Why are new nurses treated poorly?

Nurses New Nurse

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I am a new RN. I am also a 46 year old man. I graduated in May, passed NCLEX and started work in July. I started in a new nurse bridge program that was basic but nice and informative. I worked in several units before ending up on a cardiac/pulmonary stepdown unit. I have been there 90 days. I still feel as though there is a lot of knowledge I am lacking. About 2/3 of the other nurses on the unit are great. They offer support and are very willing to answer questions. The other third are condescending and just plain rude. Giving report is the worst. I work hard to prepare for the report. I try to anticipate questions. I give more information than I typically receive. It feels like an interrogation. They inevitably ask a question I don't know the answer to and then they sigh and say things like "Don't you think that's important to know?" For example, I told the oncoming nurse my patient had an aortic valve replacement. She asked if it was tissue or mechanical. I didn't know and she made me feel stupid. She could have used this as an opportunity to teach why that was important to know instead of being mean. Sometimes I wonder if this is personal, if they don't like men, or if it's just because I'm new. Whatever the reason, it's getting old. Any advice?

Thank you for posting these Brain Sheets, they are excellent. I am always grateful to experienced RN's who willingly share and help educate the students and new RN grads coming into the field. Your kindness and knowledge are so appreciated.

Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

You really have to learn to separate "teaching moments" from outright cattiness/meanness/rudeness/gossip. Her delivery could have been much better than it was, but it was still a teaching moment.

Instead of "Don't you think that's important to know?" she could have said, "That's important to know because..." She didn't though. Shrug off the delivery and learn from it.

When I was an orientee, a nursing school friend who was off orientation was handing off to me and my preceptor. My friend had made an minor error in nursing judgment, and my preceptor's delivery was much like the one you described. Of course, my friend talked about it to me later, and this was the exact advice I gave her. It's really the only way to continue to move forward.

Ok, everybody, I have chocolate and cigarettes.

Break time:)

:)(But it worked for those guys);)

Yeah, I don't drink myself, but I'll take the chocolate.

Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving, and to everyone as well. :)

Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.
You're missing the point. The new guy didn't realize the importance of knowing whether the valve was tissue or mechanical. From the tone of his original post, he still doesn't. That nurse whom he was so sure was just picking on him was trying to have a teaching moment. That's her job as an experienced nurse to help educate the new guys. Not eveeryone is a great teacher, but you can still learn from them. So many of you newer folks are missing a lot of teaching moments because you either don't like the teacher, think you already know it all, or don't like the delivery of the message. Get over yourselves. You do both yourselves and your future patients a disservice when you whine about lateral violence rather than learn what's trying to be taught.

We must agree to disagree then. I don't think I'm whining about lateral violence at all! If I remember a prior post of yours, the title was something to the effect of - why does everyone think they are a good nurse?- Maybe she is not a good nurse and is trying to teach the OP nothing.

I've seen a new grad cornered into a storage room by a veteren nurse for putting O2 on her patient when she answered her call bell for the patient. It was standing orders on the unit that if the O2 goes below a certain % to apply oxygen. Of course there could have been another reason blah blah, but she was doing right by the patient by not letting them struggle to breathe until the other nurse came into the room. Apparently that nurse tore her a new one and the newbie was hysterical. Was that a great teaching moment?

Some people are just nasty, nurses included, and I don't think anyone should have to tolerate it.

AtivanIM, I love your response.

While I do agree "to a point" that all moments can be teaching moments, unfortunately, some of the teaching moments are an example of how to NOT handle a situation. I don't think seniority gives anyone the right to be deliberately mean, cruel, and rude. Why in the world would you go into this profession if you did not have a inordinate amount of patience and understanding? If anyone should "get over themselves" it is the nurses who are "eating their young." No excuse for this period! Frankly, I think some people are just burnt out and lashing out because they know they can get away with it. There doesn't seem to be any repercussions for their behavior and bad attitudes.

I do agree that there are some nurses who definitely have it out for the new grads. I think it is totally wrong to abuse our next generation of nurses. I myself have been a nurse 20 years and I usually LOVE teaching and helping new nurses. However, I have found that often times the new grads come onto the floor with a "know it all" attitude. You might have a BSN(I'm a diploma grad) from a prestigious college, but NOTHING compares to what you will learn on the job. Also, the way some of these new nurses treat patients and families is appalling...like they are a nuisance. You can't teach respect in college. It's something Mom and Dad should have taught you while you were growing up. Just saying...it goes both ways!!

I agree Jenn1229. I love getting both newer RN grads (they won't assign the really new RN grads) and I especially love the nurses who have seen and experienced so much and want to teach. I try to enter these situations like a sponge. I do whatever I can to help/assist my nurse, to anticipate ways I might be of help. I try to compensate for the time she is taking working/teaching me. This is a second career for me so I take nothing for granted. All the RN's out there that are the great teachers, thank you. We sign your praises at Post conference and on our group Facebook page (private).

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