Eating their young?

[pashark]

I know this has been discussed here several times and I thought I would add my opinion. I am currently in a program that has class and clinical all year. It is a great program that allows you to earn your BSN on a part time basis, (2-3 days a week). As my first clinical approached, I couldn't help but to think about all of the horror stories I have heard. Now that I have a little time under my belt, I felt it necessary to write something in defense of the nurse.

When you are in a clinical environment, you can't help but notice all of the responsibility and work that nurses are faced with on a daily basis. Yes, some of the nurses working there did not want anything to do with the students. However, I was fine with it. They gave us the courtesy of letting us know in one way or another how they felt. I did not think that was horrible at all; not everyone has the patience to teach new people. I would rather know right up front how someone feels.

I may get flamed by my fellow students but, most of the "eating their young" interactions I have noticed was brought on by the students. Picture this: A patient suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, experiencing command hallucinations. The student asks the nurse something like,"What skills have you lost being a psych nurse?" Same nurse dealing with a different patient and student is asked," Is it true that anesthetists make $120,000/yr? That is what I am going to do, so none of this stuff is really that important." "Will someone hire me if I go to grad school with no experience?" I saved the best for last..."I have a tough time because I am sooooo good looking..." Sorry for being critical of my fellow students. I know there are some nurses who can be nasty but, every case I have seen of someone "eating their young" was brought on by one of my fellow students frustrating a nurse that was trying to teach them something for the here and now. Half the class is serious and half the class interrupts, makes statements similar, if not identical to the ones listed above, (In many cases, right in front of the patient), or acts like a know-it-all. In conclusion, we have to remember we are there to learn and ask appropriate questions. I hope everyone can see where I am coming from. Take care and have a great day, Frank.

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

I agree that the reputation nursing has for "eating their young" is largely unfounded an inaccurate. It's like all of nursing gets blamed for a few bad experiences. In any profession there are people that have bad days or maybe are just rude. But because nursing is a caring profession, it's almost unfathomable (to some people) that a nurse could ever be mean to another nurse.

[Turd Ferguson]

As a student nurse, I looked at my clinical experiences as a way to take some of the day to day stress off of the nurse I was assigned to, and try to learn something along the way.

I only had a problem with one nurse during school... I probably could have bought her a new car and she'd still find something to complain about.

[someday1012]

i've always been apprehensive about the "eating their young" thing. it's somewhat scary because I am only a student doing pre-req's and a lot of times that i've been a patient or my son has been a patient-i've always asked the nurse questions about their job and explained that i'm going to school for nursing. they've almost always responded that they love it.

]then I come on here and read all these stories. Sooo either the nurses that I talk to lied or I’m living on a completely different planet than the people on AN.

[FancypantsRN]

Yeah, I really haven't seen this "eating youngsters" or whatever thing first-hand. I always heard that when I was in nursing school too. From what I have personally witnessed, as long as the student/new nurse is respectful, attempts to be helpful, and half pays attention to what they are being taught in clinicals/preceptorship - it's all good.

I never kept that saying in mind when I first started. Why victimize myself based on other peoples observations that may or may not be correct.

[AgentBeast, BSN, RN]

They taste like chicken.

[chicookie, BSN, RN]

I love helping people. I love giving presentations. I love teaching. That being said nursing students and new nurses are the WORST! Not all of them but sometimes I get the most annoying obnoxious students/GNs ever.

Some of them have this "well the book said" attitude or the "I'm a nursing student so obviously I know more than you" attitude that gets on my last nerve. I don't know everything, no one does! AND THAT MEANS ESPECIALLY NOT YOU, NEW TO THE NURSING FIELD!

I know its not always the student though, and its not always the preceptor but I have to agree with you sometimes nursing students don't make it easy either.

Its a two way street people! You respect me, I respect you!

[bsnanat2]

it amazes me how many people have bought into this foolishness of nursing as a "recession proof" job. i fear this notion may be the driving force behind many of these people enrolling in nursing school. instead of viewing nursing as a career itself or seeing that one needs real nursing experience before becoming an np or crna, these people see bedside nursing as a nuisance on their way to greatness as an np or crna. my guess is that many will not make it over the long term, but the problem is that they polute the landscape in the mean time. i believe there are nurses who eat their young, but these are usually miserable people and bad nurses - and the exception, not the rule. i am very proud that one of the local hospitals here has not only begun to try to weed out these people when they apply for jobs, but they are letting the faculty know when these attitudes crop in clinical also. many students are brats and preceptors should have the freedom to point out these flaws as well as technical issues. i absolutely love nurses who love what they do and don't allow the bravo housewives' type behavior on their units.

[Rhody34]

I'm sorry but youre fellow students sound ridiculous. I have been in 3 different clinical groups with 3 different groups of students and I've never heard any of them say something so stupid. So yes- If I were a nurse dealing with your clinical group- I'd be PO'd too.

[merlee]

I don't remember any really bad experiences from my student days. I went to a hospital-based program, and so many of the nurses we worked with were also graduates of the program. They were well-known to our faculty, and sympathetic to our plight!

However, I moved a number of times, and ran into nurses who were less than supportive in orientation. I later learned that I intimidated some people because I asked 'why' questions too many times. So in later years I learned more approachable techniques, somewhat less intimidating.

But I have seen and heard some nurses give students a hard time, and I always felt very bad. I volunteered as often as possible to take students and new orientees; I always felt it was part of the 'deal' - pay it forward. Someone was gracious enough to teach me, and I wanted to teach the next ones.

Do some nurses 'eat their young'? Yes. But not most of us!!!!

Best wishes!!!

[belgarion]

When I was in clinicals for LVN school the vast majority of the RNs were very supportive and willing to teach us. Oddly enough, it was the LVNs on the floor who tended to treat us like something they scraped off their boots. Some of the LVNs were so bad the instructors would not assign students to their patients.

[tyvin, BSN, RN]

Troll alert! Do you really believe any of us "Nurses" would believe everything you just wrote? I suggest studying more often; idle hands and all that stuff ...