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| Nursing graduates, University of Delaware, 1966 |
Ethel complains that "Nurses back in the world are second-class citizens. And, big surprise--they're mostly women. Men keep us in boxes, make us wear starched virgin white, and tell us that docs are gods. And the worst part is, we believe them" (51).
Ethel is describing an America that existed over fifty years ago. Nurses are no longer required to "wear starched virgin white." But can you think of any ways in which nurses are still treated as "second-class citizens" in the healthcare world? Is it likely that gender still plays an important role in determing who becomes a nurse and how they are treated?
Question 1. One way I can think of nurses being “second-class citizens” in the healthcare world is the chain of command that most people think exists within a hospital. Doctors are typically the ones who do all the work that people hear about, lifesaving or changing surgeries, childbirths, and other medical evaluations. On the other hand, nurses do the nitty gritty work that doesn’t get glory, changing IV drips, feeding and bathing patients, distributing medication, and the dirty work. I believe that there could also still be a predisposition that nurses are typically female due to the way the medical industry has been since before the civil rights movement. I’m not very knowledgeable about the medical field, so all of my assumptions are just that, assumptions. Doctors could see nurses, especially female nurses, as just told to help them do whatever they may need to do, be that bathe their patient, hand them a surgical tool, or anything else that goes on behind the scenes.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1: I think most people see nurses as the lowest on the totem pole. Rarely is a nurse's work recognized, and most of the time the doctors are receiving the praise. I feel that nurses often are made to do the work that no one else in the hospital wants to do and that is why they may be viewed as second-class citizens. I do not think gender has as much to do with nurses' social status nowadays as it did 50 years ago but I do think it plays a small part in it.
ReplyDeleteI think a large part of this perception is based in gender stereotypes. While it is much more common for both women and men to be doctors, their is a heavy gender bias in nurses with a large majority being women. I think this is partly where the conception that nurses are second class citizens comes from and continues to be present. Nursing is considered one of the caring professions, and those types of professions are dominated by women traditionally. While this is changing it is a slow hill to climb. When you look at professions dominated by women, they tend to be lower paid and considered less prestigious. Now, that has slowly been changing with the fairly recent use of nurse practitioners to cover the gap in health care where doctors are not available. Although this takes us into the realm of income inequality, where those on the lower income levels are also more likely to use nurse practitioners instead of doctors, furthering the divide in perception of nurses in general in comparison to doctors. The system couldn't function without nurses and it is sad that they are not given more prestige for what they accomplish and for the duties they perform.
ReplyDeleteSorry! Didn't mean to post that anonymously.
ReplyDeleteI think a large part of this perception is based in gender stereotypes. While it is much more common for both women and men to be doctors, their is a heavy gender bias in nurses with a large majority being women. I think this is partly where the conception that nurses are second class citizens comes from and continues to be present. Nursing is considered one of the caring professions, and those types of professions are dominated by women traditionally. While this is changing it is a slow hill to climb. When you look at professions dominated by women, they tend to be lower paid and considered less prestigious. Now, that has slowly been changing with the fairly recent use of nurse practitioners to cover the gap in health care where doctors are not available. Although this takes us into the realm of income inequality, where those on the lower income levels are also more likely to use nurse practitioners instead of doctors, furthering the divide in perception of nurses in general in comparison to doctors. The system couldn't function without nurses and it is sad that they are not given more prestige for what they accomplish and for the duties they perform.
I think that that while a lot has changed in the healthcare system some things have not. Many doctors and surgeons whether make it female are more widely recognized. The reason I think is because they do the big things, while nurses work behind the scenes making sure everything runs smoothly. I have two aunts who are nurses and they often tell me of their jobs and how they care for 10+ patients for 12 hour shifts while the doctor comes in and stays for 5 minutes and then moves on. Their patient will leave great reviews for the doctors and never even consider them. I don’t think that either job is less important because without the nurses doing the small things like changing IV’s and monitoring patients doctors wouldn’t have enough knowledge to diagnose.
ReplyDeleteSecond sentence: Many doctors or surgeons weather male or female are widely recognized.
DeleteI think nurses are still considered lower ranking in the world of the medical field, when, in actuality, they are just as important as every staff member in a hospital. The reason their work may be overlooked may be due to the determined "usefulness" of someone who isn't in healthcare; many might trust a surgeon with their life before they trust a nurse, and I don't believe this assessment is very fair. The old gendered stereotype, while not as limiting, may still persist. Many nurse occupations are filled by women, and perhaps those outside and inside the medical field look down on nurses because of it, partially in due to their perceived lower ranking status in the hospital, and partially due to misogyny.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Misogyny is very high when it comes to fields with more women, and they tend to be looked at differently and as "less than" because of it.
DeleteWhile doctors and surgeons are very important, I feel as though nurses are treated as less than, as they were 50 years ago, when I believe they are just as important and play just as much of a vital role in the medical field as doctors and surgeons. However, A vast majority of nurses are women, and I feel that some people (inside and outside of the medical field) take advantage of how important nurses are because of the simple fact of their title and gender. I have noticed, in a lot of cases, that nurses are seen almost as servants to those in higher-paying roles as well as patients, and they are expected to do what others won't without any recognition. While most doctors and surgeons run on a strict schedule, the nurses deal with any complaints, emergencies, incoming patients, passing medications in a quick and timely manner, charting everything correctly, and doing that all while having up to 10 or more patients. While this is part of the job, the way nurses are treated and go unrecognized is something that has stuck around for decades, and I hope one day that all nurses will be treated fairly and with the same respect as those in higher-paying roles, because at the end of the day, income does not define importance.
ReplyDelete1. There a many ways nurses are still treated as second class citizens because most important they are second in command to the doctors. The doctors are the ones who get all the credit and attention and both do a bit of the same stuff. They also don’t allow nurses to do surgeries or anything, it’s like they put a limit on certain things they are allowed to do. They even have certain rules they have to follow and have things done exactly at this time while doctors aren’t necessary rushed as much. Like for example you have a doctors appointment the nurses usually the first one there to talk to you because it’s rules for them to get there as soon as possible while the doctor on the other hand will tend to you when they can. Also the nurses spend so much more time with the patients unlike the doctors and the doctors get the good reviews and good image for it. But I do think that it’s no where near how it was 50 years ago but I do believe that in a way they still are limited to certain things they can do.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has friends and family who are nurses, they are treated as though they know next to nothing, which is false. In fact, your own general care physician might actually be a Nurse Practitioner and not an actual doctor. They know and can perform almost all of the same things, but just don’t have the education level that doctors do. Nurses do all of the things that even some doctors think they are above doing. Bloodwork, hygiene, constant monitoring, etc. They get down and dirty. Doctors just tend to do the major things like surgeries, and therefore get most of the credit and recognition. I see them as equals. Both jobs are extraordinarily important and hard. I have seen that gender stereotypes still play a major role. There are people that assume a female doctor is a nurse and will ask for an actual doctor, implying that their doctor should be a man, not a woman. When they have a male nurse, they’ll treat him as the doctor instead of the woman.
ReplyDeleteI’ve also learned that nurses are the ones that keep you alive. To quote one nursing student, “You're the next generation of healthcare. People's lives are about to depend on you. You've gotta be faster than the reaper. Act like it.” This is in reference to when a patient starts coding, requires CPR, or is having some sort of life threatening medical emergency. Nurses do so much more than just basic care
DeleteWhile nurses aren't required to wear virgin white anymore, I still think nurses are seen as second class citizens in the healthcare world because they are not the doctor. Many think that because nurses come second to the doctor that they also do not do as much work or don't care for the patient as much. For instance, I have noticed people comment on social media complaining about seeing a nurse rather than a doctor or not wanting to receive care from a nurse rather than a doctor. Therefore, nurses are kind of looked over as being the caretaker of patients in the medical world because citizens do not put as much trust into a nurse that they do into a doctor. Nurses also do not receive as much credit as doctors do for caring for a patient. It seems as though the patients belong to the doctor not the nurse, so the doctor gets all the credit. I do think that gender may still play a role in who becomes a nurse because while more and more men are becoming nurses, the majority of nurses are still women. Also, I think doctors are stereotyped to being men; therefore, women are still seen second to men as nurses are second to doctors.
ReplyDelete“Ethel is describing an America that existed over fifty years ago. Nurses are no longer required to ‘wear starched virgin white.’ But can you think of any ways in which nurses are still treated as ‘second-class citizens’ in the healthcare world?”
ReplyDeleteNurses are the grunts of the medical field. They do just as their told by people above them. Their qualifications go above their expected duties. A nurse today will change bedsheets, record medical data, take vitals, and possibly set up an IV drip. At the end of the day, it is the doctors that get the credit. The nurse is expected to be a workhorse for the doctor and to do the menial tasks that doctors find rigorous or demeaning.
Doctors claim all the credit for treating a patient when in reality the nurse spends the most time with the patient. The doctor receives the credit due to their status and the difficulty of their work. However, the nurses perform multiple small tasks that the patient would not survive without. Although gender may not be as much of an issue in today's world, 86% of nurses are female causing some to think of nursing as a "woman's field".
ReplyDeleteHealthcare has improved a lot over the years, but nursing as a profession is still undervalued in many ways. Just like Ethel described, nurses today continue to face the problem of being overlooked, even though their work is central to patient care. Nurses spend years studying theories in school and completing difficult clinical placements, yet their role is often seen as less important than doctors. This lack of recognition does not match the reality of the education, skills, and responsibility that nursing requires.
ReplyDeleteFollowing the question,
Yes, gender still plays a role in how nurses are valued, although it can look different depending on the setting. From my own experience working as a medical assistant in Nepal, I noticed that patients often felt more comfortable seeking help from men, even if those men were not doctors. Many times, female nurses were not fully trusted, despite being the ones with the right training. This shows how cultural beliefs and gender stereotypes still affect healthcare, especially in developing countries. While some progress has been made, nursing is still shaped by these biases, and this connects back to Ethel’s experience where her work as a nurse was not fully recognized.
Health care workers, like nurses, are starting to get more respect on the field. It is also now not just need as a "woman's job". Male nurses have been slowly increasing in numbers. I think this is because it became apparent how difficult nursing is and in turn it is a job constantly in demand. Nursing has gotten more respect because the constant hours and grueling work is now too apparent to over look. Nursing is now a well respected field and can do most things doctors can. The requirements to become a nurse have became more stringent over the years. With gender becoming less apparent in nursing and the more respect put into that career. The idea that they are "second class" citizens is an outdated moniker for nursing.
ReplyDeleteI believe that even today, nurses are cut short when given credit for their work. The stereotype that was placed on them so long ago still lingers today. As seen in the book, there is so much behind the scenes action that people do not often pay attention to. Nurses put in tireless hours and deserve the credit for what they give. When Frankie returned from Vietnam, people did not thank her for all the work she put in. They barely even believed that she would be in such a place as Vietnam. While soldiers were fighting for their lives in action, Frankie and her friends were fighting to save those same lives. Nurses work critically to ensure that patients receive the care that they need.
ReplyDeleteEven though nursing has come a long way, nurses are still sometimes treated like “second-class citizens” in the healthcare system. They often take on heavy workloads, receive less recognition than physicians, and have limited influence in major medical decisions. Gender also still plays a role because nursing remains a female-dominated field, which can lead to stereotypes that undervalue the profession’s skill and expertise. Many nurses also report feeling dismissed when raising concerns or offering input, which shows how these attitudes persist. While progress has been made, the power imbalance between doctors and nurses and the lingering gender expectations in healthcare continue to shape how nurses are viewed and treated today
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