[emtb2rn]

Originally Posted by Tweety

I think students and new grads should be warned that they may come across a nurse or nurses that like to eat young. They should be taught skills in how to deal with these people.

Only came across 1 nurse like this during school. During my last semester. She had a rep as being "difficult to work with" on the floor and you could see the other RNs avoiding her whenever possible. Only had 2 years on the job. Anyway, we used her for practice in dealing with nasty personalities. We were only there for 7 weeks in that rotation, so it was an interesting experiment.

Was she nicer when we left. Not a chance, but nobody took anything she said personally. What worked in dealing with her? Nothing.

[aloevera]

Originally Posted by emtb2rn

Only came across 1 nurse like this during school. During my last semester. She had a rep as being "difficult to work with" on the floor and you could see the other RNs avoiding her whenever possible. Only had 2 years on the job. Anyway, we used her for practice in dealing with nasty personalities. We were only there for 7 weeks in that rotation, so it was an interesting experiment.

Was she nicer when we left. Not a chance, but nobody took anything she said personally. What worked in dealing with her? Nothing.

In my many years working I have found that the best way to deal with these people is to ignore them. I don't have time to try and figure out ways to deal with them. I have much better ways to spend my time off, and when working am too busy to be concerned with it. You have validated my theory exactly.

[treetop2]

Oh, I gave up and moved on after 10 years, still an "outsider". I no longer expect much from co-workers. People are people. I do think women tend to be passive aggressive, political types. They are more comfortable maneuvering behind the scenes than directly addressing an issue. An awful lot are insecure and really think trashing someone else elevates themselves. I am a yard sale-ing, homeschooling bookworm and they were into fashion, new cars, new clothes, etc. I was rather weird and icky to them I'm afraid. LOL! My problem is that I should have gone into management years ago and tried to make things better but I don't have the stomach for the politics and pettiness toward the staff. So I do the best I can for my patients and the LPNs I do supervise and try to be the kind of supervisor I would want....one that doesn't hide when there is a code, "delegate" my own work and will do the staff nurse gig when there is a call off (like all the time!!). I'm a boomer nurse so I don't have that many more years.

[7daysatsea]

Just from talking to advisers in the nursing school program I'm applying for - I've talked to instructors and nurses (in my LT facility, other hospitals) who have been extremely negative to me.

I understand that some of it is to prepare me and weed out the weak. But, some of it seems kind of hilariously overblown to a persons own perception of themselves. Fact is, some people have to feel like what they're doing is so unique and difficult to justify who they are and they resent someone else coming onto the "turf." Yet, we hear so much griping about staffing issues.

I know that at a rehab hospital I worked at relatively briefly as a CNA, a lot of RN's (some were some of the best most inspirational and encouraging nurses I've ever met) would heavily resent the RN's who had BSN's compared to their Associates. "She thinks she's hot **** for having that degree," etc.

I think it all boils down to who you are yourself and how you perceive your profession. I could care less, honestly, about what Jane Doe thinks of my schooling, mannerisms, or whatever. I'm coming onto the "turf" for my own reasons. Jane isn't coming home with me to walk my dog at night and watch Roseanne reruns.

I've heard it enough, though, so I can relate to these types of situations. "Oh honey, you're just an aide, you don't know what real work is." etc. etc. I just assume, in some ways, they're right. I do not know what the work they do means to them. Vice versa. So, I usually just smile and nod and move on. To come up with a snarlier comeback would seem to add fuel to a dull and useless fire.

The only thing that ever manages to irk me is the discrimination put on single people in the workplace - be it hospital or grocery store.
There's a lot of non-sense when it comes to what a single person should be able to do (or more willing to do) compared to a person who has a family, etc. Just as much as it was a decision for that person to create a family - it's a decision for me not to (at this time, anyway). I don't think there should be any special treatments on that issue.

[RNsRWe]

Originally Posted by 7daysatsea

I know that at a rehab hospital I worked at relatively briefly as a CNA, a lot of RN's (some were some of the best most inspirational and encouraging nurses I've ever met) would heavily resent the RN's who had BSN's compared to their Associates. "She thinks she's hot **** for having that degree," etc.

Interesting you say this. I have absolutely no idea who among my co-workers has an ADN and who has a BSN. None. I only know which are diploma grads because they've been at it so darned long and have talked about their schooling. But there's absolutely no differentiation between us at the bedside, in assignments, who does charge, ANYTHING, so it's hard for me to even picture "a lot" of RNs behaving this way!

Ok, carry on

[7daysatsea]

Originally Posted by RNsRWe

Interesting you say this. I have absolutely no idea who among my co-workers has an ADN and who has a BSN. None. I only know which are diploma grads because they've been at it so darned long and have talked about their schooling. But there's absolutely no differentiation between us at the bedside, in assignments, who does charge, ANYTHING, so it's hard for me to even picture "a lot" of RNs behaving this way!

Ok, carry on

That's really great that you don't have to deal with that.

It's usually amongst the women who have been there more than a few years talking about new hires and "agency" or "contract" nurses. A lot of aides that worked there immediately began asking me what I made on my first night of floor training. So maybe it was just a nosy place.

[nurse2b2010]

Originally Posted by treetop2

Oh, I gave up and moved on after 10 years, still an "outsider". I no longer expect much from co-workers. People are people. I do think women tend to be passive aggressive, political types. They are more comfortable maneuvering behind the scenes than directly addressing an issue. An awful lot are insecure and really think trashing someone else elevates themselves. I am a yard sale-ing, homeschooling bookworm and they were into fashion, new cars, new clothes, etc. I was rather weird and icky to them I'm afraid. LOL! My problem is that I should have gone into management years ago and tried to make things better but I don't have the stomach for the politics and pettiness toward the staff. So I do the best I can for my patients and the LPNs I do supervise and try to be the kind of supervisor I would want....one that doesn't hide when there is a code, "delegate" my own work and will do the staff nurse gig when there is a call off (like all the time!!). I'm a boomer nurse so I don't have that many more years.

I want you as my preceptor. I like you already!! LOL! One would think that in nursing you wouldn't have time for the petty stuff -- isn't patient load, short staffed nursing situations enough to keep one busy and not dwelling on the politics and silly things.

[RNsRWe]

Originally Posted by 7daysatsea

It's usually amongst the women who have been there more than a few years talking about new hires and "agency" or "contract" nurses. A lot of aides that worked there immediately began asking me what I made on my first night of floor training. So maybe it was just a nosy place.

Yeesh! That kind of stuff, as in "who's agency" or "who has a new contract" does get discussed. People are nosy that way. But as to who is ADN or who is BSN, really doesn't come up. I think sometimes we're just happy to see a new RN face, period!

[finn11707]

It does where I work--not in a question form...like "...there are ASN nurses here...did you know?...though only BSNs were hired for this job..." BLAHBLAH

[7daysatsea]

Originally Posted by RNsRWe

Yeesh! That kind of stuff, as in "who's agency" or "who has a new contract" does get discussed. People are nosy that way. But as to who is ADN or who is BSN, really doesn't come up. I think sometimes we're just happy to see a new RN face, period!

As it should be! Haha.