New grad's experience with older nurses in their workplace and vice versa

nur20 · Sep 26, 2001

originally posted by pati
i'm doing research paper about diversity in nursing. my part involves the relationship between young nurses and the older nurses. i want to know the experience of the new grads with the older nurses and also the point of view of the older nurses. how do they feel about us as new nurses? do they feel threatened? do they feel our work ethics are very different from theirs?

older nurse here !!!!!!!!! love working with the younger nurses. it snatches me back to reality.over the years nurses tend to get nonchalant and jaded. you guy's are a breath of fresh air.i haven't been in nursing so long that i don't remember what it was like fresh out of the starting gate.working with you all reminds me of why i became a nurse.don't mind taking you under my wing.welcome to a little corner for caregivers visit my website

haps · Sep 26, 2001

I just started working as a new nurse in April. I feel most nurses are nice and helpful, especially those who work nights. They just seem more willing to answer questions and lend a hand. I have found some older day nurses can be rude and short. THey act like they just don't have time to mess with the new nurses or that the new nurse shouldn't have to ask questions and if they do they are dumb. Some of it may be they are just so busy during the day. I don't know. I have found night nurses just seem to get along better with each other also. I am much more comfortable working night shift because of this.

MQ Edna · Oct 6, 2001

Hi, I am a student nurse going for my ADN. I am in my last level of nursing. So I ask please be praying that I will past this level and the NCLEX when it is time, thank you.

Speaking of working with nurses that have been a nurse for some time. I have two more days of clinicals and then it will be back in the classroom and then "Preceptorship," time.

I have met a lot of nurses who have been a nurse for only 6 mos on up to 30 years or longer. I have had the opportunity to work with a lot of nurses who do remember what it was like and the comments to me would be, "I look forward to seeing student nurses, because they bring back the joy, the freshness of what it was like for me when I was a student nurse as well as the nervousness and scareness and walking around with a look on your face, 'am I doing all right.' I can tell that when it comes to taking care of the patients, I will not have to worry about you or this one, because I know you will do it right and if you are not sure, you will ask." Which that makes me feel confident when someone tells me this.

The majority of nurses that I have had the opportunity to do my clinicals with have been so wonderful and sweet and will get up when they are taking a break and help without any complaints. And then there are a few, who will say their name and you will not see or hear from them, but you as a student nurse will have a couple of their patients and so you ended up getting another nurse to help you or go with you to hang IV medication or give IV medication. And even the patients would not have seen them till after I get off the floor.

All the nurses that have been there for me, they have my upmost respect for them and yes, my "PRAYERS," and just saying "Thank you," could not even describe how I truly feel and how grateful I am.

For instance, my Clinical Instructor for this level, who has been a nurse for many many years works as a full time nurse during the day and then instruct us during the night three times a week. She has been so wonderful. The words cannot even describe or say how truly I am grateful for this dear, sweat and very very smart lady. She has truly been a mentor. She has instill not only in me, but each of us the confidents that we all have talked about lacking because of our teachers.

Yes our teachers from Level 3 to this level they are quick to slap you on the wrist before you do anything or quick to tell you, you should not be here or we have taught you how to do that in class [on a dummy]. When we had opportunities to do a skill, like putting in an IV, we would not volunteer. But now with this lady, we all are eager and want to do what ever we can get to do (i.e., IVs, NG, FC, etc...).

It is not just her, but several of the nurses on 2SC of the hospital that we are doing our clinical rotation at, have truly made a difference in each of us.

Thank you to all the nurses that take time out of their busy busy busy schedule to help us student nurses, listen to our questions [even though some can be stupid], let us be us and teaching us and allowing us to teach you. Just saying "Thank You," really does not even began to describe to you how I truly feel. It is because of you I want to carry on and pass on the spirit, the love, the care, the joy, the feeling of being wanted to other student nurses that I too will have the opportunity to work with one day in the future. Thank you.

deespoohbear · Oct 6, 2001

I don't know if I qualify as an "old" nurse or a "new nurse" I have been an RN for 7 years and I'm in my early 30's. I usually like having a new grad nurse with me. They are so eager to learn and try new things! The only time I have a problem with new grads is when they get an attitude that they know everything there is to know about nursing and proceed to tell me. I have only ran into that situation once, and that young nurse pretty much knows how we feel. It is pretty awesome to watch the new grads grow into becoming excellent nurses. We have one young nurse at our facility that has really taken off in the year and a half she has been an RN. She started out with no self confidence and meek as a kitten. She had really good nursing sense but just no confidence in her skills and judgement. For the first six months really didn't know if she was going to make it or not. But gradually her confidence in her nursing grew. And the day she proceeded to tell off a certain cardiologist who has a reputation for being a hard-a**, we knew she was ready to fly!!