should we have clever nurses??

I was talking to a senior manager at work this week about the future of nursing in Higher Education – there are still doubters out there about whether it should be a graduate profession. In fact when I was in the Building Society this morning the financial adviser we were talking to blamed nursing becoming too academic for the sad state of affairs in caring and compassion. Why do people think that educating nurse to graduate level takes away caring? No one would ever argue that other professions in health care shouldn’t be graduate – NO ONE so why is nursing seen as different. I am still certain that the invisibility of much of the work and decision making is the reason for this attitude. Close attention to the work being done would highlight the complexity of what is going on but health care assistants think that the qualified staff are doing exactly the same as them and that is the problem. I don't think I have the answers to a lot of this and the arguments weigh heavy on my lop-sided shoulders. I had problems as a student nurse because I asked too many questions and I wilted and faded when not able to be curious and questioning. There is a lot wrong with what is happening out there and being in the University teaching students as a lowly lecturer is beginning to become very frustrating. I feel too far from the reality of practice and want to be out there on the front line making a difference - interacting with patients and families helping their recovery.