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.
Wow! Surprisingly I have never heard this expression. It's a shame that "Nurses eat their young". Personally, I am only a student, but every nurse I have talked to has been very informative and helpful. I hope I find this same attitude when I finally graduate and get into the field.
The phrase should be that bartenders eat their young! I've been bartending for over three years now and every time we all see one of those young bartenders straight out of "bartending school," we roll our eyes. But this is also very different career-wise. Another good bartender takes our tips. Another good nurse, on the other hand, could lighten our workload.
I'm a recent graduate, I have to say when doing my clinicals, myself and fellow students were very uncomfortable with the environment we were in. A couple of the nurses were graduates from the year before, same program, and still were not very nice. How quickly they forget where they came from....we all have to start somewhere. My question is, wouldn't you want to help new nurses be all they can be, after all, they are going to work along side you, why not help them be successful at it?
I'm a recent graduate, I have to say when doing my clinicals, myself and fellow students were very uncomfortable with the environment we were in. A couple of the nurses were graduates from the year before, same program, and still were not very nice. How quickly they forget where they came from....we all have to start somewhere. My question is, wouldn't you want to help new nurses be all they can be, after all, they are going to work along side you, why not help them be successful at it?
First let me say congratulations on your recent graduation! Second, I agree with you -- it seems like (from what I have been reading on many of these posts) that many nurses seem to quickly forget that they were once new nurses and had to gain experience. I start nursing school this fall, and I hope I get some good nurses to mentor me. I want to be a good student and a great nurse some day.
Some people are also overly sensitive. I have been nitpicked about stuff as ridiculous as what side of the bed I put an extra chair on or the side table etc... Yeah it s annoying, but it is not exactly "eating the young". If all you get is nonsense like that then yeah, it will wear you down, but some stuff has to be able to slide off of your back.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i'm a recent graduate, i have to say when doing my clinicals, myself and fellow students were very uncomfortable with the environment we were in. a couple of the nurses were graduates from the year before, same program, and still were not very nice. how quickly they forget where they came from....we all have to start somewhere. my question is, wouldn't you want to help new nurses be all they can be, after all, they are going to work along side you, why not help them be successful at it?
this thread is getting longer and longer and will probably never arrive at a consensus. do nurses eat their young?
i'm amazed at what some people seem to believe is "eating their young." one negative interaction, one uncomfortable situation does not mean that "nurses eat their young." i cannot believe that you really expected to get through an entire nursing program without leaving your comfort zone.
the fact that you and your fellow students were very uncomfortable with the environment you were in does not mean that nurses eat their young. there could be numerous reasons for your discomfort, starting with the possibility that you were unprepared and ending with the unfortunate possibility that the unit was just not one of the more nurturing places to do a clinical.
my answer to your question isn't simple. maybe these nurses wanted to help you to be all that you can be but were simply too overwhelmed by all of their other responsibilities to give you all the nurturing you believe you were entitled to. maybe your expectations were too high. maybe they were trying very hard to mentor you, but their teaching styles clashed with your learning style. maybe you came across as already knowing everything -- an attitude that i personally find extrememely difficult to deal with -- and they gave up rather than constantly bucking your attitude. conversely, maybe you came across as needing to be constantly spoonfed information with any effort on your part. (another attitude that i have difficulty with, but somewhat less difficulty than the "know-it-alls.") maybe every other student nurse who comes to that unit thinks those nurses are wonderful, and you and your friends are the exception.
i have to reiterate here: when "young" complain that they're constantly being "eaten", i have to wonder if they've taken the time to fully examine their own attitudes and what they've brought to the negative interactions they're complaining about.
this thread is getting longer and longer and will probably never arrive at a consensus. do nurses eat their young?
i'm amazed at what some people seem to believe is "eating their young." one negative interaction, one uncomfortable situation does not mean that "nurses eat their young." i cannot believe that you really expected to get through an entire nursing program without leaving your comfort zone.
the fact that you and your fellow students were very uncomfortable with the environment you were in does not mean that nurses eat their young. there could be numerous reasons for your discomfort, starting with the possibility that you were unprepared and ending with the unfortunate possibility that the unit was just not one of the more nurturing places to do a clinical.
my answer to your question isn't simple. maybe these nurses wanted to help you to be all that you can be but were simply too overwhelmed by all of their other responsibilities to give you all the nurturing you believe you were entitled to. maybe your expectations were too high. maybe they were trying very hard to mentor you, but their teaching styles clashed with your learning style. maybe you came across as already knowing everything -- an attitude that i personally find extrememely difficult to deal with -- and they gave up rather than constantly bucking your attitude. conversely, maybe you came across as needing to be constantly spoonfed information with any effort on your part. (another attitude that i have difficulty with, but somewhat less difficulty than the "know-it-alls.") maybe every other student nurse who comes to that unit thinks those nurses are wonderful, and you and your friends are the exception.
i have to reiterate here: when "young" complain that they're constantly being "eaten", i have to wonder if they've taken the time to fully examine their own attitudes and what they've brought to the negative interactions they're complaining about.
Specializes in telemetry, med-surg, home health, psych.
I have to agree with above post, "don't take everything so personally"
the nurses were probably so overwhelmed doing their own job that they just didn't have that extra time to "make you feel more comfortable".....that is reality....we are usually short-staffed, very busy and extremely luckly to get a meal break....we are thinking of what all we need to do, if we did it, and constantly being interrupted through all this....it is a very stressful situation at times.....
i didn't expect nurturing, but i did expect common courtesy.
this thread is getting longer and longer and will probably never arrive at a consensus. do nurses eat their young?
i'm amazed at what some people seem to believe is "eating their young." one negative interaction, one uncomfortable situation does not mean that "nurses eat their young." i cannot believe that you really expected to get through an entire nursing program without leaving your comfort zone.
the fact that you and your fellow students were very uncomfortable with the environment you were in does not mean that nurses eat their young. there could be numerous reasons for your discomfort, starting with the possibility that you were unprepared and ending with the unfortunate possibility that the unit was just not one of the more nurturing places to do a clinical.
my answer to your question isn't simple. maybe these nurses wanted to help you to be all that you can be but were simply too overwhelmed by all of their other responsibilities to give you all the nurturing you believe you were entitled to. maybe your expectations were too high. maybe they were trying very hard to mentor you, but their teaching styles clashed with your learning style. maybe you came across as already knowing everything -- an attitude that i personally find extrememely difficult to deal with -- and they gave up rather than constantly bucking your attitude. conversely, maybe you came across as needing to be constantly spoonfed information with any effort on your part. (another attitude that i have difficulty with, but somewhat less difficulty than the "know-it-alls.") maybe every other student nurse who comes to that unit thinks those nurses are wonderful, and you and your friends are the exception.
i have to reiterate here: when "young" complain that they're constantly being "eaten", i have to wonder if they've taken the time to fully examine their own attitudes and what they've brought to the negative interactions they're complaining about.
this thread is getting longer and longer and will probably never arrive at a consensus. do nurses eat their young?
i'm amazed at what some people seem to believe is "eating their young." one negative interaction, one uncomfortable situation does not mean that "nurses eat their young." i cannot believe that you really expected to get through an entire nursing program without leaving your comfort zone.
the fact that you and your fellow students were very uncomfortable with the environment you were in does not mean that nurses eat their young. there could be numerous reasons for your discomfort, starting with the possibility that you were unprepared and ending with the unfortunate possibility that the unit was just not one of the more nurturing places to do a clinical.
my answer to your question isn't simple. maybe these nurses wanted to help you to be all that you can be but were simply too overwhelmed by all of their other responsibilities to give you all the nurturing you believe you were entitled to. maybe your expectations were too high. maybe they were trying very hard to mentor you, but their teaching styles clashed with your learning style. maybe you came across as already knowing everything -- an attitude that i personally find extrememely difficult to deal with -- and they gave up rather than constantly bucking your attitude. conversely, maybe you came across as needing to be constantly spoonfed information with any effort on your part. (another attitude that i have difficulty with, but somewhat less difficulty than the "know-it-alls.") maybe every other student nurse who comes to that unit thinks those nurses are wonderful, and you and your friends are the exception.
i have to reiterate here: when "young" complain that they're constantly being "eaten", i have to wonder if they've taken the time to fully examine their own attitudes and what they've brought to the negative interactions they're complaining about.
i'm tending to agree. sometimes the expectations are too high from students, sometimes they're too sensitive and others they judge all of us by one bad nurse.
but sometimes, probably too often, there are mean spirited and rude nurses.
i worked with some students yesterday when i stayed over working overtime. we where short staffed and i was tired and overwhelmed. two students had one of my more heavy patients and i was so appreciative of the help, thanked, them went out of my way to tell their instructor how good they were and what good critical thinkers they were. but there was a point when i was in the room, they were asking me to do this and to get that and finally i said "i'm sorry, i'm busy and i'm not your personal gopher". i can only imagine them coming here to post "why do nurses eat their young, doesn't he remember he was a student once?" sigh..........and so it goes.
I have to say I must be very lucky, but after 3 semesters of clinicals I have only had great nurses, are they short sometimes when I ask where things are, yes. Where they extremely busy, you bet. But all in all they were good and helpful. Some were great others were ok, but I myself have been in the business world for years before going to nursing school, I know how it is to be overwhelmed with work and have to train someone. I don't mean to be mean or short tempered but I was, I know how much I don't know now. I mean these nurses are so smart so competent , so efficient I am in awe of them. I am actually kind of scared to go out there on my own.
What I have found is that when you are "eaten" you knw it for sure. There are no doubts because the behavior is that astoundingly inappropriate. For me at least these experiences (to this point) have been few and far between. There was a CNA who did it when I was a first quarter nursing student, a labor and delivery nurse when I was a 3rd quarter student, and a nurse who did it when I was a 4th quarter student. Now there have been others who were sarcastic or testy at times but they didn't "eat me". The ones who were truly disgusting in word and action are ones I can remember clearly, I remember their faces and their voices. Everyone has a bad day, can get irritable and be less than helpful at times. This is not "eating the young". Eating the young is someone who goes out of their way to purposefully degrade you or make you look bad, or try to get you booted from a program or fired from a job, or takes pleasure in planning an assignment for you in which they know you are doomed to fail in from the start.
This thread has me intrigued so I went out and asked a couple of women who are nurses what they think. One response I got really stood out to me. From a woman who is a regular at my work:
"It's not so much that nurses want to 'eat their young.' It's more like having your children around and you want them to succeed so much that you try to push them hard.":innerconf
I liked that answer. And I'm going to keep it in mind if I ever encounter a problem.
NurseWannabe1129
111 Posts
Wow! Surprisingly I have never heard this expression. It's a shame that "Nurses eat their young". Personally, I am only a student, but every nurse I have talked to has been very informative and helpful. I hope I find this same attitude when I finally graduate and get into the field.
The phrase should be that bartenders eat their young! I've been bartending for over three years now and every time we all see one of those young bartenders straight out of "bartending school," we roll our eyes. But this is also very different career-wise. Another good bartender takes our tips. Another good nurse, on the other hand, could lighten our workload.