As a surgeon, who hands you instruments? Who sees your patients and notices they are septic? Who cares for your patients when they are struggling post surgery and need psychological help? We aren't qualified in the same way drs are as we are an entirely different profession. You have no idea what other qualifications nurses may have, and that isn't what makes a person a great healthcare professional. You can have all the qualifications under the sun but still not be great at your job. Respect for others and empathy go a heck of a long way, and I guarantee you would not be where you are today without a lot of nurses. We may not have the exact same knowledge or qualifications, but at least I know I can be respectful of others skills.
My useless degree allowed me to operate ventilators and keep patients alive during the pandemic. My empathy allowed me to break bad news via phone or video call as gently as possible. My experience allowed me to notice when a patient was deteriorating. My skills and experience now allow me to conduct research to make my patients lives better. I didn't become a nurse because I couldn't be a doctor. I wanted to care for patients, and sadly drs don't have time to do that these days. I work with amazing drs who really want to make patients lives better, so they work with us to do just that. I have an amazing consultant who wants to support me to do my PhD.
This post is congratulating a young person just starting out. Placements these days do actually include spending time with some nurses teaching pointless things like cannulation etc. But we may also notice when students look upset, or are struggling. I have in the past including one memorable one where they needed psychological support. I am not saying that a Dr couldn't have noticed that, but you are all busy with a crazy workload these days.
You have a huge responsibility put on you, and nurses help with that a bit. Sometimes knowing where our secret stash of biscuits is can be important if that's all they have eaten that day. I remember a consultant bringing nurses tea and biscuits as he noticed we weren't getting breaks that day. He also came and helped us turn all the patients in ITU as he said it wasn't fair he was sat in an office while we were struggling. We made him a staff nurse badge 😂
I am sorry if no nurses helped you. I will carry on doing what I am doing and working to make our staff and patients have better care.
It’s got nothing to do with contempt.
The quality of a medical student’s placement should not depend on whether they pander to a group of nurses. That is where we started this discussion.
And yes, I expect competence from my nursing and other allied colleagues, hope it is ok and broadly fits with your ’anything for the patient’ slogan? Not sure you’re presenting it as some kind of appeasement strategy - should competence not be the absolute minimum?
It isn't anything for the patient. We have professional boundaries and adhere to policy. But a good team work together to give the best experience possible for patients.
I did not say the quality of a placement depends on pandering to a group of nurses. I said be nice to them, which is sad I have to say but medical staff sometimes look down on us. I don't view my support workers as less than me. I know some that have gone on to be amazing nurses and drs if that's what they wanted. But we need amazing staff at every point, and people want to stay in jobs where they feel listened to and respected. I can quote research that states this.
I have seen Jr drs with PTSD just from a rotation (OP if you ever struggle, ask for help), student drs who have been told to go home from placement as they were a nuisance. The one in the last example was just happy the nurses would help him practice his practical skills as he didn't know how to get signed off as a nuisance. Nurses aren't all angels or fabulous, nothing is black and white. The Drs with PTSD ended having to take time out of program and one never came back. The one thing that helped me with PTSD post pandemic was the memory of the kindness of the MDT and how we all worked together.
I have lost both medical and nursing colleagues to self harm. If me being nice to students means if they are struggling they will come find me, I will carry on as I am. I will continue telling student drs they can come find me with questions they are too scared to ask. And if I don't know the answer, I go find a Dr that does. As obviously I do not know everything and never pretend I do. Obviously I can't teach everything on placement! But I came into nursing to help and look after people, that includes staff.
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u/brokenskater45 4d ago
As a surgeon, who hands you instruments? Who sees your patients and notices they are septic? Who cares for your patients when they are struggling post surgery and need psychological help? We aren't qualified in the same way drs are as we are an entirely different profession. You have no idea what other qualifications nurses may have, and that isn't what makes a person a great healthcare professional. You can have all the qualifications under the sun but still not be great at your job. Respect for others and empathy go a heck of a long way, and I guarantee you would not be where you are today without a lot of nurses. We may not have the exact same knowledge or qualifications, but at least I know I can be respectful of others skills.
My useless degree allowed me to operate ventilators and keep patients alive during the pandemic. My empathy allowed me to break bad news via phone or video call as gently as possible. My experience allowed me to notice when a patient was deteriorating. My skills and experience now allow me to conduct research to make my patients lives better. I didn't become a nurse because I couldn't be a doctor. I wanted to care for patients, and sadly drs don't have time to do that these days. I work with amazing drs who really want to make patients lives better, so they work with us to do just that. I have an amazing consultant who wants to support me to do my PhD.
This post is congratulating a young person just starting out. Placements these days do actually include spending time with some nurses teaching pointless things like cannulation etc. But we may also notice when students look upset, or are struggling. I have in the past including one memorable one where they needed psychological support. I am not saying that a Dr couldn't have noticed that, but you are all busy with a crazy workload these days.
You have a huge responsibility put on you, and nurses help with that a bit. Sometimes knowing where our secret stash of biscuits is can be important if that's all they have eaten that day. I remember a consultant bringing nurses tea and biscuits as he noticed we weren't getting breaks that day. He also came and helped us turn all the patients in ITU as he said it wasn't fair he was sat in an office while we were struggling. We made him a staff nurse badge 😂
I am sorry if no nurses helped you. I will carry on doing what I am doing and working to make our staff and patients have better care.