Nursing

You know, Parkland has an RN position that is listed as "Call Center RN." The blog posted by Professor Anderson immediately reminded me of seeing this job title while I was job searching last summer. I checked again today, and there is a Call Center RN position available. Same one? I have no idea, but it was listed as open since Sept. 2009. While I don't necessarily think it is fair to exclude those individuals who lack manual dexterity or fine motor skills from being nurses, I don't really see any other options. Nursing by definition is, "the provision, at various levels of preparation, of services essential to or helpful in the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health and well-being or in prevention of illness, as of infants, of sick and injured, or of others for any reason unable to provide such services for themselves" (Dorland's Medical Dictionary, 2007). The American Nurse's Association states that the "function of a nurse involves the physical intimacy of laying on of hands." The basis of nursing involves interaction with patients and acts (by the nurse) of healing and caring to some degree. Even if later on a nurse becomes a Call Center RN, or an Advanced Practice Nurse who is more removed from bedside nursing, he or she still has the previous experiences and the knowledge gained from hands-on caregiving to refer to when practicing. Training is an important part of being a nurse...would you want a doctor who had graduated from medical school without ever palpating an abdomen, giving an injection, or closing a wound with stitches? Would you want a lawyer to defend your life who has never been in a courtroom, practiced giving depositions, or been in a mock trial? The point is that certain professions have specific skill sets and duties that only people who hold that title can perform. Society expects some level of performance and mastery of these skills by those individuals within such a profession. No, I do not think that someone who cannot perform the physical duties of nursing should obtain the title of Registered Nurse. I think that their own knowledge, book learning, and unique personal experiences can provide them with great insight on nursing, but this is not the same as actually "being" a nurse.