Eating Their Young

[futurelnd]

Hey everyone!

I'm curious- which nursing specialty do you think has more nurses that eat their young and is more likely to have a toxic work environment? And why?

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

If I owned All Nurses, I would make using the phrase "eating their young, NETY, eating their students," etc, against TOS because it's become such a trite, overused phrase used to describe anything from actually bullying to not inviting people to lunch, to valid negative feedback and constructive criticism, to not being perky, to not backing down to the actual bully (the new nurse or student), to anything the "victim" just doesn't like. It pretty much means everything and therefore, nothing.

On another forum I visit, we are now forbidden from using the word "troll." They even have a filter to keep you from saying it, like they do for profanity. It's too bad we can't do that here with this constant whining about being "eaten." People should be forced to quit using that term as a crutch or excuse for their own overly sensitive feelings or entitlements. Real bullying happens, but it's far less common than people would have you believe. Same goes for NETY.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Anecdotally, the specialties that attract nurses with strong type-A personalities (e.g., critical care, emergency nursing) seem to generate the most complaints from new grads regarding the 'eating the young' phenomenon.

Nonetheless, it is important to realize that not every single instance of brusqueness constitutes 'eating the young.'

There are always three sides to the story: the seasoned nurse's side, the new grad nurse's side, and the truth (which is usually situated somewhere in the middle).

[AliNajaCat]

Anecdotally, the specialties that attract nurses with strong type-A personalities (e.g., critical care, emergency nursing) seem to generate the most complaints from new grads regarding the 'eating the young' phenomenon.

Nonetheless, it is important to realize that not every single instance of brusqueness constitutes 'eating the young.'

There are always three sides to the story: the seasoned nurse's side, the new grad nurse's side, and the truth (which is usually situated somewhere in the middle).

Agree. When in an environment where accuracy and precision are more critical (that's why they call them "critical care areas"), anybody with insecurities based in inadequacy (read: almost anybody new to the specialty) is going to be the recipient of feedback on how to do it better and guided discovery reviewing how a particular decision was made/not made. This is an expected and wholly necessary part of learning a specialty.

Someone who is thin-skinned, supersensitive, or unjustifiably overconfident in such a situation is bound to get hurt feelings from such feedback. This does not constitute being unjustly criticized or bullied. It's a fact of life that there may be less margin for error with this vulnerable population (the patients, not the newbies), and anyone who is in a position of authority, including preceptors, would be liable at least in part for errors by someone being supervised.

Therefore yes, that piece of equipment you were misusing unsafely may be unceremoniously removed from your grasp if it poses an immediate danger. Your feelings do not trump patient safety. If you don't replace the oxygen first and only then turn to straightening up the lines and the bedclothes, you're going to hear about it. Try to swallow your indignation and ask, nicely, for the rationale so you don't make the same mistake again. Then do likewise when you're in the position of orienting somebody with few clues.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

When I saw the title, my first thought was, "another one of these?"

I believe we younger nurses are also crunchy and good with ketchup...

Me too.

(I prefer salsa, not ketchup!)

[Semper_Gumby]

Me too.

(I prefer salsa, not ketchup!)

Haha I'd go for salsa too. House style, or maybe a peach-mango salsa. Mmmm! (It was actually a reference to a meme that went around the internet a few years back, something about not messing with dragons, "for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.")

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

Just keep trollin', trollin', trollin', trollin'.

[pmhnp35]

IMO CVICU - but depends if you have a lot of 'older' nurses or ambitious nurses thirsty to get into administration --- if you play the dumb baby nurse "beta" thing for a few years (seems counter intuitive because you feel like you need to prove your knowledge and skills) you should be fine and keep a target off your back

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

Me too.

(I prefer salsa, not ketchup!)

I'm more of an aioli fan

[jaycam, RN]

I believe we younger nurses are also crunchy and good with ketchup...

I was thinking we were tender and sweet.

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

Sriracha!

[datalore]

Stop it you guys. Come on. You're making me HUNGRY. ;-)

[LetLoveNReasonUnite]

Maybe it's time sometime noticed a trend with this nurses eat their young crap. If so many people feel this way it cannot be an invalid feeling. I am going to be posting a video on here (as long as administration allows it) talking about this very topic. The hypocrisy of being a 'caring profession' that does this to it's young is despicable and shows a complete lack of empathy.