Bullied by the Young

[sorry]

I never thought that I would every witness this but I did. Every time this nurse worked she was bullied by the young. Years of experience,yes,older than the bully's,yes. This nurse just could not take it anymore and left after finishing the first shift (schedule to work a second shift). Was this nurse wrong for leaving? Could she be charged with abandonment? Any and all suggestions will help me help my friend cope with this suitiation.

[pedicurn, LPN, RN]

perhaps the youngins act zealously, assertively, competitively and makes the vet nurse uncomfortable?

Agree - this sort of behaviour is more common with newer nurses than it used to be ?perhaps generational

Less communal /less pleural and more self-centred individualism.

It certainly ruffles a few feathers with the older nurses as they perceive the new nurses as being impersonal non-teamplayers

However, after a few years the newer nurses realise it's not much fun coming to work and feeling isolated ..... they mellow and become more humble ...basically grow up.

A little less 'me me me' and add a bit of 'we we we'

[gettingbsn2msn, MSN, RN]

I was treated badly by a day shift nurse. However, I do not consider this bullied. I just thought she was an a$$. When I would give her report she would turn around and face someone else or the wall ( I guess she did not want me to see her face). I don't work there anymore and after writing this out I find it kind of funny. Sadly, I really thought she knew alot. She just did not like new people on the unit.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

I have witnessed incidents of a young nurse attack an older worker. It's usually one new RN who is so full of herself and her superiority, overconfident, and believes the older ones are stupid and lazy, and she feels its her place to let everyone know how she is so much better by putting others down. This RN at my workplace makes derogatory comments about older nurses in general and how she prefers to work with those her own age. However, she has not been successful in creating a clique to attack an individual person but she simply airs her disrespectful opinions often and loudly.

It's true, most experienced nurses have developed a tough skin, how can you not, considering how much you have to put up with in nursing. These types of RN's are so busy showing off, trying to prove how much better and smarter they are. Experienced nurses don't usually bother showing off, they just quietly go about their work and these inexperienced nurses apparently think that's a sign of weakness.

Give me a break! In the end the overconfident, arrogant nurse is the one most likely to make an mistake and cause a serious error. When you don't know what you don't know and think you're better than the experienced nurses so you don't bother asking for advice that is a dangerous situation.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

Based on the new information I am still just as confused.

I will say as a "younger" person. (am I really? I think I feel far younger then I am because I am in denial I am getting older; but my body feels like it's 3x it's age. Did everyone understand that?? lol) anyway, I see a lot of disrespect going on these days from one generation to the next. I find it quiet appalling. I see the way teens and kids my age talk to their parents or adults period (or even adults to older adults) and it blows my mind.

If I even thought about talking back I was knocked across the room. Not that I agree that is appropriate action, I think there has been some disconnect through time.

During my senior practicum I had encountered an older nurse, probably about 30 years my senior. She was a well respected nurse who had been in the field a long time.

She was making some inaccurate remarks about something with my school and the hospital. She had some misinformation on some of the stuff. I knew this. I wanted to correct her because the misinformation was frustrating and although I politely gave my own thoughts on some of the stuff I didn't correct her. The misinformation she had really didn't matter and wasn't going to change anything and I just couldn't see myself sitting there arguing with this woman. It would have been rude and it was not necessary. I wasn't raised that way. Now I won't let someone be verbally abusive to me even if they were older. I would stand up for myself but this wasn't the case.

Unfortunately someone else had no qualms doing it. She was a new grad probably in her mid 20's and probably appeared to be "bullying" this nurse in the way she went on about it and wouldn't let it go. It was like she was determined to get this older nurse admit she wrong. I had to cringe and give her looks like KNOCK IT OFF! It just blows my mind. The girl never saw anything wrong with her behavior.

Anyway, sorry about the vent.

[sorry]

This post does not make sense. You state that the nurse was bullied every shift (which would indicate >1 shift), but that she quit after 1 shift. Can you clarify?

Quitting after one bad shift indicates that the nurse is not very professional. This could have been handled through proper channels. This whole post seems unlikely.

can I email u....I do not want to put too much information out since it is not about me,but about someone else.

[catfish1]

I quit my first hospital job just shy of comming off orientation for the same reason. Younger nurses being hateful and condicending during shift report. I'm 48 and have probably been a nurse longer than they've been alive. I had a less than stellar orientation and tried to learn so much in a short period of time. These nurses (2) would roll their eyes or breath like a bull ready to charge. After my shift ended and I gave my report I went home and called the charge nurse at 10 pm and said that I would not be back. I was really disappointed because I wanted to work at a hospital for so long.