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.
You always hear dsicussions periodically about nurses eating their young. But Ive never heard anyone discuss how they are best prepared. Are they better with Ketchup, or mustard, or salt and pepper, or relish.
Ive always favored jalapeno mustard myself, any body else have any other culinary insights to this problem.
Keep it in the short grass yall
teeituptom
They like them best milk fed and tender- no spices because a nurse eater likes his/her food bland and easy to digest... (easier on their old teeth and touchy digestive systems) My point? If you show some feistyness, most likely you won't be eaten,although it does happen periodically. If it still looks like being eaten is imminent, don't go quietly. Fight and give them the worst case of indigestion they've ever had!
I am a new nurse at my first nursing job in LTC. I spent 6 weeks on orientation with 3 different preceptors. The first 2 were older nurses and were awesome!!! I learned so much from those 2 ladies and when Ihave a question I can go to them. The last preceptor was the nurses from hades!!! She made feel so dumb for asking any questions related to patients that I didnt know anything about. And guess what??? She has only been a nurse for a little over a year!!! I am not the only new nurse she has done this too. Now she has been made unit manager and new nurses are refusing to work on her unit. The DON has had 5 complaints and is going to talk to her about her attitude towards us new grads. Hopefully it will get better, if not I will look for employment elsewhere.....
Nurses eat their young and each other. Nurses are supposed to be compassionate and understanding (HA!)
I'm a vegetarian and have gotten "the look" too.
Your post if full of bitterness and anger. What I don't agree with is how you're generalizing and putting down the entire profession and all nurses.
Surely there's a few good nurses where you are? You can't possibly be the only one. Surely Canada that is so superior in so many ways doesn't have such rotten nurses in the majority, because I can honestly say America doesn't.
I am a new nurse at my first nursing job in LTC. I spent 6 weeks on orientation with 3 different preceptors. The first 2 were older nurses and were awesome!!! I learned so much from those 2 ladies and when Ihave a question I can go to them. The last preceptor was the nurses from hades!!!
Wendy
LPN
Hi Wendy, I like your post better. You obviously came across a nurse who doesn't like new grads. There are nurses out there like this, apparently enough of them to give nursing the reputation "nurses eat their young". However, you're not stereotyping the entire profession based on this one nurse, you can acknowledge the two good one's you've come across.
Well, I myself came home from the very gut of the whale that chewed me up and swallowed me whole today! I have been in my unit a total of 3 weeks as a new grad after having done a 4 month preceptorship there. I was called into my first closed-door meeting because I apparently have a poor attitude and am not a team player. What really happened was that I was getting report and was given information that was not correct (and was biased in a negative way towards the family) so I disagreed with the nurse giving report, and asked her to clarify if she had discussed with the pt's parents. She screamed at me that she knew this pt. longer than I had been there and that she didn't appreciate me giving her attitude. Then she proceeded to tell me how she sedated the kid, against the parents wishes, and intentionally didn't call the parents to tell them because she didn't want to "deal with those freaks - what do they know anyways?" When the mom asked if the kid had been sedated, I couldn't lie so I looked at the MAR and simply told her when the last dose of sedation was given - the nurse took it as me offering information to mom that made the rest of the team look bad.......Hmmmm....funny thing is, my preceptor and one other nurse were present for the entire transaction and were even involved with correcting the report. But they weren't reported as having bad attitudes. So yeah, I am feeling like I was singled out as the new kid on the block. All my PCS had to say was that I am going to have to find a way to fit into this group because I am going to be working with them, and I don't want to offend them and get off on the wrong foot. OBVIOUSLY! SO I guess I am just supposed to listen to report and not question anything that is 1)untrue, 2)negatively biased, 3)unethical because I wouldn't want to offend my teammates!!!!!! Gee - makes me look forward to the day I become an old hardened RN who has lowered her standards of care and ethics simply so she could "fit in".......
Gee - makes me look forward to the day I become an old hardened RN who has lowered her standards of care and ethics simply so she could "fit in".......
I was feeling somewhat sympathetic, despite some of the hyperbole in the post, until I read that.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the reasons why some new nurses have a hard time...you can't harbor an attitude like this and not have it seep out somehow.
Your comment was extremely offensive to me, as an older, experienced RN.
Specializes in Recovery Room (PACU), Surgical, ICU/CCU.
I have worked both in the corporate world and in nursing. I have had better experience in the corporate world than in nursing. An experienced nurse once told me that the reason why she thinks nurses are not nice to new nurses or to each other is because they have given their all to the patients and have nothing more to give. I disagree. It is nurses who either have become arrogant in thinking they know everything and anyone who comes along and still dont know about nursing after studying for 3-4 years should be treated badly or they have been treated badly and they want to mete out the same to the new ones. The oppressed tend to oppress others. There are nice nurses - and they are the ones who still remember what it was like to be new and that it is a workplace and nurses, old or new, are just trying to make a living too and make a difference in the world - and not to be subjected to bad behaviour just because they can get away with it!
Yes, nurses do eat their young. I have seen it time and time again.
Nurses eat there young themselves and anyone new (you can be an older experienced nurse who has to move to a new place every few years). Look at the nurses doing the biting they are usually miserable people. Pity them, I do but do not take their crap I don't.
Absolutely! And for me, it started in nursing school and has continued in the hospital setting. I've been completely shocked. I also worked in the corporate world for 8 years and there I was always treated with much more respect. I thought nurses were supposed to be compassionate! For those more experienced nurses who think they need to "break in" new grads, I have to ask why? Is it because you're burned out, jaded, or it makes you feel superior to watch someone struggle? Do you think it's a right of passage and because maybe you personally had a hard time, and now it's your turn to give it back?
And think of new grads these days - we've gotten less clinical experience in nursing school and then we're invited to start out in ICU's. Many times it's like we're set up to fail. We don't know that starting out in an acute setting is incredibly challenging and in some cases inappropriate- it's our first job! And you're only making the situation worse by treating them badly and knocking down their confidence. Guess what happens? They quit, and now you're short staffed. You're only hurting yourself and your profession as a whole. And guess what - some day you'll get older and need nursing care, and guess who will be giving it?
There are a lot of experienced nurses out there like me who do take the time with new nurses, yet we rarely get a "thank you" or any sort of acknowledgement. Come to this site, and it's constant bashing of older nurses by new nurses. You rarely see a new nurse thanking the experienced nurses who helped him/her.
So go ahead and think that the workplace is filled with nothing but nasty vindictive, spiteful older nurses. That way you'll never have to recognize that there are decent older nurses out there, so you'll get to keep the rant against us going strong.
Just don't complain when you turn around and find few experienced nurses to help you out. We'll have bailed out by then.
Yes, nurses will eat their young if you let them. The working conditions of nurses can be horrific as these forums show, so part of the culture of eating their young can also be blamed on administration/management practices that allow that kind of nonsense to be perpetuated. There will always be jerks in the workplace no matter where it may be, but the addition of longer hours, fewer breaks, additional stress of caring for higher acuity patients, being the "middleman" caught in-between patient needs, physician needs and administration needs, and the best for last, shortstaffing of all varieties, don't bring out the best in people.
I am one of those young nurses, but refused to get chewed up and spit out, although my first year as a nurse has been one of the more stressful times of my life. 23 years self-employed in a male-dominated profession and I thought I was a tough nut to crack, but it was close a few times this past year. I have vowed I will never, ever be one of "those" hungry nurses to the newer nurses I am now encountering and have not been so far.
As far as changing it, there will always be jerks in the workplace. I think we can make a difference by mentoring/support programs for new nurses with 1-year old nurses-"...I survived it, you can, too...". Zero tolerance policies for bad behavior on parts of physicians to nurses, or nurses to nurses would also help, as would more staff of any variety...It's not just nursing that needs to mend its ways but also the system we work under.
ortess1971
528 Posts