Seasoned nurses eat their young?!

debralynn · Aug 4, 2003

You will always find some personnel who have no kindness in them, but you will also find some that does. Trust me, they are all going to miss you guys when school is out!

cdaRN2004 · Aug 4, 2003

Thanks!! I'm glad to hear that.

fab4fan · Aug 4, 2003

1. It is rarely all that one-sided; I find it hard to believe that not one nurse on that floor is helpful to the students.

2. You are seeing this from the perspective of a student...think about it as a staff nurse for a minute. You have an unmanageable pt. load and now are being asked to be a resource for a student. While you appreciate that students have questions and need to learn, you know that having the student will slow you down, which will mean things get done late, you will get out late, possibly be reprimanded for not getting done on time, etc.

3. Some students show up for clinical poorly prepared and with equally poor attitudes.

4. Staff nurses get no compensation for being resources for students.

5. I can tell you that I enjoy working with students/new grads, but in the last few years I have noticed that there is an increasing lack of appreciation for what you do for them; it's like they just expect you to download all your knowledge to them.

Try to have a little understanding for the staff nurses; things are pretty rough out there, and while you have exp. as a student, you do not have exp. as a staff nurse, so don't be so quick to judge.

PJMommy · Aug 4, 2003

Ah girl, I feel your pain. It seems that for every good, helpful nurse we run into in clinicals, there is one who seems to hate us simply because we exist. I try to avoid the hateful ones and stick with the good ones.

One clinical shift, I did get stuck with the worst, and I mean worst, nurse any of us had encountered at any location. She was hateful to us from the moment we walked onto the floor. So, when I was teamed up with her...I was especially sure I knew what I was doing. I became an expert on every med I'd give, I assessed every possible thing I could assess with my pt, etc. etc. When she'd drill me, I had the answers and delivered them as sweetly as possible. Therein lies the key...kill them with kindness. Or as my grandmother used to say, "You get more flies with honey than vinegar". When this nurse would tell us to "just get away from me", I'd say, "certainly, where would you prefer I stand". I told her "thank you" and "i appreciate that" (very sincerely) every time I could and just loved watching her bluster and stutter. It was like she didn't know how to respond if I was nice.

So, I guess I'd suggest you do the same thing we had to do...bite your tongue, smile a lot, offer unconditional help, never stand around (ask if you can help them with anything) and be very gracious. It hurts and sometimes you want to tell them where to go. After my first day on this unit, I cried all the way home. By the end of my rotation, I almost felt sorry for this lady because it must be really hard going through life feeling so bitter.

Hang in there and go be one of the "good" ones. :)

PJ

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B.S.N. in December 2003!!!

ainz · Aug 4, 2003

Not sure how old these nurses, or nurse, are/is, but for some unknown reason to me, nursing school used to be very disciplined. Nursing instructors gave the students h_ll!! Guess some nurses see this as their opportunity to "pass it on."

I loved having students follow me. I would tell them, guys--I will be busy, moving fast, not going to allow you to slow me down, so, keep up and come prepared. Then I went about my work and "talked while I walked." Those were some great experiences for me and I learned stuff from the students as well, some had really great and innovative ideas that helped me be more efficient.

No one is born with the knowledge it takes to be a good RN, you have to learn it. I have never forgotten that.

Just hang in there and learn that this is NOT the way to treat students when you are the RN they are following.

ainz · Aug 4, 2003

One other thing--I have never, ever, found an excuse for rudeness--there is none.

There are few absolutes in this world but there is one in nursing, there is never a valid reason for a nurse to be rude to a patient or coworker or student learning from them.

It does not matter how stressed, frustrated, tired, etc., etc., no excuse for a nurse, an "angel of mercy," to be rude!!!

cdaRN2004 · Aug 4, 2003

Thanks for the positive responses. I'm not sure how the instructors work with the students that ya'll are working with, but our instructor supervises every procedure that we do so we really don't take any time from the staff nurses unless their patient has something special going on that we just need some special instructions on. We are on Peds right now and their census is low so they usually aren't even have 3 patients each and we've been taking two each. I don't mean to toot our horns, but we have to be prepared at pre-conference or we get sent home and there is no such thing as standing around or we get assigned papers to write.

sjoe · Aug 4, 2003

cda writes: "Does anyone have any suggestions to break the ice?"

First, drop the hostile attitude. Just as all nursing students are not incompetent idiots, neither are all staff RNs "beasts," (in your words).

Second, drop the "entitlement" attitude and be aware that NOBODY OWES YOU ANYTHING.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Aug 4, 2003

Mutual respect should come naturally. Unfortunately to some it is a lot to ask for.

LeesieBug · Aug 4, 2003

"Second, drop the "entitlement" attitude and be aware that NOBODY OWES YOU ANYTHING"

Gee, there's a great "attitude" right there.

I think we ALL owe it to each other to treat each ather at least with civility. I personally get tired of running into people everywhere who feel it is OK to say WHATEVER they want to another person. Through the years I have seen common courtesy becoming less and less common! It is not neccessary, when speaking one's mind, to be completely inconsiderate of others.

SmilingBluEyes · Aug 4, 2003

Originally posted by sjoe
cda writes: "Does anyone have any suggestions to break the ice?"

First, drop the hostile attitude. Just as all nursing students are not incompetent idiots, neither are all staff RNs "beasts," (in your words).

Second, drop the "entitlement" attitude and be aware that NOBODY OWES YOU ANYTHING.

I agree; as RN's we owe students NOTHING but to treat them as we would want to be treated in a similar situation. I do that. But to be brutally honest, I have seen a real increase in a sense of "entitlement" here on the boards and in the hospital on the parts of students in the way of demanding answers for their clinical assignments/homework and wanting us to drop what we are doing to "help" them. Not always possible.

But I agree with the poster who said there is NO excuse for out and out rudeness. That is true, for both nurses and students. Soon enough, (December) you will be on "the other side" ---- Try to remember how it's like and be kind to students that cross your path. THAT is how you pay it forward. Good luck in your career.