This vile expression implies that experienced nurses do not treat new nurses kindly. My first problem with the statement is that it’s a generalization implying that all nurses are like that. Interestingly, whenever I hear someone utter the expression, I always say, “I don’t do that. Do you?” The person making the statement always says, “Oh no, I don’t, but many others do.” I’ve never heard even one nurse own up to doing this, although some nurses are willing to indict the entire profession. Every time that statement is repeated, it causes harm and casts a dark shadow on every nurse. Say anything enough, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Please note that by moderator consensus some of the "Nurses Eat Their Young" posts will be referred to this thread where there can be an ongoing discussion, rather than several threads saying the same thing.
To students and new grads that are having problems with nurses, please take a moment to read the above link. Is it really the entire profession, every single nurse, or do you need help with one or a few nurses? We will be glad to help you in dealing with those people, but let bury the phrase "Nurses Eat Their Young".
To experienced nurses who claim our profession eats it's young, please take a moment to read it as well and think about it. Also take time to teach, be friendly and nurturing to the new nurse and students on your unit.
For those who find the topic repulsive and to general, I refer you to the literature/Book Ending Nurse to Nurse Hostility: Why Nurses Eat their Young, author, Kathleen Bartholomew. Yes, group, their is research, legitimate research that supports the contention. nanacarol
For those who find the topic repulsive and to general, I refer you to the literature/Book Ending Nurse to Nurse Hostility: Why Nurses Eat their Young, author, Kathleen Bartholomew. Yes, group, their is research, legitimate research that supports the contention. nanacarol
I don't find the topic repulsive, I find the label repulsive. Generally nursing is held in high regard by the public, as year after year we win the distinct as "the most honest profession" (but for the year firemen got it the year of 9/11/2001). We help the sick, we save lives, we're professional and educated folks working out butts off in often dreadful conditions.
Yet we want to label ourselves - and we label ourselves, no one else came up with this label - Nurses eat their young. What a dreadful thing to think about ourselves. That's prejudice and derogatory to me personally when I hear that because I don't eat my young and I feel the majority of nurses don't.
Obviously it's a problem and it exists and should be dealt with. The problem of lateral "violence", bullying, and other problems exists, and not just between old nurse and new nurse. I'm dealing with it this week as there is a nurse and tech bickering. But because two people on my unit are being unprofessional and tearing one another apart, it's not fair for me to label my entire unit is it?
Having the reputation of being the most honest profession has little to do with how honest we are with each other. Of course the issue does not involve each individual nurse, but as you mentioned, we are grouped as a professional enntity and what a few do or don't do affects the rest of us. We may be individually offended by the term but it requires a concerted effort on all our part to change how we treat each other as well as how we allow others to be treated in our little corner of the profession. Speaking up when situations such as you described occur, reminding all that workplace hostility and unprofessional behavior is not acceptable and then bringing it to those in charge will eventually move it out of the work arena.
Being new to this site, I obviously have not read 144 pages of replies. :) But I have to put my 2 cents in too, right?
I don't like this expression, and I don't see it happening where I work. Me, personally, LOVE being a Clinical Coach and precepting new grads. Being able to pass on what I've learned in my 7+ years so far is very gratifying to me.
The problem I see more and more lately is the chip on the shoulders of new grads and nursing students...when a student tells me what I should or should not do in a particular situation, not only am I not going to take it well, I'm going to tell them to step back. So many nursing students seem to think they know everything already and it is a SCARY thing to watch.
I am a new grad looking for a job. In my experience with clinicals, precepting, and as an STNA I have seen plenty of this. Seasoned nurses don't have time or students asking too many questions, they get huffy, puffy and have attitudes. I am scared I will have a problem and no one will help me. Does anyone else feel this way?
Having the reputation of being the most honest profession has little to do with how honest we are with each other. Of course the issue does not involve each individual nurse, but as you mentioned, we are grouped as a professional enntity and what a few do or don't do affects the rest of us. We may be individually offended by the term but it requires a concerted effort on all our part to change how we treat each other as well as how we allow others to be treated in our little corner of the profession. Speaking up when situations such as you described occur, reminding all that workplace hostility and unprofessional behavior is not acceptable and then bringing it to those in charge will eventually move it out of the work arena.
So are you saying that we are fooling the public, that we aren't an honest and noble profession that we're really a dishonest profession full of nothing but catty backstabbing nurse eating people?
Or if it's a few that sour the profession for us, we still have to carry such lables about ourselves?
I already do all of the things you suggest, as to the overwhelming majority of the people I work with. Yes, there's plenty of bad nurses and we need to learn to deal with them. I gripe about them all the time, but I don't allow those bad interactions to jade me against the profession and label myself as belonging to a profession that eats its young.
Specializes in telemetry, med-surg, home health, psych.
Being new to this site, I obviously have not read 144 pages of replies. :) But I have to put my 2 cents in too, right?
I don't like this expression, and I don't see it happening where I work. Me, personally, LOVE being a Clinical Coach and precepting new grads. Being able to pass on what I've learned in my 7+ years so far is very gratifying to me.
The problem I see more and more lately is the chip on the shoulders of new grads and nursing students...when a student tells me what I should or should not do in a particular situation, not only am I not going to take it well, I'm going to tell them to step back. So many nursing students seem to think they know everything already and it is a SCARY thing to watch.
That would, indeed, be a "scary thing to watch".....I have not seen it myself...most of our new grads come with eyes wide open and willing to listen and learn from those of us wanting to teach them.... I cannot imagine a student telling you what you should or should not do...I would have to set her/him straight immediately....
OMG.. It should be referred to as hazing. I am a 40-sometthing new nurse in my second career. I started in a very coveted position with a world-renowned hospital in their SICU unit. I graduated in the t0p- 3 percent of my class.
My nurse manager was on leave covering as DON of the hospital when I started. On my 3rd day as a nurse, the nurses from far down the hall come and gets me to start CPR on a patient I had had the previous day. ....D0 We Think they are calling me into a room with 16 doctors and nurses and residents, etc because of my experience?? I knew he was deceased already,plus I remembered from the day before that he was "DNR" .... just one example...
After having me up in the bed doing compressions, then shocking him ect.. he was finally pronounced. Poor guy was 87 and ready to go. S0, one of the queen bees looks at me and tells me to "just forget about the patient you had been taking care of down the hall, now you could start the "post mortem care for our recently departed. "
My August was 100 worse than the July. My preceptor would schedule me extra shifts, as she said I couldn;'t get the 36 for 40 yet; although the paperwork had been approved and gone thru? I had more than 12 different preceptors in less than 8 weeks, as my original one had left for Military duty....That was the worst. honestly, I would be sick for 4 days off worrying about having to go back into that place. I lost weight and couldn't sleep. Had to start on an antidepressant and sleeping pills. Still, I kept trying...my patients liked me and even the Docs seemed glad I was there. I stayed busy and tried to incorporate learning to be a new nurse and a critical care nurse at the same time. Never had a family or patient complaint, nor did I have one not get better!
FInally, I caved....could it be that I came down with shingles and my family was going to hell? I got the opportunity to transfer to a flooor, and so far I AM SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!
I look forward to going to work tomorrow. What a concept?
I wish so much my former nurse manager could have seen what they did while she was gone. Another new grad, who is a fabulous, smart nurse got transferred because of her attitude....".one of the queen bees didn;t like her." Personally, that was the easy part for me.
People wonder why there is going to be nursing shortage? Also, you wonder who will be their nurse one day???? Wonder what their turn--over rate is:?
I hope I never behave like that when Im with a new grad, just because I "got it" . We've got to stick together and take care of our own .....We are a team. This is not something I have ever seen in the business world. Pitiful.
when I was a brand new LPN at a hospital, if I didn't know something, I would ask another nurse, rather than save face and look smarter than I actually was. A few nurses told my supervisor that I wasn't "safe" to be on the floor and my supervisor said I could resign, be terminated or go through orientation again, I was fine with being reorientated because that would make me a better nurse the down side was the 2 nurses who were rn's at the time, would be my preceptors so I could everything right but because they didn't like LPN's or me?, I would end up getting fired, so I resigned and was told that have you heard of the saying, nurses eat their young? I had never heard of that saying beofre that but I was also going to school to get my RN and after that expierence, I never wanted to work in a nursing home again.. even as an RN, sad but true story
Tweety, I applaud you, however, you are still part of a group that, if we are really honest with ourself, are not caring of each other and who do some awful things to each other. No, we aren't fooling the public, we are fooling ourselves and many times burying our heads in the sand by looking at the 4X4 that is our personal sphere. Sorry the trut is the truth, we are in it together and "minding our own business" is what keeps us bound. Hust my thoughts. nanacarol
I cannot imagine a student telling you what you should or should not do...I would have to set her/him straight immediately....
nanacarol
162 Posts
For those who find the topic repulsive and to general, I refer you to the literature/Book Ending Nurse to Nurse Hostility: Why Nurses Eat their Young, author, Kathleen Bartholomew. Yes, group, their is research, legitimate research that supports the contention. nanacarol