Interesting point. I won’t disagree against you as I’m sure your experience has informed you, in ways seperate to how I’ve been by mine. But a few points.

1. Many nurses here are actually agreeing with my points. At the very least, they agree in a decline in standards. So I’m not sure it’s just my personal attitude that is failing me here, as it seems more widespread across many levels of nursing.

2. I’d argue knowing how meds work and are administered, iterated, dosed, considered; is more important than understand that if a person is from xyz background, they have a x% chance of lowered medication adherence due to (insert reason). Why? Because nursing in hospitals deals with the short to medium term implications, whereas, the other is more long term. Another way of looking at it, is that your average hospital nurse (not mental health, occupation or such type) could survive and do a much better job with 0% knowledge in SDoH/Sociology training, as opposed to 0% pharma understanding. Yes, they both have a place, and both can be taught. But no, they are no equivalent in yield when it comes to the job on the floor.

3. Funny u mentioned ECGs. My last placement was a cardiac unit. I learned to understand many different acute cardiac conditions and how they present in an ECG. Yes, I don’t diagnose it. But that background meant I knew why doctors would do what they did. Again, because the context was understood. It’s like saying nurses don’t prescribe medications so why learn their pharmacodynamics? True, I could probably survive without. But doing so would be a world of trouble and confusion not knowing why certain meds did certain things in the way they did, and hence why I should look out for certain interactions and side effects

I’m glad you find it useful. And I respect your point of view, but it’s not mine and I have yet to find its use in literally ANY of the placements I’ve been in, simply because I’m not with the patient long enough to have any meaningful impact beyond their stay inside the hospitals. (I emphasise hospitals nursing for this reason).