Nursing Class - rant page 2

[fuzzylogic]

I had an argument on nutrition once with a nurse and a biotech guy who worked for a major drug company. He was on my side, she wouldn't accept anything either of us had to say. I don't know what is worse, that the nurse is so CW or that the people on the inside of drug company research know you are healthiest on a paleo diet rich in fats from grass-fed animals.

I say if you really want to be a nurse, you've got some compromising to do in life.

Not really. I'd personally advise mostly shutting up and getting through school. Nursing school is difficult enough without aggravating the instructors and causing them to look more closely at what you are doing....but I AM a nurse, and I know a bunch of us on the floor who are active, eat well---some Primal/paleo, a bunch of healthy lacto-ovo vegetarians, and others. There isn't only ONE way to be healthy. If you think so, you are on the same page as the CW people pushing what they think, and no-one likes a zealot.

I do teach patients, especially diabetic patients, about avoiding processed foods, grains, and eating more meat and veggies. That's always a good place to start. Massive dietary changes such as going Primal/Paleo just aren't going to happen for the majority of our population: If I can't even convince my diabetics to stop drinking sugared soda with a BG of 359, I'm NOT going to get them to give up pasta. Maybe, just maybe, I can get them to eat more real stuff and then they'll want less pasta.....

[Periwinkle]

Wow...you guys are harsh. Im an RN and I know Pedidoc is an RN and she is a nursing instructor. I am getting my MSN in nursing education and in a couple of years, I will be a nursing teacher too. I bet there lots of nurses and medical professionals who have "seen the light" and I am sure there are more RNs than you know on this site. I just found out 3 of my 5th grade teachers read Wheat Belly and have cut out wheat and are limiting grains. I had no idea. Most people on this site say they dont talk about eating primal or paleo. Think of how many people might be eating this way and just not talking about it.

That being said...yes...most nursing schools are going to teach CW nutrition. If you really want to expose your nursing school to a paleo/primal WOE, I would wait until you hit it off with one of your teachers. Once you feel a rapport with a teacher, stop by her office and bring it up. Talk about how you know it goes against CW, but eating this way has made you feel better. Ask if you can show her the studies that convinced you that eating this way was the right thing to do or the studies that convinced you that CW was wrong. Loan or gift her with the books you enjoed. Nursing is very focused on evidenced based practice. If you want to influence how nutrition is taught in nursing school, you have to show evidence that it is the best practice. If the teacher you picked isnt open to new ideas, ask her if there is a teacher in the school that has celiac or avoids grains or is just interested in nutrition and then go and talk to that teacher.

I promise you that if you go to a teacher you already dislike, who you think already dislikes you, and go plop a bunch of books on her desk so that you can "educate" her...all you will do is alienate her.

Keep in mind that when it comes to college classes, there is a curriculum that is set and approved by the university/college of nursing. The teacher is not supposed to deviate from it. If you can convince a teacher that Paleo/Primal needs to be taught/covered then he/she might be able to have it approved as an acceptable addition to the course.

If it were me...I'd push a Weston A Price sort of WOE first and then work on primal after you can get someone to warm up to WAP.

As far as the poor food choices your school is offering...well yeah...it happens. My school even had a "smoking area" out back for students and faculty. It is sad, but no one HAS to eat that stuff. If you want to influence what is served at banquets...get on the committee.

But yes...I even said on one of my own posts that nurses are some of the unhealthiest people I know. I would put forth the idea that nurses are also over worked and underpaid, we work all hours on all days, we dont get holidays and someone always WANTS somthing from us. Many people in this type of work situation get burned out and turn to addictive coping mechanisms, such as food and smoking addictions. Just like plumbers and lawyers, and teachers and what ever. Addictive and unhealthy behaviors usually have nothing to do with what you know. They have to do with seeking comfort. When I was working nights, there were times that in order to stay awake, I either had to eat somthing, or drink coffee. It is one reason I switched to school nursing. Better hours and a more orderly day that makes it easier for me to eat healthier. And my body does better when it can sleep at night and work 8 hours instead of 12.

I hate to say this...but if you have found your "last straw" 2 weeks into your program...it is going to be a bumpy ride. But hang in there...and remember, once you pass your NCLEX, you can practice how ever you want. Even though I am a school RN, there isnt a food pyramid anywhere in my clinic and while I cant tell kids not to eat grains, I dont tell them that grains are good for them and I can tell them to stop eating processed food. Someday when I am a Women's Health NP, I will encourage my patients to eat primal.

It seems you are very passionate about primal eating...maybe you can organize a primal eating group outside of class to discuss books and convince your classmates that primal is the way to go. It might be fun to bring research studies about all kinds of ways of eating and the break the studies down, determine if they were performed well, etc...Ultimately, though, all you can do is present the information. It is up to the indvidual to take away the information presented.

Good Luck!

[kimberley]

I have been a nurse for 17 years. I feel your frustration. I currently work in "faith-based community nursing" and my primary responsibility is to educate my community about health related issues. The company I work for will only allow me to teach nutrition based on USDA guidelines (i.e. "My Plate"). They are very strict about the curriculum. So, if someone comes to me needing help with weight-loss, I have to teach them using My Plate even though I don't believe it is the healthiest option. Fortunately, I have not had to do this yet. I'm trying to focus more on creating programs in my community to encourage physical activity and am steering clear of nutrition education.

[sbhikes]

Wow, peri and fuzzy, you guys give me hope! Just meeting nurses in my daily life hasn't left me very hopeful. Glad to see that you can make a difference once you are on the inside.

[pbj]

Hey Nix,

My mother is a nurse and the other day she was having a go at me because she said I was eating too much red meat and eggs! then at breakfast I was looking for the eggs in cupboard she tells me to just get a bowl of cereal! I am like mum how can you give me dietry advice when you are overweight yourself! Just because she is a nurse and been on the course they think they know it all! I just say go with it.... You just have to grin an bare it! It's like being athiest and getting told that the earth was create 5000 years in 7 days and that an amazing wizard who looked like a middle eastern gandalf turned water into wine! I think you should just take what you need in any doctrine you read and ignore the stuff you don't!!

One day Primal/paleo way of life will become CW, the revolution will happen don't worry judgement day is upon us :-)

+1
I love the athiest analogy - totally true.
My MIL is a nurse and couldn't BELIEVE that I would rather eliminate sugar and gluten from my diet to get rid of GERD and IBS symptoms, than go on medication...whaaaaaaatever!
when we go out to eat...or when we eat at her house - she'll make things that I can eat, but then also make a pasta dish and a sugary dessert and say things like " I am going to eat this pasta / dessert because I had (insert medication here) this morning"
ugh.

I like my way better, I've never felt this good or been in better shape in my adult life.

forward
pbj

[Nix]

Can I go to work with the awesome nurses? Yeah I don't want to alienate my professor. Before class starts and the professor is in the room my class mates have taken to asking me stuff about nutrition and healthy lifestyle. I take that as a good sign. They all still eat at taco bell for lunch. I quietly keep my disgust to myself and play nice. I hope the seeds take root in some of them. I don't like to be preachy, I like people making their own decisions, however, there are sometimes that we all agree on, like soda and cookies are bad for you. I really don't like how they say one thing then completely do the opposite.

My grand plan is to become a NP for Women's Health btw.

[ciep]

To the OP, I sympathize completely.

I'm in school for physical therapy, but in the meantime I work as a medical assistant for an internal medicine doctor (who, before I get going here, really is one of the greatest guys I've ever met in my life). Anyway, I see all of the same stuff you've described every single day and it just kills me. What is taught in medical school (or anything health related, ex: nursing) is appalling when it comes to nutrition. These people just have NO CLUE. And by "these people" I mean those who went to school to work in healthcare and never learned anything outside of what was taught to them. What's sad is that these are often pretty smart, well-meaning, and hard-working people who really want to make a difference -- they're just being taught garbage and not realizing it. And what's really frustrating is that it's difficult to convince them that you know better because you're not an "authority" (like the government!). I get asked constantly by sick patients who just keep getting sicker, fat co-workers who just keep getting fatter, run down people who see me with plenty of energy, etc, what I do to stay healthy -- and then I'm met with skepticism when I describe how I eat and live. It's understandable that they'd be skeptical of what I eat, given everything they've been taught, but it's frustrating to see just how buried under CW crap our system really is at the moment.

If you enter the world of healthcare, be prepared to spend most of your time cringing. Sorry.

[Karma33]

I would look at it as trying to find common ground. They will agree with you on an emphasis should be placed on fruits, vegetables, and natural foods. They will agree with you that we should avoid sugary processed foods and fast food. Plus, you dont want to come off as that student that somehow knows more than the professor. It never ends well. Plus, we might be wrong. They might be right. I doubt it, but we ought to try to be objective. How many of us have really poured over the research ourselves? If it works for us, we tend to buy in. That is not saying that primal is not optimal, but we ought to keep an open mind.

[Iron Fireling]

It's tough, but I agree that you've really got to just grit your teeth and get through it. I had been trying to get my son in a healthy living program for over a year, and finally got him in (he's overweight) and of course they're teaching all CW stuff. Ugh. Fortunately, I've taught him enough that he doesn't just follow along blindly and do what they say. I hate that they're still teaching that the most important food group is "grains and cereals". Makes me want to tear my hair out!

Even worse is one kid in the class... he's overweight and has liver disease and has been told by his doctors to eat NO FAT AT ALL. His doctors freak out as he hasn't lost a lot of weight (despite doing EVERYTHING right according to "them") and want him to have lap band surgery done (he's nearly 13!!!). Because yeah, that's gonna help. They get frustrated because he's not losing weight (and obviously think he's "cheating") but the truth is they're just shoving him full of high carbohydrate/low fat food . It's very sad... but I don't feel as if I can say anything, as they're all so entrenched in CW .

I struggled for years to lose weight with CW, and could only do it through quite severe calorie restriction (and diet pills helped)... now I've lost a few kg eating primally and eating way more than I've eaten for a looong time. The proof is in the pudding, but in many cases you just can't get people to actually TRY because they're minds are too set in what they've been taught forever (I am so glad I finally saw the light... really).