This little rant has been triggered by seeing the 'Nurses and food fantasies' thread. So if this is a total mood/fantasy killer, blame treeview

Though I understand the allure to the concept of sex-nurses, I have to say, for nurses, there's little more of a turn off, and not just because it's often associated with sexism.

I'm a nursing student. I've been in clinicals, in which I helped several patients, of both sexes. This included bathing and the like.

Sex is the last thing on our minds...like, ever. I loved doing it; it felt like I was helping people and making a difference, helping my patients become comfortable and ease their pain, and keep them from deteriorating into further health problems. But dude...it's nasty. REALLY nasty. The whole job is one big unpleasant mess.

And beyond the mess, sex would never, EVER be practical. Nurses are so freaking heavily drilled on how to keep sanitary and practically sterile at any given time (we do sterile proceedures but we ALWAYS observe clean technique, no matter what), you start having nightmares about what kind of horrid, fatal infections you'll get if you don't wash your hands at least five times between tasks. It's a total OCD profession.

Which is why I find shows like Grays anatomy and several others to be plain stupid. Okay, I realize that it's a fantasy, I realize it's a program that's just for fun. Yeah, I know I know. But dude. Hospitals are NOT the place to be getting your freakon, and nursing (the act, not the people, mind you) is NOT sexy.

It's...it's...just gross, okay? Ick, nosicomial infections! *shudders*

I'm totally in the wrong profession

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Most things worth saying, shouldn't be.

"Batman was a SCIENTIST?!" -Homer Simpson

Having just come out of hospital, I'd like to say how amazing nurses are and that, from a patient's point of view, I agree that the whole nurse patient relationship is totally non-sexual.

I am incredibly squeamish about blood and guts etc, and know that I could NEVER be in the medical profession, which means I'm always 100% grateful to those people who can not only stomach the job, but choose to do it with such devotion.

Thanks CrouchingBuddha to you and your colleagues. You do a great job.

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"Time flies like an arrow -
Fruit flies like a banana"

M Y - N A U G H T Y - P I C T U R E S ! !

Over the course of my life, I have spent too many nights in the hospital to even begin to come up with some sort of accurate tally. Having that sort of history, I guess it's only to be expected that I've been teased at least a few times with a lines like, "So, were the nurses hot?" or "Did she give you a sponge bath?" Of course occasionally I'll play along and make a lewd comment just to sort of save face with the guys or something. Not something I'm proud of but it's something I'll occasionally do and I'll own up to it.

That being said, there is not a single time when a nurse is leaving my room and asks me if there is anything else that they can do for me that I don't tell them that I appreciate the help they are giving me. I don't care if they have done something as simple as bringing me a cup of ice chips or if it's a phlebotomist that has just come in and drawn blood for a blood/gas test, which is very painful, I always tell them that I appreciate their help. I tell them that because I honestly do appreciate them.

If I were to be totally honest, I have never had a "nurse fantasy" in the sense that most would think of it. When I see a nurse performing their duty I can think of nothing but showing them the respect that they deserved. They are the ones who make the hospital experience bearable. Unfortunately, with the hand I've been dealt in life, I will have two or three hospital stays per year. I'm not intimidated at all by hospitals, I'm actually very much at ease in them, that doesn't mean that I don't get scared while I'm there. The nurses are the ones who ease those feelings of fear for me, whether they are doing it intentionally or not.

Not sure what the point is that I'm trying to make really. I guess I was just throwing my two cents into the conversation to let it be known that I have nothing but respect for the nursing profession. Matter of fact I'll be in the hospital again tomorrow and just knowing that there will be nurses there makes me feel better about what I'll be going through.

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It takes a gutless mouse to play only when the cat's away.

No love, no friendship, can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever. ~~ Francois Mocuriac

Confucius say, "He who masturbate into cash register come into money."

An optimist looks at the glass and says it's half full. A pessimist looks at the glass and says it's half empty. A Cubs fan looks at the glass and says, "When's it gonna spill?"

Deus Impetitio Esuritori Nullus

These are the kind of thoughts and insights that make me proud to be doing what I'm doing (or trying to do, I guess I should say). I was making this little rant more to be kinda silly and to point out that from a nurse(student)s POV that sex and nursing are about as far appart on the association scale as...well, I can't think of a witty and smart-ass example to use, so I digress.

But in all seriousness, I'm glad to hear people have had positive experiences with nursing. I've been blessed to have avoided spending a lot of time as patient in my life, but when I have, it's been doozies. I was always fascinated by the medical and hospital world, but that never, ever prevented me from getting scared and worried about things. It's just a scary, uncertain situation.

I don't mean to sound self-gratifying, but nurses are always the ones who deal with these things. I don't mean to bad-mouth anyone...but I can't help but saying, Dr.'s (in general, and with exceptions, of course) have such horrible bedside manners that all they seem to do is upset patients more than anything. I've seen this many times, both as a patient and even more so now as a nursing student. They just don't seem to realize and/or care about the kind of pain and suffering and serious emotional issues that their patients are going through. This is, to be fair, likely tied to the kind of role and responsibility spectrum they're looking at, which is very different than that of a nurse.

That's why I want to be a nurse. I think, while Dr.'s may be the ones who end up curing a patient, nurses are the ones who ultimately carry the patient through. They're the one right there, treating, helping, communicating and listening. They see the pain, and they're the ones who help make it better in any way they can. They form the connection and the hands on healing relationship with the patient. And that's what I want, I want to be right there and be able to provide that kind of healing and comfort to the patients immediate problems.

So yeah. This started as a commontary about societies sexual approach toward nursing. I understand this is, of course, a fantasy, but it always just kinda seemed downright illogical to me.

Seems it has moved to more an overall view of nursing. And I'm very happy to find that people do see how much we(nurses) care. It makes me feel like I'm doing the right thing.

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Most things worth saying, shouldn't be.

"Batman was a SCIENTIST?!" -Homer Simpson

I will admit to having at least a few fantasies about nurses. I have an excuse though. When my wife was in the hospital I spent most nights sleeping on her floor, and she had a couple of REALLY good looking nurses that took care of her. Since I hadn't had sex by that time for close to four months, well...

I actually got on trouble one of the nights I didn't stay there. I had come home to do laundry and feed the cat. She happened to have one of my favorite nurses, and the first thing out the the nurses mouth was to ask where I was. She was a REALLY cute nurse.

CB,

I sure didn't mean any disrespect by posting the thread. Nurses make the health care system work because they work so hard themselves.

Over my rough and tumble life I've benefited from the excellent care of many nurses. Most times I'v eknown the nursing staff better than the docs.

Keep up the good work and taking care of clumsy folks like me.

Of all the fantasy archetypes, nurses really never made into my realm...

Tom