Pissed Off!!!

MelH · Oct 3, 2002

:kiss melisita, although this woman is trying your patience I would try and avoid her at all cost! Don't stoop to her level! Maybe this woman feels inferior and feels that she has to get a rise out of you in order for her to have a good day! Who knows....just stay away from her if at all possible and focus on your duties so you can get out of school! Good luck to you!

OzNurse69 · Oct 3, 2002

Ok, here's a thought for you.

What if this woman has been plucking up the courage for years to get out of a dead end job and do something she has always wanted to do? And what if she started the first day of nursing school thinking to herself "Oh my God, I'm one of the oldest in the class. I wonder if I will be able to keep up with all these young, fresh minds?" And what if the first person she tried to fit in with, and join in a conversation with, gave her a withering look, and rolled her eyes, and called her old, just when she was feeling at her most vulnerable and terrified.

Now, how would you feel if this person did not come back to school, but went back to her dead-end job, because she had been made to feel completely humiliated when she was just trying to be "one of the crew"?

If you are commencing your nursing life with that small an amount of compassion in your soul, maybe she is not the one who needs to reconsider their choice of career. After all, though the technical side of things is important, the ability to empathise with other people will take you much further in life.

sanakruz, ADN · Oct 3, 2002

Dont let others get your goat! when you are out there working you'll have so many people as your collegues that are not your age, sex, social background, cultural background, etc. that your head will spin! And your patients will be even more varied! Just look at it as part of the learning experience( maybe the hardest part...)

shygirl · Oct 3, 2002

Originally posted by OzNurse69
Ok, here's a thought for you.

What if this woman has been plucking up the courage for years to get out of a dead end job and do something she has always wanted to do? And what if she started the first day of nursing school thinking to herself "Oh my God, I'm one of the oldest in the class. I wonder if I will be able to keep up with all these young, fresh minds?" And what if the first person she tried to fit in with, and join in a conversation with, gave her a withering look, and rolled her eyes, and called her old, just when she was feeling at her most vulnerable and terrified.

Now, how would you feel if this person did not come back to school, but went back to her dead-end job, because she had been made to feel completely humiliated when she was just trying to be "one of the crew"?

If you are commencing your nursing life with that small an amount of compassion in your soul, maybe she is not the one who needs to reconsider their choice of career. After all, though the technical side of things is important, the ability to empathise with other people will take you much further in life.

Said with pure class!

Shygirl

RNConnieF · Oct 3, 2002

I hate to say this cause I know it's gonna hurt your feelings but....you sound just like a teenager. Perhaps she didn't intend to disrespect you at your first confrontation, maybe she was just trying to fit into the conversation, and since you ARE in nursing school usual taboos don't apply. I was the oldest student in my RN class (only the instructors where older than me, and that was only 2 of them) and I can tell you how hard it is to fit in. I was always the odd man out at school. The life of the older student is even harder than it is for the young students, we don't learn new content easily hence we need to spend MUCH more time studying, we forget things more quickly, we don't have the physical reserve to stay up studying and still get to class on time, and on top of all these challenges, we are lonely, when after studying for 20 hours for a test our classmates don't celebrate our success, they ridicule us for being "teacher's pet". A college campus is not a friendly place for the older student. I'm not trying to hammer you, I'm just asking that you reevaluate your interpretation of her statements from a kinder perspective.

DebsZoo · Oct 4, 2002

Very nicely put, OzNurse and Connie..........

RNConnieF · Oct 4, 2002

I should have added the non school challenges older student face. I was in school full-time, working full-time, parented 4 kids, took care of the house and all the cooking, was band parent president, VP, co-president (depending on the year), was Cub Scout den leader, volunteered at 3 schools, helped out a disabled mother, and in my spare time I tried to sleep. The life of the "non-traditional" student is HARD, even harder than for the traditional student. I don't think I would ever do it again if I knew what I was getting into.

Robin61970 · Oct 4, 2002

I also say very well put Oz and Connie......I agree with everything you guys said. We were not privy to the conversation that was going on prior to the comment and do not know the turns it was taking or what was being discussed. My classmates and I freely discuss sex and everything so I would not have felt it a rude question.......anyway if you get offended that easily you may have a rough time in school.......good luck to you.....

maire, ASN, RN · Oct 4, 2002

Dang...I'm old.

sunnygirl272 · Oct 4, 2002

Oznurse & Connie took the words right outa my keyboard...lol...

Gator,SN · Oct 4, 2002

Melisita,

I have one in my class just like you described, and so I just stay away from her. I am not the oldest or the youngest in my class, but age aside, I would be offended if anyone, that I hardly knew asked me about my sex life.

AGE...is not an excuse for bad behavior on either side of the fence. I may not be the most popular person here on this thread, but IF this lady is older and afraid of not fitting in or making friends, then maybe she should try a little more manners and not insult people by joking about their age........bottom line,

Don't dish it out if you can't take it!

Also, If this woman runs back to her dead end job because someone in her nursing class said something she didn't like, or insulted her, then she would have never made it as a nurse anyway. Nursing takes guts...and a bit of a thick skin. Melisita, You yourself may have a bit of a chip on your shoulder about being taken seriously because of your young age, if so, then lead your peers by example! Be nice to her if you can, and don't allow yourself to get into anymore personal conversations with her.....don't talk about your home life or the "rules" or whatever around her. Be respectful of her when you are around her, because even though her comments IMHO are childish, one of you has to be the adult!

Good Luck!

Gator