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 have been "eaten" by a nurse ONCE and it was by my nursing clinical instructor. I almost quit school because of what she said to me. Luckily I had the support of the nursing staff I had been working with, my fellow classmates, the school, my mom...everyone, and I went back.
Yes, I had one horrible experience, but I can recall so many more experiences where nurses and other staff members have gone out of their way to help me further my education. I am very thankful for those people and they will forever be in my heart.
This will annoy the crud out of you, but act dumb, really really dumb. And refuse to take any initiative. its a horrible suggestion i know, but trust me, it works. I went from an advanced LPN to an RN, and in the 3 years of uni never learnt one single new skill, and on pracs i wasn't allowed to do dozens of things that i did every day at work. and when i showed initiative within my very limited boundaries (like doing the obs round without being told) people would freak out. but when i started to just sit around waiting to be told to do everything the nurses preceptoring me were happy as.
pathetic i know, but welcome to the industry. just be careful, if you get a decent nurse who actually likes students, playing dumb will annoy her. but lets face it, in your entire time learning, you'll probably only ever come across 2 of them.
if you're really lucky you'll crack a nurse who actively goes out of her way to teach students, but they are few and far between, most nurses that have the skills and time management to be able to spend the extra time teaching are usually the ones who go around finding faults with others.
Spectre,
I am truly sorry to say this to you, but I really think this is terrible advice. We are continually faced with challenges in regard to being respected as medical professionals. To advise a SN, GN or anyone to sit around, show no initiative and to act dumb is doing a great disservice to our profession.
Oh, and in response to this...having seen and been where I have, I would most certainly go out of my way to help a student who truly wanted to learn. (and NOT eat them alive)! I always reminded myself of this in nursing school. I know how busy it gets, I was a CNA on a med surg floor during school, but you can always make time later to explain something to a new nurse or student. They may be taking care of you one day, remember!
I totally agree, it's important to teach students and work with them. It's our professional obligation. But for students to walk on a ward, playing dumb, just standing around waiting for us to cater to them and roll out the red carpet doesn't work either because floor nurses are just too busy.
It's a two way street and I hope they teaching them this in nursing school.
Yeah, it's an all around difficult situation. For the most part, nurses are de facto preceptors for students, whether they like it or not. It's such a busy job, sometimes this added feature makes it over the top. Teaching and being involved in the task at hand can be mutually exclusive. My own experience is I had to learn very important things on the fly, as opposed to learning a skill in a structured way. One thing I welcome about the way Excelsior College deals with clinical skills is that it is systematic. Meanwhile, I found my clinical time as a student in a "real time" school to be not much more than taking over for cnas. When the students arrived, the nurses rolled their eyes, and the cnas were nowhere to be found. I actually was told by one cna that she didn't have to do anything when I was there since students were supposed to do all the cna work. I'd say the entire nursing education system needs an overhaul. In an ADN program, does one really need to make beds for two years to get it right?
Gimme a break!
Diahni
Sometimes it's tough when suddenly your unit is taken over by 10 students. Don't read too much into the rolling of the eyes and don't judge someone's insides by their outsides.
Why are they rolling their eyes anyway? Is it because they are student hating student eating folks? Or did students in days gone buy create a monster with their attitudes? Which came first the chicken or the egg?
I once was walking by a coworker and she stopped me "why are you looking at me like that. Just because you're an RN doesn't mean........". Me: "excuse me, but I'm really only having gas pains, and I really wasn't looking at you at all." True story. LOL
After reading several different post I just have a couple of comments/questions. By the way I am an LPN currently chasing down my RN license. First, why is it that during clinicals we as students often are handed off to the CNA's? I have heard a CNA tell her patient that I would be taking care of her until so and so time, and when I was gone she would be taking over her care. Just so it's clear, I have no problem whatsoever doing baths, cleaning poo, I do it every day on my job.......I just don't feel like they should get by with not doing their job just because we are on the floor.
Also, I am in a class of 60, with only 3 of us being LPN's. I was wondering if anyone out there besides me feels conflicted when faced with tasks during clinicals and trying to keep that fine line between what we normally do everyday as LPN's and what we are allowed to do in the clinical setting. It seems to me that when the nurse we are working with knows that we are licensed, she is more comfortable asking us to do certain things, and for me it's hard to stop and think sometimes that I might cross the line as far as being a student.
I am truly sorry to say this to you, but I really think this is terrible advice. We are continually faced with challenges in regard to being respected as medical professionals. To advise a SN, GN or anyone to sit around, show no initiative and to act dumb is doing a great disservice to our profession.
what i gave her was good solid advice about how someone like her can pass university. it is not a disservice to nursing to explain how to get around a badly constructed system.
it is a disservice to nursing the way more senior nurses treat junior nurses who know more than them in any topic. like medications for example. i have yet to meet a single nurse who knows more about them than me. this is not bragging its a fact. and i knew a lot of them as an LPN. this means that when i was on prac being quizzed non stop for an hour by a group of nurses trying to find one i didn't know i was later reported to my clinical instructor as being a smart a'se. i didn't ask them to interrogate me, i didn't ask them to bail me up in a corner 5 to 1 and harrass me for an hour. my mistake was one nurse walked into the room and asked if anybody in there knew what drug x was. the other nurses didn't, i did, so i told her. then when it was proven i was right the harrassment started.
i firmly believe that all the people posting in here saying they have never eaten their young, but also think that student nurses dont ask questions and want to be force fed information are the EXACT kind of people who eat their young and prove themselves with those kinds of statements.
most student nurses are petrified when they go onto the wards, and if they are in australia they are almost guaranteed to be woefully undertrained for what they are expected to do. people do stupid things when they are scared. and the most common one is that they cling to any knowledge they have and build from there. i have seen a student nurse burst into tears when i handed her the keys to do the med round with me on her last ever day as a student, because in all her training not one nurse took the time to do even a single med round with her. what does that say about our profession? and what does it say that she was not the only one i know it happened to? after her i became the designated medication preceptor for that facility and students were placed with me to learn their meds.
so i stand by my advice, if that girl is being singled out for being too bright and too inquisitive then the only way she will survive is to act dumb. she will hate it, and rightfully so, but she will pass her practicum without incident.
Correct me if I'm mistaken, but my idea of an ideal clinical situation is that of a student who comes prepared with their patient info and meds, and a with willingness to learn and help, and a nurse who understandably is very busy, but at least incorporates the student into the shift, either by inviting/allowing the student to observe her providing care, or by giving the SN a wide berth in which to provide total care to the patient, and be available to listen/consider what the SN is saying if that particular patient presents with certain health issues during the shift that require a more trained eye to assess. Am I right, or am I wrong? I am not expecting a nurse to take me by the hand, and teach me. I had a lab for that, and am provided with two open labs during the week in which to practice. But at least be mindful that I am there, and know that I am very appreciative for inviting me along to at least to observe, or be a go-for, or an extra pair of hands willing to assist?
Correct me if I'm mistaken, but my idea of an ideal clinical situation is that of a student who comes prepared with their patient info and meds, and a with willingness to learn and help, and a nurse who understandably is very busy, but at least incorporates the student into the shift, either by inviting/allowing the student to observe her providing care, or by giving the SN a wide berth in which to provide total care to the patient, and be available to listen/consider what the SN is saying if that particular patient presents with certain health issues during the shift that require a more trained eye to assess. Am I right, or am I wrong? I am not expecting a nurse to take me by the hand, and teach me. I had a lab for that, and am provided with two open labs during the week in which to practice. But at least be mindful that I am there, and know that I am very appreciative for inviting me along to at least to observe, or be a go-for, or an extra pair of hands willing to assist?
This is exaxtly how it should be.............a two way street - a well prepared, willing to learn, independent in tasks already learned, nonjudgemental student and a nurse that takes the time to incorporate a student in their assignment to maximize the learning experience with respect while not compromising patient care.
Maybe when the respect rolls both ways will the "nurses eating their young" stop.
i wouldn't let it bother me at all. of course, there are those who love to try and beat you up on report. but so what? they aren't management. management cares that you are vertical and have a license and show up for your shift, that's about it.
eventually you'll improve. i would focus on keeping the patients happy. get them whatever they want quickly, etc. management wants you to please the patients.. they don't give a rat's behind about the other nurses. if you've got patients telling management what a great nurse you are, then you are a great nurse, and the other nurses can't do a damn thing.
I do agree that nurses eat their young. I don't think all nurses do it, because when I was a new grad I had a few nurses senior to me that were great resources and always wanted to teach me something, whether it was starting my own iv access on pt..to inserting a foley..However when the not so nice ones gave it to me they gave me hell!!! I would always walk in and know that if someone was on isolation had a huge decubitus ulcer, or on a feeding tube it would be my zone..I always had 1st admission!!!! always on code cart or narcotic count.. I always had the vent patients or the dementia pt's.. this went on for some time due to the clique situation...until I finally had enough..it had become too much when I would be running all night and they (mainly 2) would be sitting down charting or reading a book...I would be leaving at 9am they would be out the door at 735am...I finally complained to my supervisor that certain people were being shown favoritism,..It slowed down for a while and then whoever came after me I felt bad because I knew it was their turn...I did survive it, and became a stronger nurse because of it.. I was not going to let them see me sweat..and before long it stopped altogether..keep your heads up new grads!!!
kxvc
119 Posts
I have been "eaten" by a nurse ONCE and it was by my nursing clinical instructor. I almost quit school because of what she said to me. Luckily I had the support of the nursing staff I had been working with, my fellow classmates, the school, my mom...everyone, and I went back.
Yes, I had one horrible experience, but I can recall so many more experiences where nurses and other staff members have gone out of their way to help me further my education. I am very thankful for those people and they will forever be in my heart.