[Suzi]

Many nurses "of our age" DID consider nursing a calling. Not a job! We have delivered babies and held patients in our arms as they took their last breaths. And it has been an honor. But the art of nursing has changed dramatically. Computerization has taken more and more precious time away from hands-on patient care. Order entry, notes, vitals all have to be typed in....in fact, it is imperative that the computer be "cared for" before the patient. You can be the most dedicated, loving, hard working, nursing leader, receive accolades from patients and colleagues alike - but if your contributions to the computer are less than expected - you will not have a job. Nurses handle the messiest situations of life, see the worst and saddest of human suffering, put themselves at risks for all sorts of diseases known and unknown, work swing shifts and double shifts, talk and advise about all kinds of topics, council families and dying patients and do a host of all other bodily tasks that NO one else would ever do.
To compare a nurses profession with any other job is an insult. "every job has bad times" is a sad comparison. Everyday is a bad day (or as nurses would say good day) when you are up to your armpits in poop, or someone throws up on you, or your caring for a dying child, or an AIDES patient. Your nurse is an angel in hospital attire. She or he deserves your respect and compassion for a job that few would choose. Just think about it.....why would you need a hospital if it were not for the nurses that provide the care. Thats why Florence Nightingale began them. Doctors could always operate but how would the person get taken care of if not for the nurse.