[Valerette]

There have been several threads on here recently about how crochety and unfriendly nurses can be to newbies...I usually just lurk here but I have to get this off my chest.

So far, nurses have been the kindest, most helpful people I've ever met! I admit I am still in nursing school, but 99.9% of the nurses I've encountered as a student and as an extern have gone out of their way to teach, make sure I feel comfortable and welcome, and in general have been wonderful. The few that are less friendly I think just want to do their own job and not mess with students, which is fine.

I spend quite a bit of time here and read many threads about the vicious, young-eating nurses running around out there before I started clinicals, and I was very intimidated in my first few encounters with nurses, so I wanted to share my very pleasant experiences with other nursing students...if you are polite, don't waste the time of the nurse you're working with, and don't act like a know-it-all, nurses are WONDERFUL.

So this is a big THANK YOU to all the nurses out there that have been willing to take the time to make newbies feel welcome....you are in the MAJORITY and you are APPRECIATED!!

Julie
in my 4th of 6 semesters

[Ruby Vee]

What a wonderful post! Thank you!

[chelli73]

Originally Posted by Valerette

There have been several threads on here recently about how crochety and unfriendly nurses can be to newbies...I usually just lurk here but I have to get this off my chest.

So far, nurses have been the kindest, most helpful people I've ever met! I admit I am still in nursing school, but 99.9% of the nurses I've encountered as a student and as an extern have gone out of their way to teach, make sure I feel comfortable and welcome, and in general have been wonderful. The few that are less friendly I think just want to do their own job and not mess with students, which is fine.

I spend quite a bit of time here and read many threads about the vicious, young-eating nurses running around out there before I started clinicals, and I was very intimidated in my first few encounters with nurses, so I wanted to share my very pleasant experiences with other nursing students...if you are polite, don't waste the time of the nurse you're working with, and don't act like a know-it-all, nurses are WONDERFUL.

So this is a big THANK YOU to all the nurses out there that have been willing to take the time to make newbies feel welcome....you are in the MAJORITY and you are APPRECIATED!!

Julie
in my 4th of 6 semesters

First of all GOOD LUCK in school! Continued success! Yes, I too have learned from and worked with some of the BEST people in the world (aka nurses!), some are my dearest friends are nurses, and I cannot WAIT to get out there in the field as an actual RN myself!!!! But there are negative people in any line of work that one goes into, and that I think is the actual problem. Negative people--not negative nurses. It just so happens that their line of work is nursing. It becomes an ugly platform for them, because ALL nurses are supposed to be SWEET and CARING, and all too often, some nurses are NOT.
Many nurses that I have encountered are NOT too sweet, but they are EXCELLENT nurses, while some are the NICEST people in the world, but somewhat lost on providing adequate care to their patients. Its just a matter of that individual's personal attitude, and I don't think that it should reflect on all nurses in general. But such is life...In any case, it seems like you are having a good experience with school and that is great, because you will become a great nurse who also happens to be a great person!!!! I hope to do the same!

[cardiacRN2006]

Originally Posted by Valerette

to all the nurses out there that have been willing to take the time to make newbies feel welcome....you are in the MAJORITY and you are APPRECIATED!!

Until you've been to all the hospitals in my town, and everybody's town, you can't say that kind nurses are the "MAJORITY". If you gave worked or had clinicals at a majority of my hospitals then fine.

I'm glad you've been having a great time in nursing school. You're lucky that your nurses have been nice to you. But just because you have had a good experiece does not mean that everybody else who has had a bad experience is wrong.

The students and new grads who come here and complain about their situation, do so to vent.

I can tell you, that the majority of my RN's who precepted us as nursing students were really quite mean. I had some awful experiences as a SN. I lived and learned. I had some great nurses as well! You learn what you can from everyone-good or bad.

[Valerette]

Originally Posted by cardiacRN2006

Until you've been to all the hospitals in my town, and everybody's town, you can't say that kind nurses are the "MAJORITY". If you gave worked or had clinicals at a majority of my hospitals then fine.

I'm glad you've been having a great time in nursing school. You're lucky that your nurses have been nice to you. But just because you have had a good experiece does not mean that everybody else who has had a bad experience is wrong.

The students and new grads who come here and complain about their situation, do so to vent.

I can tell you, that the majority of my RN's who precepted us as nursing students were really quite mean. I had some awful experiences as a SN. I lived and learned. I had some great nurses as well! You learn what you can from everyone-good or bad.

You're right, I meant, in my experience, the majority of nurses have been helpful and friendly. And I'm not trying to discount the experience, or the right to vent, of people for whom that's not been the case, just trying to add a different perspective--sometimes people who have good experiences are less motivated to post.

I've also noticed, however, that fellow students that I've shared clinical experiences with have complained about nurses that I thought were pleasant, so it's possible that people have different perceptions of what constitutes mean vs. helpful.

[Tweety]

Many students come here to vent about nurses eating their young when in reality they are having a bad experience with just one nurse.

Other students and new grads like the one above have experiences where the majority of nurses area mean to new people.

However, I still would venture to say that if you took all the nurses in nursing, counted the mean ones who didn't like new grads and students, they would be in the minority.

It's a bit irritating to me that those few give us all a bad rep.

I hope that new grads and students who are having a hard time continue to post and vent about their experiences, without judging the entire profession.

Nice post. I'm glad that you found this to be true. Count me in the believers that "nurses do not eat their young". Some do, but most don't.

[Spidey's mom]

What I object to is the "nurses" part - all nurses do not "eat their young".

Just as in any profession, there are mean people and at some jobs you may have more than the usual amount but it has nothing to do with being a nurse and more to do with just being a mean person period. You'd be that way whatever profession you chose.

So yes, "nurses" do not eat their young.

steph

[nuangel1]

Originally Posted by Valerette

There have been several threads on here recently about how crochety and unfriendly nurses can be to newbies...I usually just lurk here but I have to get this off my chest.

So far, nurses have been the kindest, most helpful people I've ever met! I admit I am still in nursing school, but 99.9% of the nurses I've encountered as a student and as an extern have gone out of their way to teach, make sure I feel comfortable and welcome, and in general have been wonderful. The few that are less friendly I think just want to do their own job and not mess with students, which is fine.

I spend quite a bit of time here and read many threads about the vicious, young-eating nurses running around out there before I started clinicals, and I was very intimidated in my first few encounters with nurses, so I wanted to share my very pleasant experiences with other nursing students...if you are polite, don't waste the time of the nurse you're working with, and don't act like a know-it-all, nurses are WONDERFUL.

So this is a big THANK YOU to all the nurses out there that have been willing to take the time to make newbies feel welcome....you are in the MAJORITY and you are APPRECIATED!!

Julie
in my 4th of 6 semesters

well thankyou that was a very nice post.i am glad others come to post and vent we all need to do that sometimes .but there are negative people out there in life and at work .in my experience (20 yrs)most nurses are nice .but there are some that make work difficult for any new people nurse tech student dr etc .some people are like that .i personally dislike the phrase nurses eat their young .we hear it too frequently.

[TheCommuter]

It is nice to hear that you have had great experiences. You cannot be wrong or incorrect about your experiences.

I have had some unsavory experiences with middle-aged and older nurses being extremely cruel to me and, while these rude nurses were in the minority, they were the types that 'ate the young'. I know that I am correct about my personal experiences.

[cardiacRN2006]

Originally Posted by Valerette

I've also noticed, however, that fellow students that I've shared clinical experiences with have complained about nurses that I thought were pleasant, so it's possible that people have different perceptions of what constitutes mean vs. helpful.

Yes, I noticed that as well. I think that everybody's attitude plays a role. For instance, I was starting to have issued with my preceptor. Instead of getting in the ring with her, I just decided to fix whatever it was that I was doing wrong. In school, I would just pretend that I didn't notice the comments made about me or the other students. I just tried to kill them with kindness, or stay out of their way.