Shortage?! HAH! Some RNs don't act like there is a shortage!!

RNFROG3, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2003

OOOppps! We have a new GN here in the ER and I was so tired and focused at getting my one pt to surgury at 700 the other morning I didn't even acknowledge him as I tried to give report to the oncoming nurse about the other two pts I had. I was half way home when I realized I had been rude. I WILL make an extra effort the next time I see him and apologise for my behavior. I promised I would never ignore any new person and I really didn't mean to do that. Do I get any points back for at least recognising I was a rude air head?

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2003

I have a theory on why some nurses who have been around for a while are so awful to new nurses and students.

It's that old defense mechanism, displacement. These nurses have probably been mistreated by docs, superiors, co-workers, etc. for years. But, they could jeopardize themselves if they took their anger out on or confronted the people who caused it. New nurses and students have no power, so they are a safe target.

And...how did these nurses survive in the viper-pit of hospital nursing? By become just another one of the vipers.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2003

Stick with the winners and don't let a few bad seeds aggravate. Concentrate on the overwhelming majority of us who are nice, or are at least not mean.

Good luck in your studies!

oramar · Jan 17, 2003

You made me think about this one staff nurse I worked with off and on. She had the blackest heart I have ever seen in a nurse. Many, many people quit because of her. I deliberately stayed off her unit as much as possible. She would creat her own staff shortages and then call nursing office and say, "you better get some help in here". The nursing office loved her because she worked so much overtime. They did not realize that she created her own overtime. The purpose of this post is to say that it still goes on after you graduate. PS Hello Nurse just gave the simpilist, most to the point explanation of lateral violence I have heard to this date.

Teshiee · Jan 17, 2003

Sounds like an epidemic problem with nurses defecating on students. It is not nice and I love to see students I like to reassure them that they will be okay and ask questions if need be. Nursing as a whole has so many issues w/boomerang results because in the end it comes back and bites all of us in the orifice!!! I remember one rotation where the nurses where all PMS'n trying to give the students the worse of the worse thank goodness we had an instructor who saw that as well and immediately pulled us off that floor. Whatever you do don't take it personal. Learn and remember when you are licensed you don't start that nasty cycle.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2003

Oramar-

Thanks for your comment.

emily_mom · Jan 17, 2003

Yesterday I was going to talk to my NM about my schedule availability. Her office is way at the end of one wing. I counted 13 nurses that either looked straight at me or were on that wing, and not one said boo to me. Does that scare the living bejesus out of me? How did they know I wasn't someone's family? Just thought that was so rude.

Whenever we have a problem with a nurse (and it's not often), we just talk to our instructor. She assigns us with someone else the next day. Had one nurse who wouldn't even let me take her pt's temp. Needless to say, long day of doing nothing... Most of the nurses that I've worked with (school or workwise) are very kind and helpful. There are those who keep you on your toes and drill you with questions, but at least they challenge you and make you think.

Kristy

semstr · Jan 17, 2003

History repeats itself again and again!

renerian, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2003

Some people are not good mentors whether it is they do not view it as important or are not mature enough to do the task. Some just do not have good people skills and for some they just are busy.......

renerian

Scarlette · Jan 17, 2003

The nurses at the hospital were I did my clinicals were so mean that a couple of them would set the students up to fail. One even went so far as to make up lies about 2 of my classmates so she wouldn't have to take students.

Everyone finally got fed up and we took it to the head nursing instructor. She in turn went to the NM at the hospital, memos were sent out, things got a little better but not for long.

When a couple of the nurses from the hospital came to our class to "recruit" us, they asked how many of us wanted to work at the hospital. NOT ONE PERSON RAISED THEIR HAND. We told them the same thing we told our instructor. They went back and talked to the NM again. Things changed in a hurry when everyone realized the new grads weren't going to work there and no one was going to get relief from overtime.

We voted for our 3 favorite nurses and at graduation we presented them each with a little gift to say thanks for being nice. Hopefully the nice ones rubbed it in the mean nurses' faces! Ha!

lenawa · Jan 18, 2003

i know it can be hard to be mistreated or even worse, ignored by the nurse you are paired with, but sometimes a look from the other side is all it takes to put things in perspective. i only graduated 2 years ago and i love having students assigned to me, however i remember looking at a unit schedule where i did my consolidation. at that time there were 2 of us completing our consolidation, so we were on the floor full time (75 hours bi-weekly) asking questions and needing help, every tuesday and wednesday there was a group of 10 2nd year students and thursdays and fridays there was a different group of 10 2nd year nursing students (from 7-3) talk about student overload! this wasn't anything out of the ordinary, new groups of students rotated through every 7 weeks year round. anyway, there's no making excuses for rude or unproffessional behaviour, if a nurse doesn't want to mentor students, he/she should stay away from teaching hospitals.

mattsmom81 · Jan 18, 2003

As has been said many times here, find your good folks and stick to 'em. Locate a mentor and utilize them. Folks that expect nurse coworkers to be junior Mother Teresa's all the time will be sorely disappointed. Life ain't like that and neither are nurses.

I remember how it felt to be new but we all gotta get with the program and avoid feeling sorry for ourselves or it may become a lifelong habit. If you allow the turkeys to get you down, they generally will do just that.