Craving just a little conversation. . .

As I recall, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different outcome. My recent repetitive behavior has been to visit a group of nursing chat sites and either login or lurk to see if anyone is making interesting conversation. Much to my chagrin, I am repeatedly disappointed.My responses, when I find something juicy enough to address, can range from friendly to feisty and sometimes, I confess, I am out-right, in-your-face furious for the inane things people (nurses!) do online. Here's a typical sampling. . .

I have this assignment for class . . . could you do it for me?

This line of thinking leads the writer into a request that his/her readers explain the school assignment to her; tell him or her what to write his or her paper about; go to a website and take an inane survey s/he has devised; or, my favorite -- explain the meaning of terms used in class.
This week the winning thread was about discerning between the terms "strategic plan" and "operational plan". The writer wanted readers to tell her the difference and explain the relationship between the two. My blistering response said that as her audience, we had already earned our credentials and that we were not interested in earning hers as well. I advised she at least Google the two terms in question and return to the chat boards when she had a well reasoned question to offer!

I don't like the way people treat me at work. . .

If you follow these sorts of threads very far, they tend to become a litany of everyone's complaints about co-workers and the dreadful way everyone is behaving at work. Rarely (if ever) is there a respondent who offers an iota or self-reflection. Blaming is the modus operandi and seems to offer no solutions either to the initiator or to contributors along the way. What became of nurses having problem solving skills?

Where I work, things are terrible because. . .

Now, I will be the first to admit there are some dreadful work-places in healthcare. But what I can't abide is the assumption that the poor, pitiful nurse who is writing has NO other option but to be an indentured servant at this particular facility s/he is describing.

Where are the nurses asking clinical questions? Why aren't we raising issues about ethics, politics, public policy or public health? Where is the art of conversation among educated women (and yes, many of these nurses have at least a baccalaureate degree)? And what became of scientific inquiry and the ability to ANSWER questions, not merely ask them (expecting someone else to offer you the solution on a silver platter)?

You can tell, I get wound up about this.

Maybe I shouldn't. Or at least maybe I should avoid the chat sites for a few months just to let my jets cool. I could leave my conversations to my workplace where nurses of all varieties do seem to know how to think, ask, ponder and respond in ordinary, thoughtful and conversational ways.

So, enough rantings. It is time to leave the computer for today, go out into the world, do something physical with the remains of my day and leave all the nurses online to their just desserts. Perhaps someone else will pick up where my usual tongue-lashings leave off.