[DA314]

I'm not saying I don't give respect to older co-workers (and like I said, I'm not a nurse yet. I start the LPN program in Jan.). I treat people as they are to be treated.

And just because someone is older doesn't necessarily mean they know more. I really don't appreciate someone assuming I don't know anything just because I'm young. Age does not = experience. I was more referring to people who treat younger people like children just because they are younger.

More experienced people should still treat newbies with rescpect though.

And yes, anyone who does not give me respect will get the cold shoulder. I will be civil and courteous, but I will not go out of my way to help them.

[LeesieBug]

The thing I can't figure out is why nursing seems to so LOVE the "us vs them" mentality in various forms....whether it be day-shift/ night-shift, ER/floors, ADN/BSN, experience/new, etc.. There seems to be a tendency to immediately slap a group label on every annoying person one deals with rather that just realize that no matter what department, what age, what career you are in, there are going to be some people that drive you BONKERS

[lpnflorida]

hmmmm as to the comment " I don't like them, I won't help them" to me that attitude will never be of any help to your patients. We help each other not as I like you and you like me. We help each other as sometimes it takes all of us to do what is best for the patient.


Personally, I get along with most all of the people on my unit. But that has nothing do with how I might or might not feel about them personally. It is called rising above and developing a professional relationship with all.

[mama_d]

At the risk of getting yelled at, here's my two cents worth of personal experience:

I'm 32, and can't believe the attitudes of MANY of the new grads that we are getting who are only ten years younger than me. Honestly, I feel like I have more in common with the nurses who are twenty years older than I am as far as work ethic goes. There seems to be little respect for the knowledge and experiences of the more seasoned nurses, especially from the BSN grads who do not have any experience outside of school. Personally I suspect it has something to do with the school that they are all coming from and the culture there. And it's not just me, this is a topic which has been discussed on many breaks at work, since it does eventually impact patient care and needs to be remedied.

And the fact that many of the new BSN grads seem to think that since I'm a LPN means I don't know snot is starting to really grate, although they also look down on the ADN nurses (some of whom got their license before they were born). I've been doing this tele thing for longer than they were in school for, so it would be nice if every once in a while they trusted me when I point out something going wrong with one of their patients. I'm so sick of putting a smile on my face as I explain to some of them why I'm doing what I'm doing to avoid coding their patient when all I get is attitude in return. I keep trying though b/c 95% of our staff are awesome and I really think we have alot of wisdom and knowledge to share with these new grads, and would like to be able to impart some of that.

Again, this is all based on personal observation at my workplace, just wanted to get some of that off of my chest!

[jeepgirl]

Originally Posted by StNeotser

I oriented a new nurse though not a young nurse, she was my senior by about ten years a couple of weeks back. Bear in mind I do rehab nursing in a skilled nursing facility so we're not staffed very well.

She was a right judgmental PITA. She had been an EMT for years, kept on about how nobody in our facility would know how to save a life, had noticed nurses not remembering to turn off nebulizers or rinsing them out, had noticed nurses giving meds half an hour after the alloted time etc and she hoped that I would not be as disappointing as they had been.

What I didn't tell her is that I was last on a list of about four nurses who had oriented her and the other three were sick and tired of her. Anyway, she took her own assignment last week and I hear from our charge that she had an awfully rough time, didn't pass all her 7:30am meds until 9:30, didn't have time to do any treatments so the charge helped her out.

I will say, she is unique in the bunch of new grads we've had this year. Every other one has been great, accepting that sometimes you don't get to do everything by the book however much you want to and helpful. Unfortunately, you always remember the bad experiences.

You are going to think I am a total butt - but I have had nothing but PROBLEMS with EMT / Paramedics who have bridged into nursing. I had one who told me "I just had to go back to school to do what I already do." (and he was being snotty about it too...). I had a few that were difficult to precept and seemed to just want to ruffle feathers!!
I was shocked, because one of my best friends during nursing school (and I still consider her a good friend) was an Paramedic who then decided to go to nursing school. She wasn't like that at all - just was a sweet person. Now, I am consistently running into these emt/paramedic bridges and they are just - snotty. I don't know what it is, but I don't like it... (and I am very pro-student, pro-new nurse). Its just a weird attitude I have been seeing and it befuddles me!

[TXstudentRN]

I am as Gen Y/Millenial/whatever you want to call my generation as they come, and I can tell you that I am frustrated by my generation! I have always found myself getting along better with those older than me, and that has just been compounded since I started nursing school. It infuriates me to see how some of my classmates treat their "elderly" - and not just nurses, but also clinical instructors and professors. I hate that I get lumped into them - their sense of entitlement and holier than thou attitudes make me cringe when I'm wearing the same color scrubs at clinical in fear that I will be seen as "one of them."

I don't blame you guys for being frustrated at all - I'm frustrated and like I said, I'm one of them! And I guess the scariest thing for me is this - what happens now that my generation is having kids? If we turned out this screwed up as a whole, what is going to happen when we're put in the role of raising kids? Frightens me to no end! I often find myself thinking that I don't fit in, and frankly I don't really want to a lot of the times.

I'm sorry you're having to deal with this, I know it frustrates our professors and CIs just as much - just know that we aren't ALL like this!

[mama_d]

I'm trying to be sure that my kids don't turn out that way by smacking them upside the head with reality whenever necessary. When they complain b/c we're having mac'n'cheese with tuna for dinner *again*, I explain to them that there are plenty of kids who don't even get that, and how difficult it is to try and provide decent protein sources on a limited income. When they whine about school, they get told they better do what they're capable of b/c when they grow up, they're going to have to work their tails off to get promotions, etc. to be able to provide for their kids. When my 9 year old asked me for a new game system, he got told just how many hours I'd have to work to earn the money to pay for it and how many week's worth of groceries that would provide. They also get told that no matter how little we have, we've got a roof over our heads and food in the pantry, so it's only fair that we give what we can to help others who are worse off...even if it means just rounding up all the nickels in the house for the "change for change" Thanksgiving campaign for needy kids at school.

I try not to be too hard on them, but also to raise them so that they know they'll have to work and respect others throughout their lives, and to do any differently would be a poor reflection on their character. And I do have to admit that alot of it is in response to what I see in the generation between mine and theirs.

[earle58]

i have always maintained there are some (nurses) who eat anyone they darned well please.
thus, the basis of just some nasty personalities out there, w/age being irrelevant.

leslie

[iteachob]

Interesting thread! A co-worker and I were just talking the other day about the changes we have seen in students over the past decade (I am in RN nursing education); so it's kind of a students attempting to "feast" on the faculty situation. It is not at all unusual to be confronted about everything from textbook ("you mean I'm supposed to read it?")assignments to test questions that they don't agree with. It seems to be a lack of manners / respect....and an expectation that YOU provide all the information they need; heaven forbid that they should go seek it on their own! Definitely intellectual laziness (not everyone, of course, but more and more common). I have certainly witnessed these problem "newbies" even before graduation.

[Tweety]

I'm in awe of the generation of nurses coming up. They are supersmart because to get into nursing schools these days they have to jump through many hoops, many having great GPAs and took years of committment on their part to graduate. Most are burdened with incredible debt. They work long hours and off shifts, weekends and holidays with a strong work ethic....how could they not considering the hard work they endured to make it through nursing school?

Then they do adult things like buy homes and start having children.

There is the occasional one who comes with an attitude. I expect that. Actually when I think about it, it's the more adult worker, the one for whom nursing is a 2nd career that doesn't like to start at the bottom and take direction. ("I was a director of HR and managed 50 people....why should I listen to you punk kid?") But still they are few and far between.

So just like my answer to the question "do nurses eat their young", my answer is a loud and clear NEWBIES DO NOT EAT THEIR OLD.