Why are Nurses so highly praised?

Mr_Muffin · 30-12-2017 04:07PM #1

Nurses are held in such high regard in Ireland and are consistently being praised, especially by the media.

The starting salary does seem quite low but like any job, it increases over time to what is a decent wage. Not to mention the pension.

I have no doubt that it can be tough work but aren't most jobs these days - am I missing something? Please explain.

Tom Mann Centuria · 30-12-2017 04:10PM

If you have entered nursing within last couple of years the pension is no better than most other pensions available to everyone else.

One More Toy · 30-12-2017 04:10PM

They are selfless, good natured individuals despite all the **** of the inefficiencies of the hse.

If you ever get a serious illness you'll find out op.

bear1 · 30-12-2017 04:10PM

Mr_Muffin wrote: »

Nurses are held in such high regard in Ireland and are consistently being praised, especially by the media.

The starting salary does seem quite low but like any job, it increases over time to what is a decent wage. Not to mention the pension.

I have no doubt that it can be tough work but aren't most jobs these days - am I missing something? Please explain.

You can't be serious?

Mr_Muffin · 30-12-2017 04:15PM

bear1 wrote: »

You can't be serious?

Help me understand, please. That's why I started this thread.

Tom Mann Centuria · 30-12-2017 04:18PM

Mr_Muffin wrote: »

Help me understand.

Show us some of that recent praise for nurses from the media, to give us an idea of what you're talking about. It'll be nice to read regardless.

splinter65 · 30-12-2017 04:19PM

One More Toy wrote: »

They are selfless, good natured individuals despite all the **** of the inefficiencies of the hse.

If you ever get a serious illness you'll find out op.

My recent experiences of nurses in a professional capacity doesn’t tally with this.

weldoninhio · 30-12-2017 04:20PM

Mr_Muffin wrote: »

Nurses are held in such high regard in Ireland and are consistently being praised, especially by the media.

The starting salary does seem quite low but like any job, it increases over time to what is a decent wage. Not to mention the pension.

I have no doubt that it can be tough work but aren't most jobs these days - am I missing something? Please explain.

Nurses do everything in a hospital/clinic. It’s literally hard to put into words how important they are to the running of a hospital or clinic.

Mr_Muffin · 30-12-2017 04:22PM

Tom Mann Centuria wrote: »

Show us some of that recent praise for nurses from the media, to give us an idea of what you're talking about. It'll be nice to read regardless.

When I get around to it I will locate some material. I don't bookmark every article I read/record every radio show I listen to.

ednwireland · 30-12-2017 04:23PM

Have you ever been seriously ill in hospital? Very thankful to them when I was in. They dont seem to stop.

Hande hoche! · 30-12-2017 04:23PM

They work twice as hard for half the play of doctors. Also various fantasies would also have an impact.

Tom Mann Centuria · 30-12-2017 04:24PM

Mr_Muffin wrote: »

When I get around to it I will locate some material. I don't bookmark every article I read/record every radio show I listen to.

No bother, when you get around to it I can have a read/listen and agree or disagree with your point.

Alf Veedersane · 30-12-2017 04:24PM

Mr_Muffin wrote: »

I have no doubt that it can be tough work but aren't most jobs these days - am I missing something? Please explain.

Please explain how a tough day at work for you is on a par with a tough day for a nurse.

robyntmorton · 30-12-2017 04:26PM

If you have experience of being in the care of nursing staff for any length of time, you’ll understand why they get praised.

I had a 5 week hospital stay a couple of years ago. The nurses and healthcare assistants kept me sane, and did it with a smile on their faces all the time, even when they were being abused.

I had one barely leave my bedside all night trying to get my temperature down, working only by penlight to avoid waking me. That dedication is why they deserve all the praise they get.

The_Valeyard · 30-12-2017 04:28PM

Nurses are real life Angels in hospitals. They are constantly on the go, doing there best to keep you alive and recovering. The conditions they work in can be horrible as can tbe patients or even the illnesses they help treat. Spend a few days on a hospital ward, say Crumlin Children's Hospital and tell me they dont deserve the praise. Id also double the wages.

Edit: not a nurse nor any family or friends nurses, just what ive seen first hand.

Mr_Muffin · 30-12-2017 04:29PM

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Please explain how a tough day at work for you is on a par with a tough day for a nurse.

I've never worked as a Nurse so I do not know what a tough day for a Nurse entails thus I cannot make that comparison.

I have no doubt that it is a tough job, but is that how we judge which jobs should get the highest praise in society - by how 'tough' the work is? I'm sure there are plenty of jobs out there that are many times harder than being a Nurse (with the greatest respect).

Stuckforcash · 30-12-2017 04:29PM

One More Toy wrote: »

They are selfless, good natured individuals despite all the **** of the inefficiencies of the hse.

If you ever get a serious illness you'll find out op.

Hmmm. Haven't witnessed many examples of this personally. I'm sure some are, but most I've encountered seem quite cold and uncaring. A lot to do with the HSE I'm sure, but with both my parents passing after long stints in a hospital I've unfortunately too many negative experiences for my liking.

30-12-2017 04:33PM

Mr_Muffin wrote: »

Nurses are held in such high regard in Ireland and are consistently being praised, especially by the media.

The starting salary does seem quite low but like any job, it increases over time to what is a decent wage. Not to mention the pension.

I have no doubt that it can be tough work but aren't most jobs these days - am I missing something? Please explain.

Why does it bother you? I would hazard a guess that many people and their family's have been the recipient of kindness, support and care from nurses and that just might be the reason and its not just an Irish thing.

honeybear · 30-12-2017 04:35PM

I have great regard for nurses.

Mr_Muffin · 30-12-2017 04:37PM

mariaalice wrote: »

Why does it bother you? I would hazard a guess that many people and there familys have been the recipient of kindness, support and care from nurses and that just might be the reason and its not just an Irish thing.

It doesn't bother me, quite the opposite. It intrigues me.

I am curious, that's all. I maybe haven't spent enough time in hospital myself to actually see how hard they work or the inefficiencies that they have to deal with on a daily basis but why wait until I get sick to find out?

Alf Veedersane · 30-12-2017 04:38PM

Mr_Muffin wrote: »

I've never worked as a Nurse so I do not know what a tough day for a Nurse entails thus I cannot make that comparison.

I have no doubt that it is a tough job, but is that how we judge which jobs should get the highest praise in society - by how 'tough' the work is? I'm sure there are plenty of jobs out there that are many times harder than being a Nurse (with the greatest respect).

You couldn't hazard an educated guess at what a tough day looking after sick people might involve?

Also, if you've no idea what a nurse's job entails then how can you state that there are many other jobs that are many times harder?

PandaPoo · 30-12-2017 04:38PM

2 main experiences in hospitals for me was when my son had a stroke and was in a coma for a week, and my niece going through cancer treatment for a year. Both times the nurses were absolutely fantastic.
7 years on and my son still has appointments in the hospital and the same nurse makes sure she pops in to say hi. When he was undergoing other procedures she made sure she was there so he saw a familiar face. She even brought him a medal for after.

The nurses in st John's ward in crumlin are phenomenal. The things they see every day would break the strongest person. In one month in 2015, 7 children died (My niece included). Imagine caring for these kids day in and day out, getting to know them, their ups and downs, and 7 of them passing away in 30 days. All nurses see tragedy but that must have been horrific.
It's a job I could never do, but when someone says they are a nurse I instantly have respect and admiration for them. They work so incredibly hard and deserve to be paid a lot more and to be treated respectfully by every patient.

hairyslug · 30-12-2017 04:38PM

A weekend in the mater a&e was an eye opener.

If you have been in hospital for any amount of time you see how much they do, how far past their allocated hours they do and how they will go out of their way to help you.

They know what they are signing up for and I think that makes it more commendable, it's something that I know I couldn't do and I know the care they gave my parents, my wife, kids and myself was unbelievable.

saintsaltynuts · 30-12-2017 04:39PM

I work in a hospital and can safely say they're the real heroes in this country.

Tom Mann Centuria · 30-12-2017 04:41PM

Fwiw, there are good and bad nurses, same as every job. As someone who works in a hospital, all I want is decent working conditions. You can keep your praise.

Looking after patient's on corridors is not good working conditions,

running out of sheets for beds is not good working conditions,

having nothing to dress patients who have nothing, other than paper gowns is not good working conditions,

covering the ward of 30 plus with half the expected staff is not good working conditions,

not getting a break because there no staff to cover you is not good working conditions,

getting assaulted by patients because there's not enough security is not good working conditions,

cleaning toilets because there is no cleaner is not good working conditions,

spending 10 minutes going round wards trying to find a drug or piece of equipment is not good working conditions,

being berated by people because a doctor is not there to talk to them (one doctor covering hundreds, how could they be, but it's a nurses fault) is not good workings conditions

putting infectious patients next to post surgical patients with a curtain as the only barrier is not good working conditions.

Patients not getting a scan for days is not good working conditions,

Patients waiting for a bed in specialist hospitals for days on end is not good for workings conditions.

When things go wrong, who is the person expected to deal with it?

Who is the angry patient or relative usually venting their anger to when half the stuff above happens? How much of the above stuff can a nurse directly affect?

And I can't be arsed to write any more.

Mr_Muffin · 30-12-2017 04:41PM

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

You couldn't hazard an educated guess at what a tough day looking after sick people might involve?

Also, if you've no idea what a nurse's job entails then how can you state that there are many other jobs that are many times harder?

1. Why guess? http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/analysis/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-nurse-in-the-hospital-front-line-371291.html.

2. Going by the sheer number of different jobs available in society these days (hundreds/thousands maybe?) I think it is safe to say that there are probably quite a few jobs out there that are tougher.

mirrorwall14 · 30-12-2017 04:42PM

One of the only times I’ve been annoyed by a nurse was when she was being outrageously overworked and even though it annoyed me I understood. Spent a lot of time in the Coombe with my son and almost everyone I met on nursing/midwife staff was amazing. One nut job of a ward sister or something (management position) but everyone else was reassuring, excellent and way overworked

Larbre34 · 30-12-2017 04:42PM

Oh I dunno, lets see..

They deal with the worst of humanity at its best and the best of humanity at its worst with general patience, kindness and professionalism, for a wage which wouldnt allow one of them to buy a home in Dublin on their own and all while having to fight a dysfunctional bureaucratic system which trys to force them to tick boxes and hit targets rather than simply ease the discomfort of sick people.

I lost my auld fella almost a year ago, who despite his years of health insurance finished his days in an overcrowded public ward in a small regional hospital because he was too sick to be moved and the only thing that preserved his dignity and shielded us in our grief were the overworked yet unflapable nursing staff and care assistants.

Bless em all I say.

iamwhoiam · 30-12-2017 04:43PM

If it wasn't for the sheer hard work of nurses ( and many other hospital staff like carers ,physios, etc ) the health system in this country would collapse . Nurses work extremely hard often with no breaks , often staying longer than rostered for , often doing more than paid for , often going home exhausted and drained . Nurses care for the sick and dying with a smile and go home and cry their eyes out . Nurses carry huge responsibility and huge burden on their shoulders
Nurses are often frontline staff and get abuse and shouted at for the inadequacies in the health system which is not of their doing
Nurses will be off duty snd yet found rocking a sick baby or holding a sick child
So OP there you go , there is your answer

Martina1991 · 30-12-2017 04:45PM

Mr_Muffin wrote:

Nurses are held in such high regard in Ireland and are consistently being praised, especially by the media.

Nurses are highly praised. Rightly so. They see and deal with people at their best and worst. But not every day/ shift is like an episode of casualty.

What grinds my gears is nurses (and doctors) are the only ones praised for their work. Because they are in the public eye.

Medical scientists, radiographers, pharmacists, care assistants etc etc work hard stressful jobs; nights and weekends.

Doctors and nurses are only able to look after patients with the help of everyone else in the background that get no praise or thanks.

Rant over

fando · 30-12-2017 04:48PM

One More Toy wrote: »

They are selfless, good natured individuals despite all the **** of the inefficiencies of the hse.

If you ever get a serious illness you'll find out op.

Everyone knows that nurses and Gardai enter their vocation for the love for humanity and nothing else. They are practically saints.

Why are Nurses so highly praised?

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