Nursing

[ismnotwasm]

The American Nurses Association recently changed it's official Journal to "American Nurse Today" from "American Journal of Nursing" Now, I was no big fan of AJN, but I open this new Journal today and find while the journal has the usual useful and informative information, it has an irritating article on what nurses wear.

Even though I'm in a profession that is mostly female, the actual topic wasn't my problem.
My problem was this;
"In the early 20th century, new findings about germs and their role in spreading infection helped popularize the white nursing uniform. Nurses continued to wear white until the 1960's, when feminists decided white symbolized diminished power. Elizabeth Norman, nursing professor That New York University and author ot two books on the history of nursing states, "In the constant struggle for independence from doctors, some nurses started to see the white uniform as a symbol of the angelic, demure, dependent woman--not the tough resourceful professional she really is"

The article goes one to about nurses wearing pants suits and finally scrubs. It mentions that so do "orderlies, technicians, aides, and maintenance and dietary staff"
In other words, who are the nurses?

She then goes on to say the doctors often still wear a "white lab coat over business clothing"

Ok. So why am I irritated? First, in my experience, doctors also wear scrubs, and I know several nurses who wear white lab coats. Secondly, the article fails to mentions that women doctors are closing in on 50 percent.
Elsewhere in the article it mentions a forced return to white in one health care facility as an identifier for nurses and indicates that the general scrub wearing by hospital personal may be a deliberate attempt to hide the nursing shortage.

Fine. (Half the time on my unit I'm in an isolation gown so it doesn't really matter what color I wear) I have a name tag that Identifies me clearly, and I always introduce myself as a nurse. Basic nursing courtesy. I do most of the hands on care as well as assessment of my patients. They know me, I make sure of it. Damn sure.

The author clearly states her intent is NOT to tell nurses what to wear. Don't get me wrong. I do understand what she's trying to say. Patients want to know who is providing care, and when.

To quote a line; "personal comfort vs. professional credibility, Individuality versus regimentation. Style (appearance) versus substance (nursing skill and knowledge)"
I personally don't wear little doggies, dolphins or cartoon characters or patterns of any kind on my scrubs. But that's my choice. I also don't pay a lot of money for a "uniform" that gets some of the substances mine get on them.

So browsing through the journal, mildly irritated and not really knowing why at first, later on there is an article called "Cultivating Personal Courage". This one outlines how nursing gets caught up in the "victim mentality" and how "we become angry, burned out, underappreciated, overworked" It was an ok, how-to feel-good-about-yourself, short article.

And I'm thinking, yeah, add a white uniform to that shit.

So the gist of my irritation was that as a feminist in a traditionally female profession is that there still is a NEED to cultivate respect. That this "women's job" is still devalued enough that we NEED clear identifiers via clothing. That-- let me face it, since I'm the one with the problem with it-- Women evidently, NEED an article to "Cultivate Courage" Jesus, the most profoundly courageous women I've know in my life have been nurses.


The article on Courage has an interesting question as a subtopic title;
"Where Does Courage End?"