Eating Their Young

[janmae1950]

Another questions from a future nurse of America!

I have been browsing this board for a while and can't help noticing the high number of posts from new nurses getting bullied about by the veteran nurses.

Due to the shortage of nurses and other problems with the field, why on earth would an experienced nurse want to create an atmosphere that would cause new nurses to give up and leave?

Is it because of the stress? Do they believe that maybe they are in some way preparing the new one for the stress ahead? That is, do they really feel that getting tough is for the new nurse's good? Or are experienced nurses so enamored of themselves that they somehow rationalize that their purpose now is to belittle, bully and grab a power trip. I'm 51 now and starting my nursing education and have been around the working world to know what to take and what not to. I learned about documenting uncomfortable conditions long ago so I'm used to working with my mental fists up and prepared.

I would think that all nurses would work to help each other and attract new candidates so as to alleviate the stress and overwork conditions. Nothing's going to improve against THE MANAGEMENT when one alienates his/her peers.

I appreciate any and all responses.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Unfortunately it does happen. But remember people come to this board to vent their concerns. There are millions of nurses around the country and the problem isn't as rampant as it might appear due to people coming here for advise and to find support.

I've been fortunate that in my 15 years as a nurse I haven't worked in an environment where nurses eat their young. I know it happens but I can't tell you what the dynamics are. There are a few good ideas here. That's not to say I haven't come accross bad attitudes, but I don't generalize that to the profession. I think for the most part nurses are hard working, suppportive, mature and want to do their best in a stressful situation with limited resources both from the environment and within themselves.

Sometimes a new grad nurse or a student works with 30 nurses in the course of a week and one nurse treats him/her bad and then comes here and says "why do nurses eat their young??? Why are nurses so catty?" or "why don't nurses like students?", generalizing a whole profession based on one bad nurse. When enough people do that people on the board invariably make a post such as yours. (Do a search)

I did however work in for the newspaper many years ago, and I lasted only one month because the established folks were unsupportive and eat me up and spit me back to the streets. LOL

[1happygirl]

Before going into my new job as a new GN, how do I inoculate myself?

As an extreme overgeneralization, it appears the less knowledgeable always have an attitude.

Sorry, I'm new but how do you start a thread? (where to you go-I've been unable to find or do you have to be a premium member?)

Also, it would appear this is different/or handled differently by male nurses as opposed to female nurses.

While I agree allnurses is not representative of the nursing majority and is a good place to vent, it is a very scary thing to think about as a new grad.

I realize it may be all in how you handle it but why do people want to work at a non-supportive job for less money and longer hours? If we eliminated the non-supportive aspect, we could tackle the others.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Really Old Thread Alert~

But I do agree with you Cooolman, on the whole...

Rats, I wrote my answer without reading the whole thread. Duh.

[Hoosiernurse, ADN, RN]

Unfortunately it does happen. But remember people come to this board to vent their concerns. There are millions of nurses around the country and the problem isn't as rampant as it might appear due to people coming here for advise and to find support.

LOL

This is an excellent point. What is posted on here is only a small part of what is going on in most nurse's lives. I'm going into RN school this fall and I'm 36, and at first when I was reading on here I thought, "Oh boy, it's going to be really rough out there with other nurses!" but you have to keep it in perspective. It's like judging the entire world by what you see on your local news every night. It's out there, but it's not everything. I've had lots of other jobs where I was eaten alive for one reason or another, so it isn't just nursing, either. I think, for myself, it is important not to give too much emphasis and power to people who are negative like that. Not focusing on them takes their power away.

That being said, some of these bad situations I have read about are things I would not tolerate for long. Life IS too short for that foolishness, and there are plenty of good working situations out there.

Cara

[cooolman]

I knew this is a matter of grave concern and I was fully agreed to this. I have lots of sympathy with all the nurses who have had bad experience. It is SHAME SHAME SHAME on our nursing educators especially who are Ph.Ds how cum they have ignored this topic for nearly 5 decades. We are tought many bloody useless stuff during our nursing training why not we are tought to best we can have relationship and understanding with colleagues. I am sure there is no nurse who have not even had bad experience.

Few weeks ago I just returned from OT with my patient to the recovery nurse. As a final year student all of sudden I was asked to give hand over to ward nurse. I just started to my preceptor shoutd "NOOOOO JUST READ WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN OT IT". I was freeeeezed and lost where am I. I did not want to lose control and demonstrate like I am a stupid and dum as.. My mind was full of appreciation for my preceptor U ROTTON EGG, STU...,BLAH BLAH. Immediately my CNE was there and I asked her 'do you always give handover just reading what is on the paper, don't you explain what is unknown, I will come to the reading let me explain other concerns". I got same stereotype answer 'Oh just ignore it everybody know she is a bad nurse'. I wake up at 0300 am searched for 'student precepror relationship.....', got heaps of information about psyco. and programs for students. I come to the conclusion that we all nurses face same problem especially when we are learning or we are new.

I feel every nurse should go through preceptorship program and programs which can help nurses and create a wonderful working environment because we can't efford bad bugs, we nurse already work in critical, sensitive and stressful environment. These programs should start immediately after graduation so that we can have better understanding of our environment throughout nursing career.

[lindarn]

I knew this is a matter of grave concern and I was fully agreed to this. I have lots of sympathy with all the nurses who have had bad experience. It is SHAME SHAME SHAME on our nursing educators especially who are Ph.Ds how cum they have ignored this topic for nearly 5 decades. We are tought many bloody useless stuff during our nursing training why not we are tought to best we can have relationship and understanding with colleagues. I am sure there is no nurse who have not even had bad experience.

Few weeks ago I just returned from OT with my patient to the recovery nurse. As a final year student all of sudden I was asked to give hand over to ward nurse. I just started to my preceptor shoutd "NOOOOO JUST READ WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN OT IT". I was freeeeezed and lost where am I. I did not want to lose control and demonstrate like I am a stupid and dum as.. My mind was full of appreciation for my preceptor U ROTTON EGG, STU...,BLAH BLAH. Immediately my CNE was there and I asked her 'do you always give handover just reading what is on the paper, don't you explain what is unknown, I will come to the reading let me explain other concerns". I got same stereotype answer 'Oh just ignore it everybody know she is a bad nurse'. I wake up at 0300 am searched for 'student precepror relationship.....', got heaps of information about psyco. and programs for students. I come to the conclusion that we all nurses face same problem especially when we are learning or we are new.

I feel every nurse should go through preceptorship program and programs which can help nurses and create a wonderful working environment because we can't efford bad bugs, we nurse already work in critical, sensitive and stressful environment. These programs should start immediately after graduation so that we can have better understanding of our environment throughout nursing career.

AMEN!!!

The attitude that nurses need to hit the ground running the day after grduation is antiquated and shoud have gone out with high button shoes.

There is no basis for this attitude, and leads to rampant job dissatisfaction among new grads. In case anyone has bothered to sit up and take notice, new grads are headng for the hills within 2- 3 years, sometimes less. Nad the never come back to bed side nursing. Why should they? They can make more money, have a better quality of life, with the careers that are outside of the hospital.

I have stated repeatedly in my threads, along with making a BSN the entry into practice, with ADNs and Diplomas gramdfathered in, is making an internship mandatory for all new grads. Mirror the internship of the PTs, OTs, etc. There would be alot less burn out with these programs.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

also, it would appear this is different/or handled differently by male nurses as opposed to female nurses.

.

after nearly 30 years, i've noticed a lot of male nurses claiming that the females are catty, or that males handle things differently. i haven't noticed that to actually be the case. male nurses are just as catty as the female nurses . . . sometimes more so. i've seen some wonderfully supportive male preceptors, and some horribly unsupportive ones. in general, i think "being eaten" exists more in the perception of the new nurse than in reality.

[speti4]

I found this to be true to some extent. It was mostly the more experienced/older nurses. I am a confident person and am not easily intimidated. If they were rude or bossy I would politely repeat to them what they had said and ask them to explain.

If I never trusted them or found them to be dishonest about anything, I would always repeat back to them any delgated duty and ask if I understood correctly.

I never allowed myself to get into a tiff with any of them. Though I could have chewed some of their faces off.

I found that once I proved myself to be an asset to them, they stopped. And oddly, I have formed good relationships with them. I now enjoy the old biddies.

[FLoridarnl]

I've seen this happen, and have had it happen to me. Instead of teaching new nurses, some (not all) older nurses like to nit pick. They would just assume crucify you for mistakes, rather than teaching you and helping you grow as a nurse. Sometimes new nurses are left in the dust. However, I've seen it happen from older nurse to older nurse. We had a nurse quit because of a charge nurse who was the same age. So, it's everywhere. It sucks that we treat our patients so well and not each other. What happened to caring? Care in general, not just at work! It will make this world a better place.