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Ten Myths About Nursing |
We all have heard the stories about nurses, some of them true and some not true and here are ten of the some of the biggest myths about nurses.
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Nursing is the largest profession in the world, and one of the most misunderstood. There are a lot of myths about nursing, despite the fact that this profession employs millions of men and women around the world and is one of the most respected professions in healthcare:
1. Only women are nurses. Not true – certainly, there are a lot more women than men in the nursing profession, but the number of men is growing. According to industry figures, between 1980 and 2000 the number of male registered nurses increased by 226 percent. They still only make up a little over 5 percent of the workforce, but their numbers are increasing all the time.
Although there are still significantly more women than men in nursing; the number of men in nursing is growing. Offering good pay, excellent benefits and an opportunity to help others, nursing is a great profession for men as well as for women.
2. Really smart people don’t become nurses. Becoming a nurse is hard work, taking years of training and dedication to excellence. Nurses must pass courses in chemistry, anatomy, psychology, pharmacology, and biology, they have to chart and administer medications and complex medical procedures, and work as part of the healthcare team with physicians. To become a licensed nurse, they have to pass a board exam – nurses are smart, because they have to be.
3. Nursing is boring. Nothing could be further from the truth – the career opportunities for nurses are as exciting as you want them to be! In a clinical setting, nurses work in a number of settings, in virtually every field of healthcare, side-by-side with other professionals to help others. They may be assisting with surgeries, or working in a research capacity. Nurses have great opportunities to travel, too, and can work all over the world for every sort of employer, from non-profit organizations to resort hotels.
4. Nursing involves a lot of dirty, unpleasant work. Admittedly, some of it does – but not all of nursing is about bodily fluids and bedpans. The great thing about nursing as a career is that there are as many different nursing jobs as there are people to fill them. If you don’t like to get your hands dirty, you can work in a research facility, or a law firm, or teach in a nursing school. You could work as a nurse in a mental health clinic. The possibilities are virtually endless.
5. There’s no chance for career advancements. In fact, nurses have ample opportunity to advance in their careers, moving into other areas of healthcare as they progress in their jobs and discover new challenges. Or, if it suits you, you could continue your training and enter a specialized field of nurse, becoming a nurse practitioner or a nurse midwife, or any of a number of other specialties. Nurses also hold management positions with experience, overseeing clinics, consulting and teaching.
6. All nursing jobs are the same. Well, by now, you should realize that’s not true at all! The types of nursing jobs available are seemingly endless, all requiring different degrees of experience and training. Nurses work in pediatrics, in gerontology, with cancer patients and sports teams, in schools and research facilities, in management and running their own clinics. The opportunities in nursing are limitless.
7. It takes a very specific type of person to be a nurse. Again, just like the types of jobs available to nurses, the types of people who go into nursing are many and varied. With so many different types of nursing positions, the profession attracts people with every conceivable type of background, education and life experience. And that includes people of every ethnicity – the number of minority nurses continues to increase every year, with industry figures estimating that as many as 20 percent of nurses are non-white and growing. Diversity is important in a profession as centered on patient care as nursing, with each nurse bringing their own unique combination of skills and experience to the job.
8. Nurses don't make any money. In truth, nursing is a well-paying occupation. Government figures put the median income for a nurse at over $44,000 per year, and nurses receive excellent health benefits and tuition reimbursement for continued education. Many nursing jobs provide lucrative bonuses, retirement plans, money for child care and paid time off.
9. Nurses just follow doctors’ orders. Ask any nurse if this is true and they’ll laugh – nurses work with doctors to create care plans for patients, with nurses providing valuable input and implementing essential services. Nurses have to exhibit strong critical thinking skills, and must have the knowledge and confidence to make life and death decisions. The most fundamental aspects of patient care fall to nurses, and they’re a vital part of the healthcare team.
10. Nurses don’t get respect. Again, untrue. Nurses are respected in the community and at work. Nurses are highly educated, highly skilled healthcare professionals, and they have a respected role in today’s healthcare system.
Hopefully, this has helped to dispel any misconceptions you may have had about the nursing profession. If you’re considering a career in nursing, remember that you’ll be entering one of the most important, respected professions in the world, offering not only an opportunity to help others but getting a great deal in return, as well.
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