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.
I'm in my last 3 months of nursing school as we speak. And, I can honestly say that most of the nurses that I have worked with in clinicals have been very kind to me. Don't get me wrong, I have had the misfortune in the last year and a half to be put with a few nurses that I'm quite sure were sponned from Satan himself. For me personally, the nurses that have taught me the most and been the best have been the nurses that have been in the profession for 20 plus years. I've heard that phrase a lot "nurses eat their young", and it makes me a little nervous when I do officially become a nurse.
I don't know why in the world a more experienced nurse would put a new nurse in a position of feeling more nervous than they already are....which would just make them more prone to mistakes...and hurting people.
So, I know I'm nieve, but until proven wrong, i'm going to hope and believe that maybe that phrase isn't all that true.:nuke:
I'm in my last 3 months of nursing school as we speak. And, I can honestly say that most of the nurses that I have worked with in clinicals have been very kind to me. Don't get me wrong, I have had the misfortune in the last year and a half to be put with a few nurses that I'm quite sure were sponned from Satan himself. For me personally, the nurses that have taught me the most and been the best have been the nurses that have been in the profession for 20 plus years. I've heard that phrase a lot "nurses eat their young", and it makes me a little nervous when I do officially become a nurse.
I don't know why in the world a more experienced nurse would put a new nurse in a position of feeling more nervous than they already are....which would just make them more prone to mistakes...and hurting people.
So, I know I'm nieve, but until proven wrong, i'm going to hope and believe that maybe that phrase isn't all that true.:nuke:
When you mention the nurses that have helped you the most have been the nurses that have been in the proffesion for 20 years plus, reminded me of my own experience. My first job was in a prestigious acute hospital, in an a urology floor. We had at that time, patients come from hundreds of miles a way for treatment/surgery. I worked, under an Rn, wish I could mention her name to give her credit. She was not very popular because she was very strict, with everything , expeciallly asepsis. I thought I would never ever be able to get everything just right, the first 2-3 months fresh out of school. But I was just as persistent as she was. When it came time for evaluation, she gave me the best evaluation I have ever had. It did point out my areas where I still needed work, but I was so proud of that, I still have that evaluation 28 years later. I forgot to mention, this lady was close to retirement, with a bad knee. That didnt stop her from making frequent rounds, and making sure here patients got excellent care, and giving needed training to new hires. I must add all this happend on a night shift, the best shift I think for learning a new job, if you can adjust to it.
"Nurses feel oppressed at the bottom of this health care hierarchy, says Griffin, who has studied the phenomenon. Borrowing from social science, Griffin says oppressed people commit acts of passive aggression. She calls these acts nurse-on-nurse violence (also known as lateral violence)."
"Nurses feel oppressed at the bottom of this health care hierarchy, says Griffin, who has studied the phenomenon. Borrowing from social science, Griffin says oppressed people commit acts of passive aggression. She calls these acts nurse-on-nurse violence (also known as lateral violence)."
This makes sense ..since when times are hard, society looks for easy , weak, scapegoats to vent their frustration, to blame for their problems..as in Nazi Germany.. I think a rise in Nazism , klan membership rose during the 30's. And we are starting to face some hard econonomic times today.
I am a nursing student who will graduate in may of 2008:yeah: (YEAH!!!!!!) I was assigned a presentation to do on conflict :angryfire management, but in the nursing field more directly. I was wondering if any one out here had any great experiances on how they solved conflicts in thier work place:bow:. thanks for the responses ahead of time.
I believe it is due to the fact that most nurses are still mainly women. As we all know women are very catty and bring a lot of DRAMA into the workplace. I am not saying that men don't behave this way, just that for the most part men do not act in this manner. Thank God more and more men are becoming nurses!
I get what you are saying but as a woman who has worked in 2 male dominated fields (the automotive industry and law enforcement) I can honestly say men are just as catty, gossipy and dramatic with each other then what is commonly beleived. I have seen men spread rumors, intentionally break each other's personal items, and lie flat out on each other.
Although this may not be apparent in nursing just ask any man who has ever had to work on a labor rate instead of hourly or any field that is quasi military in structure, the corporate world or politics.
I have also met many women that don't gossip at all. Remember CIA agent Valerie Plame was exposed by a man not a woman.
Gender is not the cause of drama, cattiness, or gossip. Lack of respect for one's self and pure envy of others is what creates this. Or as many old southerners would say "No home training"
"Nurses feel oppressed at the bottom of this health care hierarchy, says Griffin, who has studied the phenomenon. Borrowing from social science, Griffin says oppressed people commit acts of passive aggression. She calls these acts nurse-on-nurse violence (also known as lateral violence)."
Good aritcle. It kind of reaffirms some of what I've been saying in this thread and others. "One year later Griffin found that all of the 25 nurses who experienced lateral violence confronted the perpetrators using techniques learned in class. She learned that in every situation, the negative behavior stopped."
We need to confront people. Today was a good example. The tech tattled to the manager that a nurse (one she's had problems with for three years) wouldn't come in and help her toilet a large patient. The nurse was able to account for the entire 20 minutes it took her to get to the room to help her, and by then another nurse came to help. So rather than confront the nurse and simply ask why she didn't come in and help, she got all catty and presumed the worse, gossiped about it and tattled to the manager.
I'm a bit bothered by the definition of lateral "violence"..."sometimes it's a raised eyebrow". Please. Maybe because I had a rough childhood and am not a sensitive soul, but I would hardly call a raised eyebrow an act of violence. Sometimes we need to take a chill pill and not take things so seriously.
Still, because a tech had a problem today with a nurse, I'm not willing to brand the entire profession as one of being catty or one that eats each other. This one tech was being catty, and we dealt with her.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
as we all know women are very catty and bring a lot of drama into the workplace. !
nothing like perpetuating an erroneous stereotype! i feel rather sorry for people who believe this way, and i wonder why they would choose to enter a profession dominated by people for whom they have so little respect.
mohavestudent
3 Posts
I'm in my last 3 months of nursing school as we speak. And, I can honestly say that most of the nurses that I have worked with in clinicals have been very kind to me. Don't get me wrong, I have had the misfortune in the last year and a half to be put with a few nurses that I'm quite sure were sponned from Satan himself. For me personally, the nurses that have taught me the most and been the best have been the nurses that have been in the profession for 20 plus years. I've heard that phrase a lot "nurses eat their young", and it makes me a little nervous when I do officially become a nurse.
I don't know why in the world a more experienced nurse would put a new nurse in a position of feeling more nervous than they already are....which would just make them more prone to mistakes...and hurting people.
So, I know I'm nieve, but until proven wrong, i'm going to hope and believe that maybe that phrase isn't all that true.:nuke: