Do nurses eat their young?

Anna S, RN · Feb 5, 2015

OMG, every time I see this topic posted, I want to puke. I have seen this topic posted on the internet at least a thousand times, and I am not exaggerating.

In my experience, other nurses were nice to me and helpful when I was a new nurse.

No one was ever nasty to me until I became very, very good at what I do, after years of experience, and others were threatened by that.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 5, 2015

Hi there I am currently done my academic foundations in nursing and I am awaiting year two placement ( my program is a 1+3) structure. I am just trying to get a feel for what nursing will be like once I'm a new nurse, and I have heard experienced nurses are hard on the younger less experienced nurses. To the point that it makes these news nurses want to quit and disrupts morale. Have any of you experienced this? I hope I'm wrong! Older nurses should be mentors for the young nurses to increase productivity and patient care. New nurses must learn from experience and I imagine that would be difficult when the new nurses are afraid of what might happen.

No, nurses don't eat their young. But I am pretty certain that if you enter the workplace looking for nurses to "eat" you or for bullying, you will find it. Even if it's NOT there. Better instead to polish your interpersonal skills so you can develop positive relationships with your colleagues.

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Feb 5, 2015

I REALLY have to figure out a way that $5 appears in my bank account every time someone uses NETY here and $20 every times someone starts yet ANOTHER thread on it!

Anna S, RN · Feb 5, 2015

I REALLY have to figure out a way that $5 appears in my bank account every time someone uses NETY here and $20 every times someone starts yet ANOTHER thread on it!

When you figure it out, clue us in, mmmmkay?

thenightnurse456 · Feb 5, 2015

I've seen this go both ways.

I've watched a new nurse be eaten alive by seasoned nurse and on the other hand I've seen young new nurses be mean to seasoned nurses.

This profession is full of toxic people who want to bring their peers down.

scottaprn · Feb 5, 2015

Sources?

I have repeatedly posted sources on previous threads but if we must go through it again.

Lets start with Berry et al 2009 The Effects of workplace bullying on the productivity of the Novice nurse.

Using a weighted Negative Acts Questionnaire score, 21.3% (n= 43) of NNs were bullied daily over a 6-month period. When asked if bullied over the past 6 months, approximately 44.7% (n= 88) of NNs reported repeated, targeted WPB, with 55.3% (n= 109) reporting no WPB.

Johnson, Rae 2009 Workplace bullying: concern for nurse leaders

27.3% had experienced workplace bullying in the last 6 months.

Workplace Bullying: Concerns for Nurse Leaders : Journal of Nursing Administration

Covner, Buden, Brewer Early nurses experience of verbal abuse from other nurses

50% of nurses said they experienced verbal abuse by other nurses in the past 3 months

https://platform.atavist.com/view/excelsiorcollege/n21_3#/

Verbal Abuse from nurse colleagues and work environment of early career registered nurses

5% of new nurses were verbally abused more than 5 times in the past 3 months.

Bullying: When Words Get in the Way - Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

For the General population the rate of workplace bullying in the past year is 7% and 27% for a lifetime.

Workplace Bullying: U.S. National Prevalence | Workplace Bullying Institute

Again the peer-reviewed literature is overwhelming that workplace bullying occurs at a higher rate in nursing than in the general population.

And if you think it doesn't matter I encourage you too look at the Berry Paper (or if you prefer here is a power point presentation she did)

http://nursing.uc.edu/content/dam/nursing/docs/SpecialEvents/WPV/PeggyBerry_presentation.pdf

anon456, BSN, RN · Feb 5, 2015

OMG, every time I see this topic posted, I want to puke. I have seen this topic posted on the internet at least a thousand times, and I am not exaggerating.
In my experience, other nurses were nice to me and helpful when I was a new nurse.
No one was ever nasty to me until I became very, very good at what I do, after years of experience, and others were threatened by that.

I am so happy for you that you had a good experience. I did not. It was lateral violence at it's finest and it almost made me quit nursing before I even got started. I'm glad I didn't because now I'm in a supervisory position at the same hospital. It should not make you puke to hear people talk about a very real issue.

scottaprn · Feb 5, 2015

I am so happy for you that you had a good experience. I did not. It was lateral violence at it's finest and it almost made me quit nursing before I even got started. I'm glad I didn't because now I'm in a supervisory position at the same hospital. It should not make you puke to hear people talk about a very real issue.

Where is the love button when you need one?

Pumpkinn · Feb 5, 2015

I'm a newbie on this website, I apologize if this is a redundant subject for you guys. I am just curious to hear directly from RNs the reality. It won't deter me from pursuing my dreams, I just want to obtain any advice/ knowledge I can, so I can be mentally prepared. I haven't had any bad experiences yet, and I don't intend on searching for bad experiences either. This is simply a subject I've heard a lot about, and figured who better to ask than nurses themselves!

MrChicagoRN, RN · Feb 5, 2015

Yes, nursing may be the only profession or trade that "eats their young"

But in non female dominated areas we have:

...earning your stripes

...paying your dues

...sink or swim

...trial by fire

...proving your mettle

Others?

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Feb 5, 2015

Oh, the price to be paid everytime ANOTHER one of these threads is started :banghead:

I have repeatedly posted sources on previous threads but if we must go through it again.
Lets start with Berry et al 2009 The Effects of workplace bullying on the productivity of the Novice nurse.
Using a weighted Negative Acts Questionnaire score, 21.3% (n= 43) of NNs were bullied daily over a 6-month period. When asked if bullied over the past 6 months, approximately 44.7% (n= 88) of NNs reported repeated, targeted WPB, with 55.3% (n= 109) reporting no WPB.
Johnson, Rae 2009 Workplace bullying: concern for nurse leaders
27.3% had experienced workplace bullying in the last 6 months.
Workplace Bullying: Concerns for Nurse Leaders : Journal of Nursing Administration
Covner, Buden, Brewer Early nurses experience of verbal abuse from other nurses
50% of nurses said they experienced verbal abuse by other nurses in the past 3 months
https://platform.atavist.com/view/excelsiorcollege/n21_3#/
Verbal Abuse from nurse colleagues and work environment of early career registered nurses
5% of new nurses were verbally abused more than 5 times in the past 3 months.
Bullying: When Words Get in the Way - Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
For the General population the rate of workplace bullying in the past year is 7% and 27% for a lifetime.
Workplace Bullying: U.S. National Prevalence | Workplace Bullying Institute
Again the peer-reviewed literature is overwhelming that workplace bullying occurs at a higher rate in nursing than in the general population.
And if you think it doesn't matter I encourage you too look at the Berry Paper (or if you prefer here is a power point presentation she did)
http://nursing.uc.edu/content/dam/nursing/docs/SpecialEvents/WPV/PeggyBerry_presentation.pdf

No Stars In My Eyes · Feb 5, 2015

And doncha think that there are other businesses that have that aspect of undercutting and back-biting between co-workers in a dog-eat-dog manner? (I am better than them because....) Methinks it is one of those unpleasant qualities of human beings. Some embody it more than others. Newbies are easy pickin's for the chronically dissatisfied. Try that kind of behavior with some seasoned nurses might get you some equally wicked face time, and then the picker is on the defense. . . .maybe exactly what they DON'T want.

Most (I think) people don't want to be the cause of exasperation for others. But show that underbelly, there's almost always at least one person who sees it as an opportunity to vent, like terriers shaking their prey.