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.
Dear FoxC11: I am in agreement with you 100%. Every nurse had to start somewhere. They were all new nurses at one time. Who took the caring and compassion out of nursing? I am not an RN yet, but I certainly hope that I will not ever treat some of the new nurses as reported here in some of these posts! WAY to go for setting the record straight -- everyone has questions -- even the experienced nurses!
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
im sure ruby, isnt much different from me. us more seasoned types, seldom if ever go running to unit managers. if we have something to say, we are going to say it right there and right then, and no mistake about it. we dont have the time to go looking for managers. besides who needs them.
gosh, yes teeituptom! (and i didn't even realize she was talking about me.) i don't lie, and i don't go running to managers unless i've already tried to work it out with you on several occaisions and you just aren't having it. if i have something to say about you, i'll say it to you rather than gossip about you behind your back! and i'd expect the same courtesy.
but where in the world did anyone get the idea that i would either run to managers or lie about anyone?
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
yada, yada, yada,i am getting soooo sick and tired of "senior" nurses complaining about newer nurses. guess what if you don't like it you know where the door is - use it - leave. i didn't ask to be here with so many other newer nurses. yes - maybe i should have researched better - call me naive, i didn't know any better at the time - now i do. i will tell you one thing - i will always know better than to treat newer nurses better than what i have been hearing on this board and how i have been treated on my floor. i will say one thing - i am a 40+ person and have been in the health care field since i was 19 years old - so you are not addressing a 20 somethething person (i don't know why i waited so long to get my rn) since reading these boards and hearing complaints from other nurses on my floor - i have stopped asking any questions or asking for help (not that i really did before) and guess who suffers? my patients - while i go and take the time to research on the computer or look up info in books available on the floor. questions that maybe senior nurses could rattle off the top of their heads. shame on all of you!!!! you all started somewhere and were full of questions!!!! i am disgusted with nursing and with all of you that call yourselves "caring nurses" how funny - when you can't even care enough to pass your knowledge on. oh, sorry you are too busy with your own assignments to worry about anyone else. or better yet - you are too busy worrying about your own tasks than about another person that may have trouble breathing or dealing with a a new nurse that is struggling to get her own footing. shame on all of you!!! don't bother to respond to this because i don't know if i will even read this again. i apologize to those of you that help and are "true" nurses that want to help and by the way helping is not only helping your patients but helping others-we are supposed to be patient adovcates. i still have not lost sight of this - even out of school for almost one year. for those of you that are negative - maybe you need to rethink nursing - you are not going to be here forever. you need to pass on you're knowledge - believe me you are sooo appreciated!!!!dee
like most experienced nurses i know, i try to help out as best i can, but believe it or not, there are times when i just don't have the time to help everyone who asks. not even everyone who asks nicely. i am responsible for my own assignment, not just for helping out newer nurses. it's good for you to know how and where to look things up if there isn't someone around who can help you. allowing a new nurse to look things up on their own is not a cruel and unusual punishment designed to keep newbies in their place; it's a valuable part of navigating the course from newbie to expert. i haven't heard anyone on this board (especially not myself) advocate treating new nurses poorly or harshly. so quit with the "shame on you!"s and stop and think a bit about what you may be contributing to your difficulties with the other nurses on your unit!
yada, yada, yada,I am getting soooo sick and tired of "senior" nurses complaining about newer nurses. Guess what if you don't like it you know where the door is - use it - leave. I didn't ask to be here with so many other newer nurses. YES - maybe I should have researched better - call me naive, I didn't know any better at the time - now I do. I will tell you one thing - I will always know better than to treat newer nurses better than what I have been hearing on this board and how I have been treated on my floor. I will say one thing - I am a 40+ person and have been in the health care field since I was 19 years old - so you are not addressing a 20 somethething person (I don't know why I waited so long to get my RN) Since reading these boards and hearing complaints from other nurses on my floor - I have stopped asking any questions or asking for help (not that I really did before) and guess who suffers? my patients - while I go and take the time to research on the computer or look up info in books available on the floor. Questions that maybe senior nurses could rattle off the top of their heads. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!!!! YOU ALL STARTED SOMEWHERE AND WERE FULL OF QUESTIONS!!!! I am disgusted with nursing and with all of you that call yourselves "CARING NURSES" how funny - when you can't even care enough to pass your knowledge on. Oh, sorry you are too busy with your own assignments to worry about anyone else. Or better yet - you are too busy worrying about your own tasks than about another person that may have trouble breathing or dealing with a a new nurse that is struggling to get her own footing. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!!! Don't bother to respond to this because I don't know if I will even read this again. I apologize to those of you that help and are "TRUE" nurses that want to help and by the way helping is not only helping your patients but helping others-we are supposed to be patient adovcates. I still have not lost sight of this - even out of school for almost one year. For those of you that are negative - maybe you need to rethink nursing - you are not going to be here forever. You need to pass on you're knowledge - believe me you are sooo appreciated!!!!DEE
Shame on all of us? For those of us who are negative? Sorry, but I and the overwhelming majority of my collegues don't fit that discription at all. Speakking of "those of us who are negative", I didn't read one positive thing in your post. But since you're not going to read this thread anymore, I'll end it here.
yada, yada, yada,I am getting soooo sick and tired of "senior" nurses complaining about newer nurses. Guess what if you don't like it you know where the door is - use it - leave. I didn't ask to be here with so many other newer nurses. YES - maybe I should have researched better - call me naive, I didn't know any better at the time - now I do. I will tell you one thing - I will always know better than to treat newer nurses better than what I have been hearing on this board and how I have been treated on my floor. I will say one thing - I am a 40+ person and have been in the health care field since I was 19 years old - so you are not addressing a 20 somethething person (I don't know why I waited so long to get my RN) Since reading these boards and hearing complaints from other nurses on my floor - I have stopped asking any questions or asking for help (not that I really did before) and guess who suffers? my patients - while I go and take the time to research on the computer or look up info in books available on the floor. Questions that maybe senior nurses could rattle off the top of their heads. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!!!! YOU ALL STARTED SOMEWHERE AND WERE FULL OF QUESTIONS!!!! I am disgusted with nursing and with all of you that call yourselves "CARING NURSES" how funny - when you can't even care enough to pass your knowledge on. Oh, sorry you are too busy with your own assignments to worry about anyone else. Or better yet - you are too busy worrying about your own tasks than about another person that may have trouble breathing or dealing with a a new nurse that is struggling to get her own footing. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!!! Don't bother to respond to this because I don't know if I will even read this again. I apologize to those of you that help and are "TRUE" nurses that want to help and by the way helping is not only helping your patients but helping others-we are supposed to be patient adovcates. I still have not lost sight of this - even out of school for almost one year. For those of you that are negative - maybe you need to rethink nursing - you are not going to be here forever. You need to pass on you're knowledge - believe me you are sooo appreciated!!!!DEE
It's attitudes like this that pushes some nurses to eat their young.
yada, yada, yada,I am getting soooo sick and tired of "senior" nurses complaining about newer nurses. Guess what if you don't like it you know where the door is - use it - leave. I didn't ask to be here with so many other newer nurses. YES - maybe I should have researched better - call me naive, I didn't know any better at the time - now I do. I will tell you one thing - I will always know better than to treat newer nurses better than what I have been hearing on this board and how I have been treated on my floor. I will say one thing - I am a 40+ person and have been in the health care field since I was 19 years old - so you are not addressing a 20 somethething person (I don't know why I waited so long to get my RN) Since reading these boards and hearing complaints from other nurses on my floor - I have stopped asking any questions or asking for help (not that I really did before) and guess who suffers? my patients - while I go and take the time to research on the computer or look up info in books available on the floor. Questions that maybe senior nurses could rattle off the top of their heads. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!!!! YOU ALL STARTED SOMEWHERE AND WERE FULL OF QUESTIONS!!!! I am disgusted with nursing and with all of you that call yourselves "CARING NURSES" how funny - when you can't even care enough to pass your knowledge on. Oh, sorry you are too busy with your own assignments to worry about anyone else. Or better yet - you are too busy worrying about your own tasks than about another person that may have trouble breathing or dealing with a a new nurse that is struggling to get her own footing. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!!! Don't bother to respond to this because I don't know if I will even read this again. I apologize to those of you that help and are "TRUE" nurses that want to help and by the way helping is not only helping your patients but helping others-we are supposed to be patient adovcates. I still have not lost sight of this - even out of school for almost one year. For those of you that are negative - maybe you need to rethink nursing - you are not going to be here forever. You need to pass on you're knowledge - believe me you are sooo appreciated!!!!DEE
I think you are completely out of line
I think you are highly exaggerating and trying to inflame something that is more rumour than substance. Try being part of the solution and not trying to inflame a very small problem.
- I have stopped asking any questions or asking for help (not that I really did before) and guess who suffers? my patients - while I go and take the time to research on the computer or look up info in books available on the floor. Questions that maybe senior nurses could rattle off the top of their heads. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!!!! YOU ALL STARTED SOMEWHERE AND WERE FULL OF QUESTIONS!!!! I am disgusted with nursing and with all of you that call yourselves "CARING NURSES" how funny - when you can't even care enough to pass your knowledge on.
SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!!! Don't bother to respond to this because I don't know if I will even read this again. I apologize to those of you that help and are "TRUE" nurses that want to help and by the way helping is not only helping your patients but helping others-we are supposed to be patient adovcates. I still have not lost sight of this - even out of school for almost one year.
For those of you that are negative - maybe you need to rethink nursing - you are not going to be here forever. You need to pass on you're knowledge - believe me you are sooo appreciated!!!!DEE
Dee,
I do hope you read the responses to your post, as you clearly took a lot of time to write it.
As far as depending on seasoned nurses to answer your questions, this practice is not only lazy but also potenially dangerous. Beware the nurse who claims to know all of the answers. There are constantly changes in procedures, medications and protocol.
Your best bet is to do your own research. Your patient's safety lies in your hands. It is perfectly acceptable to answer a question with "I don't know the answer to that, but I'll find out and get right back to you". You will be much more respected by your peers, supervisors, physicians and most importantly, your patients.
I know it is very frustrating when you first start out. I remember being petrified my first day on the floor and thinking that I had forgotten all I had learned in nursing school.
You'll find that you know something that the older nurses do not and you'll knock their socks off. But please, always be courteous and respectful of these nurses ~ they have seen virtually everything. You'll be there one day.
It's attitudes like this that pushes some nurses to eat their young.
No way! I agree with Foxc - There are a lot of older, or more experienced nurses who derive their self esteem from knowing that they know more than somebody who has been working as a nurse for two weeks. If a nurse eats her young its because that's what she does. Chock it up to a low EQ. As a corollary, can you imagine an experienced teacher berating her students because they don't know as much as her? It doesn't happen.
It happens, in nursing and it happens a lot. If the "young" that is getting eaten happens to be an older new nurse, she's even tastier. People have to "own" their attitudes, and nothing drives a person to be this way unless it is part of the way they deal with other people.
True, it definitely isn't true for everybody, but it is out there, and makes the work environment a real bummer. If I had a nickel for every nurse I shadowed while a student who rolled her eyes while making it clear she didn't like my questions, I'd be rich. I would end up going home to look stuff up instead.
I think you are highly exaggerating and trying to inflame something that is more rumour than substance. Try being part of the solution and not trying to inflame a very small problem.
Teeituptom: A situation can get you angry and at the same time you can vow to not be that way yourself. I don't think this is a small problem - I know more than a few people who dropped out of nursing school because of the hazing. My solution was always to find the situation amusing. I was "written up" as a student by a nurse - my "crimes" included using a bed pan to empty a foley bag because there was no proper container in the room, and worse - I didn't turn the lights on to dispense meds. It was an extremely bright snowy day, and the room had a big picture window. And on and on. No rumors here, this ridiculous stuff happens, and it's really petty. yada yada indeed!
But yeah, the "eating their young thing" is getting tired - best thing to do with negative people is blow 'em off as much as you can manage.
as a corollary, can you imagine an experienced teacher berating her students because they don't know as much as her? it doesn't happen.diahni
not that it's an excuse, but it does happen with teachers and students, too. but that's not even a fair analogy, because the students haven't been licensed to "teach."
rns and lpns should at least have a baseline amount of knowledge, whether new or not. i had a new nurse insist that a tia and mi were the same thing...no matter how i tried to explain they weren't. so i imagine we're all a bit guilty of getting frustrated with a co-worker, young, old, new or "seasoned."
If someone came in with an attitude like what comes across in Foxc's post and in some of these others ..... I can't imagine a lot of people on my unit would bend over backwards to help them.
Of course there are going to be some nurses that are less than helpful and that might even be seen as "eating the young", but for the MOST part, if you come in with a good attitude and want to learn to be a good nurse, then someone will take you under their wing and show you.
There comes a point though when you have to stand up and look within yourself. If you feel like everyone is out to get you and everyone is eating their young, then maybe it's not them. Maybe it's you and your attitude.
My husband IS a nurse, and to be honest with you I don't have a problem with him helping new nurses at work. I trust MY husband!! I KNOW he is not going to cheat on me. My husband is an awesome nurse and a wonderful manager and preceptor. I don't feel threatened one bit, in fact I feel honored to "share" this wonderful guy. The nurses on his unit love him because they know they can go to him for help, for advice and encouragement. At the same time, because he is helpful and respectful of his co-workers they all have a great commaradarie. My husband is the manager of his unit and the turnover rate is absolute zero, in fact nurses want to get on his unit because he is great to work with. Please notice, I did say "with" not "for." My husband treats all the nurses on his unit equally, with respect as professionals not inferiors. He exemplifies what good management is all about. Being a manager didn't go to his head!! He goes to bat for his staff and he doesn't tolerate the eat your young mentality on his unit at all. I can't say that all men are great to work with. I have worked with some egotistical jerks too that felt they were God's gift to women and yes, their wives needed to worry. But not all male nurses are like that in fact, I think most are just the opposite. I'm sad for your wife, if she can't trust you around new nurses or female nurses in general. All I am saying is you just don't see that eat your young mentality with most male nurses. I think men tend to be easier to work with than women with insecurities.
nurse2b2010
190 Posts
Dear FoxC11: I am in agreement with you 100%. Every nurse had to start somewhere. They were all new nurses at one time. Who took the caring and compassion out of nursing? I am not an RN yet, but I certainly hope that I will not ever treat some of the new nurses as reported here in some of these posts! WAY to go for setting the record straight -- everyone has questions -- even the experienced nurses!