post and one you are completely correct on. I have talked with many nurses and this post captures their point of view that they shared with me.