Is this "eating their young" just a mater of perception?

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

I have worked in the medical field since 2002 as a certified medical assistant. yeah I know, no nurse. But I have had the opportunity to train other medical assistants. I have never "eaten my young" and I was always nice to the students I trained. I even, most times, enjoyed students being there because they eased my work load, most times. I do however know how annoying it can be to have some one sitting at your desk, asking you a million questions; at the wrong time, mess up....yeada yeaha. Maybe because I have this experience I have a little different perception of this whole "eating the young thing".

This is my second semester of clinical and we are at a different hospital this semester. So far almost every one has complained that the nurses are "B words" at this hospital and have given a majority of them nick names. I on the other hand, have not had any run-ins with the nurses (KNOCK ON WOOD!). At first I thought maybe I was lucky enough to have "the nice nurses" but then last week I had the nurse the others exceptionally complain about and I found her to be pleasant to work with. I also did my own thing only asking for her help twice. Once to show me how to do the dressing change and once to help me with a narcotic (which the nurse has to be their for anyways, even over the clincal instructor because only the nurses have the keys). Otherwise I left her alone.

Here is an example. I was kneeling on the ground last week as I was looking through my patients chart at the nursing station. Some one in my class who was sitting at the desk said, "This set is open, why don't you sit here?" I declined and stated that I was fine. (I understand that we are only there 12 hours a week and the nurses are there 12 hours a day, that this IS their nursing station...and I do not want to step on any toes) later in conference the next day our clinical instructor told us we were asked to not take up all of the sets in the nursings station. Again, of course, almost every one had some snarky comment about how they were "rudely asked or just with a rude grunt and look" to give up their sets. Once I have been asked to give up my set. I immediately jumped up and apologized all over the place.

I hope that this whole eating the young thing is just a perception thing and not a case of me not being bit yet!

Specializes in Cardiac.

I agree that students shouldn't take up a lot of seats while in clinicals, and I also agree that a lot of this is perception.

In my case, my description of 'eating our young' would be looking me right in my face, and making the rudest comments about new nurses, and then telling it to the whole nurses' station. And then hearing about it from the night shift that it lasted all night. And then having you charting scrutinized and written up, even though that nurse wasn't the nurse for your patients.

I'm sorry, but you know it when somebody hates you.

Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

heartsopenwide. . .i totally agree with you that being courteous and respectful is going to get you back the same. you will find, however, that there are a handful of idiots in the world who don't care about either, won't return the same kind of behavior and like rabid dogs will bite you on the hand anyway. they are just nasty, narrow minded people who weren't able to "play well with others" in kindergarten and still haven't learned how to be social. how they got into the healthcare professions is beyond me. obviously, they must have been good at hiding their true selves at interviews.

Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.

We felt pretty unwelcome in our last clinical setting, but this semester has been like night and day....I so enjoy the location where we are now....there is, however, one BIG exception....she reviews everything we do, is downright rude and nasty, acts like we don't even exist the rest of the time and even our instructor has warned us to stay out of her way....I don't understand the need to act like that...when the rest of the staff is great to us and we're considerate to them, why do this?

At least I feel comfortable knowing it's not US this time (which I wondered about a lot last semester) and that it's her....I can't imagine how miserable it is to BE her and thank heavens that the rest of the staff is so terrific....

I honestly thought last semester of dropping and looking for another career to head in to or going back to IT....I figured if the nurses on that floor were indicative of how miserable people were as RNs, I needed to do something else...I'm very much encouraged now and will seriously consider this organization when looking for employment once I am graduated...I already did the "hate this job/company" routine with myself and my co-workers for 6 years....I won't willingly put myself in that situation again.....

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