senior vs junior yadda yadda yadda

hapeewendy · Oct 30, 2002

I'm discouraged.

I know the whole why do you nurses eat your young thread is still active and maybe this fits there, not quite sure.....

the unit I work on has a great mix of junior/newer and senior/experienced nurses. For me this has been beneficial cuz I have found the learning goes both ways - They have educated me in the art and science of nursing and I have been able to share new perspectives,opinions and knowledge that they might not have had the chance to encounter.

but ,as the old story goes haha there is this one nurse (damn that one nurse is everywhere huh?) :rolleyes:

anyway everytime one of the nurses who is her junior is around she just oozes of self inflicted superiority over us. I respect that you've been a nurse for 30 years , I think its awesome! however my nursing practice is not only shaped by the number of years I've been nursing,however few in comparison they seem to yours - but also from my beliefs about what nursing means to me and the importance of my role on the people I am caring for. And that my friend cannot be measured mearly by time frames such as days months years.

she is able to get away with making stark generalizations about the "new generation of nurses" , I would assume no one confronts her on these narrowminded generalizations because she has already paid her dues or what not, but I dont think its fair to say things like "the nurses coming up now dont care about patient care the way we did" or "she's still too wet behind the ears to do that!"

I care immensely about patient care, it might not always show because I dont have the time that you might have had years ago to take care of the patients the way I would like to - I would love to wash everyones hair everyday and whatnot but its just not realistic these days . It doesnt mean it isnt a priority to me, it just means that we are struggling now, more than ever to do all the thing s we want to, to be the nurses that many of you have inspired and supported us to be.

I just find it rather doublestandardish that she can say things like what I mentioned above , but If I were to run around saying "ohmygod shes too old to do that" or "those older nurses dont care about the advancements in technology and medication the way we do"

it would be wrong for me to say that beacuse it simply isnt true

some of us may be younger, some of us may be older

exprienced and not so experienced

nervous and calm

all in all we are nurses and we each bring something to the table, respect what each person has to offer, I'm trying to........

Q. · Oct 30, 2002

I think it's a reflection of the generation gap between Boomers and GenXers. AJN had a great article on the subject; if I can find the link I will post it.

Q. · Oct 30, 2002

I think it's a reflection of the generation gap between Boomers and GenXers. AJN had a great article on the subject; if I can find the link I will post it.

renerian, BSN, RN · Oct 30, 2002

I think you need to say what you have said here to the person who is disrupting your unit. My preceptor rode my butt to the end of my time there. She told me I was to nice!!!!!! I finally one day had enough of her negativity and rudeness and gave her a piece of my mind. She never bothered me after that.

renerian

renerian, BSN, RN · Oct 30, 2002

I think you need to say what you have said here to the person who is disrupting your unit. My preceptor rode my butt to the end of my time there. She told me I was to nice!!!!!! I finally one day had enough of her negativity and rudeness and gave her a piece of my mind. She never bothered me after that.

renerian

boggle, ASN, RN · Nov 2, 2002

I've been around more than a few years. I've found those nurses that ooze negitivity and criticism showed that attitude pretty soon after they were off orientation/probation.

It's an attitude that shows in more of their opinions than their nursing opinions, too. What a miserable way to live their lives. (Pretty miserable for the rest of us who have to listen to them day after day!)

Hang in there Wendy! I doubt you can change her, but your positive, kind manner will shine through. Character does count!!!

boggle, ASN, RN · Nov 2, 2002

I've been around more than a few years. I've found those nurses that ooze negitivity and criticism showed that attitude pretty soon after they were off orientation/probation.

It's an attitude that shows in more of their opinions than their nursing opinions, too. What a miserable way to live their lives. (Pretty miserable for the rest of us who have to listen to them day after day!)

Hang in there Wendy! I doubt you can change her, but your positive, kind manner will shine through. Character does count!!!

P_RN, ADN, RN · Nov 2, 2002

I LOVE new nurses and I LOVE students. If I tell you about the olden days it's more for entertainment than putting down. Sheesh, do you think we LIKED having reusable needles and glass thermometers.

Please remember that all of us "OLD" nurses are not necessarily the negative ones. I have precepted many, many new nurses and most, not all, expressed appreciation for what I helped them learn.

I will say when I did come across a new graduate who said "Someone else will have to do the baths, I'm not ruining my hands on that" , I wanted to beat her negative little backside.

Oh BTW she left after about 3 months. Just long enough to get through probation and start blue cross.

P_RN, ADN, RN · Nov 2, 2002

I LOVE new nurses and I LOVE students. If I tell you about the olden days it's more for entertainment than putting down. Sheesh, do you think we LIKED having reusable needles and glass thermometers.

Please remember that all of us "OLD" nurses are not necessarily the negative ones. I have precepted many, many new nurses and most, not all, expressed appreciation for what I helped them learn.

I will say when I did come across a new graduate who said "Someone else will have to do the baths, I'm not ruining my hands on that" , I wanted to beat her negative little backside.

Oh BTW she left after about 3 months. Just long enough to get through probation and start blue cross.

Alley Cat · Nov 2, 2002

The longer I'm in nursing, the more I realize it's not how long a person has been in nursing or their current job, it's their general outlook on life that makes them so negative. I think seniority gets blamed a lot for negative attitudes, and it probably figures in a little, but overall I've found it's the person themselves. Several RN's I know currently have been in nursing less years, and are sometimes more negative than I am. Hang in there, Wendee--your caring shows through, and it will win out in the end. Your organization will improve as you go; and just when you've figured it out, it'll change!:chuckle Don't let one rotten apple spoil the whole bunch--and some of us old-timers are willing to learn a new thing or two ourselves. :idea: :wink2: :specs:

Alley Cat · Nov 2, 2002

The longer I'm in nursing, the more I realize it's not how long a person has been in nursing or their current job, it's their general outlook on life that makes them so negative. I think seniority gets blamed a lot for negative attitudes, and it probably figures in a little, but overall I've found it's the person themselves. Several RN's I know currently have been in nursing less years, and are sometimes more negative than I am. Hang in there, Wendee--your caring shows through, and it will win out in the end. Your organization will improve as you go; and just when you've figured it out, it'll change!:chuckle Don't let one rotten apple spoil the whole bunch--and some of us old-timers are willing to learn a new thing or two ourselves. :idea: :wink2: :specs: