--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have seen good nurses and bad nurses…" description: "\"I have seen good nurses and bad nurses. They existed along a continuum: from hard-working, kind and competent people, to office-hugging, bone-idle type..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0aa/jo-brand-1915_apathetic_i-have-seen-good-nurses-and-bad-nurses-t_1932843.png" --- # I have seen good nurses and bad nurses. They existed along… ![“I have seen good nurses and bad nurses. They existed along a continuum: from hard-working, kind and competent people, to office-hugging, bone-idle types, to apathetic, disengaged automatons.” quote by Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0aa/jo-brand-1915_apathetic_i-have-seen-good-nurses-and-bad-nurses-t_1932843.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0aa/jo-brand-1915_apathetic_i-have-seen-good-nurses-and-bad-nurses-t_1932843.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0aa/jo-brand-1915_apathetic_i-have-seen-good-nurses-and-bad-nurses-t_1932843.png) > “I have seen good nurses and bad nurses. They existed along a continuum: from hard-working, kind and competent people, to office-hugging, bone-idle types, to apathetic, disengaged automatons.” [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nurses vary widely in dedication and competence, forming a spectrum from exemplary to disengaged. **In simple terms:** Nurses range from great to poor. Key Takeaway Recognize and support good nurses, address poor performance. Themes professionalism care workplace culture Mood concerned reflective Type observational critical When to use this quote - hospital staffing - patient care - team meetings - performance reviews Key Concepts competence motivation burnout Questions to Reflect On - How can leadership improve nurse engagement? - What support helps underperforming nurses? A Different Perspective Not all nurses fit neatly into categories; systemic issues affect behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apathetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apathetic/) [Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad/) [Bad Nurses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-nurses-3035092/) [Bones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bones/) [Competent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competent/) [Continuum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/continuum/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good Nurses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-nurses-306120/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Hug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hug/) [Idle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idle/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nurse/) [Nurses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nurses/) [Nurses Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nurses-bad-3035093/) [Nurses Existed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nurses-existed-3035091/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seen/) [Type](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/type/) ## Related quotes > [A good culture in a hospital can absorb and manage a few bad nurses, but once the culture becomes bad in itself, bad nursing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/a-good-culture-in-a-hospital-can-absorb-and-manage-a-few-bad-nurses/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Does anyone really go into nursing intending to be apathetic, cold and removed from suffering? I find that very difficult to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/does-anyone-really-go-into-nursing-intending-to-be-apathetic-cold-and/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [I think actors go along a continuum from Simon Callow down to kind of Ross Kemp, and I like to think of myself as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/i-think-actors-go-along-a-continuum-from-simon-callow-down-to-kind-of/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [We imagine a school in which students and teachers excitedly and joyfully stretch themselves to their limits in pursuit of projects built on their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-papert/we-imagine-a-school-in-which-students-and-teachers-excitedly-and/) [Seymour Papert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-papert/) > [We must always work, and a self-respecting artist must not fold his hands on the pretext that he is not in the mood. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky/we-must-always-work-and-a-self-respecting-artist-must-not-fold-his/) [Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky/) > [“I don’t know, apathetic bloody planet, I’ve no sympathy at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/i-don-t-know-apathetic-bloody-planet-i-ve-no-sympathy-at-all/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [From arts, to literature, to science, to the founding of Christian institutions, all of that has its roots in a biblical worldview, but when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-hanegraaff/from-arts-to-literature-to-science-to-the-founding-of-christian/) [Hank Hanegraaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-hanegraaff/) > [Even as I'm shoveling up my hooter, I realize the sad truth. Coke bores me, It bores us all. We're jaded cunts, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/even-as-i-m-shoveling-up-my-hooter-i-realize-the-sad-truth-coke-bores/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [Thwarted, or starved, in the important objects proper to young capacities, the boys and young men naturally find or invent deviant objects for themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/thwarted-or-starved-in-the-important-objects-proper-to-young/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Death: the only true emotion felt in an apathetic world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/death-the-only-true-emotion-felt-in-an-apathetic-world/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [My generation in the UK, they're very apathetic, a lot of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-gilmore/my-generation-in-the-uk-they-re-very-apathetic-a-lot-of-them/) [Thea Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-gilmore/) > [Every apathetic individual is a brick in a tyrant's throne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/every-apathetic-individual-is-a-brick-in-a-tyrant-s-throne/) [Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/) > [The first step in freeing yourself from social restrictions is the realization that there is no such thing as a safe code of conduct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/the-first-step-in-freeing-yourself-from-social-restrictions-is-the/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [Mourn not the dead that in the cool earth lie... But rather mourn the apathetic throng - The cowed and the meek - Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-chaplin/mourn-not-the-dead-that-in-the-cool-earth-lie-but-rather-mourn-the/) [Ralph Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-chaplin/) ## More by Jo Brand > [Regular panelists on shows can be terrifying. They own that space, and many guest comics suspect they are favoured in the edit, while their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/regular-panelists-on-shows-can-be-terrifying-they-own-that-space-and/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [I suspect most politicians feel overwhelmed because people's lives are a real struggle, full of unhappiness, and you would probably feel powerless to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/i-suspect-most-politicians-feel-overwhelmed-because-people-s-lives/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [When I was at school you got an overall general education on many things, even just basic facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/when-i-was-at-school-you-got-an-overall-general-education-on-many/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [The funny thing is, I don't actually think of myself as fat at all. I don't think I am. Not really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/the-funny-thing-is-i-don-t-actually-think-of-myself-as-fat-at-all-i/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [What could be funnier than a fat person trying to run a marathon?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/what-could-be-funnier-than-a-fat-person-trying-to-run-a-marathon/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [I like men. They are hugely entertaining, but they have a lot of shortcomings and you just have to bear those in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/i-like-men-they-are-hugely-entertaining-but-they-have-a-lot-of/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [Does anyone really go into nursing intending to be apathetic, cold and removed from suffering? I find that very difficult to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/does-anyone-really-go-into-nursing-intending-to-be-apathetic-cold-and/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [I have such admiration for single mothers. I simply don't comprehend how you'd cope with that intensity, the lack of breaks, ever, on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/i-have-such-admiration-for-single-mothers-i-simply-don-t-comprehend/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [The reason I used a name was because I was a nurse at the time, and I didn't want my name in Timeout and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/the-reason-i-used-a-name-was-because-i-was-a-nurse-at-the-time-and-i/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [You look across the board at comedy quiz shows, and they are mainly hosted by men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/you-look-across-the-board-at-comedy-quiz-shows-and-they-are-mainly/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [My mum is bright, ambitious, well read, political and very bolshie: when my dad was conscripted into the Army and posted to Libya, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/my-mum-is-bright-ambitious-well-read-political-and-very-bolshie-when/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [I know there are certain men that hate women or don't like women, and in order to make women feel small, they tend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/i-know-there-are-certain-men-that-hate-women-or-don-t-like-women-and/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [Not many women will go out on a limb to make themselves really unattractive and unfeminine so you can get the laughs, but it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/not-many-women-will-go-out-on-a-limb-to-make-themselves-really/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [When I was a nurse my favourite assignment was the anorexic ward. I sometimes ate as many as seventeen dinners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/when-i-was-a-nurse-my-favourite-assignment-was-the-anorexic-ward-i/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [There are lots of people who believe that caricature of me the tabloids created, so they think they don't like me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/there-are-lots-of-people-who-believe-that-caricature-of-me-the/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) [Explore all 198 Jo Brand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) ## More Apathetic quotes > [We must always work, and a self-respecting artist must not fold his hands on the pretext that he is not in the mood. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky/we-must-always-work-and-a-self-respecting-artist-must-not-fold-his/) [Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky/) > [My generation in the UK, they're very apathetic, a lot of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-gilmore/my-generation-in-the-uk-they-re-very-apathetic-a-lot-of-them/) [Thea Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-gilmore/) > [We imagine a school in which students and teachers excitedly and joyfully stretch themselves to their limits in pursuit of projects built on their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-papert/we-imagine-a-school-in-which-students-and-teachers-excitedly-and/) [Seymour Papert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-papert/) > [Does anyone really go into nursing intending to be apathetic, cold and removed from suffering? I find that very difficult to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/does-anyone-really-go-into-nursing-intending-to-be-apathetic-cold-and/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [The first step in freeing yourself from social restrictions is the realization that there is no such thing as a safe code of conduct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/the-first-step-in-freeing-yourself-from-social-restrictions-is-the/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [Every apathetic individual is a brick in a tyrant's throne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/every-apathetic-individual-is-a-brick-in-a-tyrant-s-throne/) [Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/) > [Mourn not the dead that in the cool earth lie... But rather mourn the apathetic throng - The cowed and the meek - Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-chaplin/mourn-not-the-dead-that-in-the-cool-earth-lie-but-rather-mourn-the/) [Ralph Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-chaplin/) > [Death: the only true emotion felt in an apathetic world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/death-the-only-true-emotion-felt-in-an-apathetic-world/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Thwarted, or starved, in the important objects proper to young capacities, the boys and young men naturally find or invent deviant objects for themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/thwarted-or-starved-in-the-important-objects-proper-to-young/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Even as I'm shoveling up my hooter, I realize the sad truth. Coke bores me, It bores us all. We're jaded cunts, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/even-as-i-m-shoveling-up-my-hooter-i-realize-the-sad-truth-coke-bores/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [From arts, to literature, to science, to the founding of Christian institutions, all of that has its roots in a biblical worldview, but when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-hanegraaff/from-arts-to-literature-to-science-to-the-founding-of-christian/) [Hank Hanegraaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-hanegraaff/) > [“I don’t know, apathetic bloody planet, I’ve no sympathy at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/i-don-t-know-apathetic-bloody-planet-i-ve-no-sympathy-at-all/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I am beginning to respect the apathetic days. Perhaps they're a necessary pause: better to give in to them than to fight them at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/i-am-beginning-to-respect-the-apathetic-days-perhaps-they-re-a/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [The teenage pregnancy is such a tragic thing. It is such a sad and tragic thing because the children who have children do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-huxley/the-teenage-pregnancy-is-such-a-tragic-thing-it-is-such-a-sad-and/) [Laura Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-huxley/) > [“Empathy nurtures wisdom. Apathy cultivates ignorance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/empathy-nurtures-wisdom-apathy-cultivates-ignorance/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) [Browse all 123 Apathetic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apathetic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have seen good nurses and bad nurses. 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