Generation gap and attitudes towards work - hurting patients?

chichigg · May 16, 2005

I am a 52 year old nursing student. My classmates are the 20 to 30 year olds. It appears to me that this group lacks any kind of work ethic.

They will hide out so they do not have to work. They learn something and that's it. They don't want to do it again. Some smoke pot before clinicals and the attitude is f-this and f-that.

One girl was bypassing blood pressures before insulin. She made them up. And the staff is lax.

I am so proud to be a nursing student. I find it hard to get through to the youth that they are so lucky to be here with their parents help.

I sure with they knew how a iron works. Where is the pride????? Iron those uniforms.

thank you

I keep reading articles about the newer generation of workers, and how they just have a different attitude towards work. Well, I'm getting frustrated and disappointed by some of what I see in my workplace.
I know it's not all young people, and I'm pretty young myself.
But I'm seeing a decline in patient care and lack of interest in nursing excellence by the newer staff where I work.
Socializing with each other seems to be taking precedence over patient care. Goofing off and playing practical jokes is seen as okay. Those who disagree or try to point out when behaviour at work crosses the line of appropriate get rolled eyes, and they act like we are nagging or picking on them.
This past weekend, patients didn't get turned properly, and when we came on for nights, we found a patient who had been admitted seven hours previously still in the dirty sheets from the ED stretcher, with alcohol swabs and an empty muko lubricant packet stuck to his skin. The day shift staff had been playing jokes on each other, squirting with syringes. One of the nurses put muko lubricant on the phone receiver in the Stepdown unit for a joke, and one of the patients family members got a phone call, and was slimed. This was a family member of someone who was a seriously injured trauma patient. I was embarrassed, to be honest. Our patients deserve better.
I told the manager, and she'll talk to the nurses who were on duty at the time. But these are just examples of the behaviour I'm seeing every day at work. A trend to care more about break time and hanging out with co-workers than knuckling down and doing the work. Does anyone else see this happening?
I feel some of our staff really don't understand the concept of professionalism, and that you have to act differently at work than you do when you are out with your friends. Maybe part of it is that their friends essentially ARE their co-workers, so work is just another place they see their friends. But still, how do you explain to people where the line is or even teach that concept if it is new to them without sounding like an old hag?

elainemarie · May 16, 2005

Everyone like to have humor and good work relations with their coworkers, but I also have noticed some of the younger nures take it too far at times. Your first priority as a nurse is to be the patient's advocate. Anyone who does not keep this iin mind is not professional enough for the role of nurse in any workplace setting.

EDValerieRN, ASN, RN · May 16, 2005

I'm 22... none of my classmates acted this way, or they would have been asked to go home from clinical immediately, and would have failed that class (thus dropping them from the program). If they are smoking pot before the shift and doing these types of things.... I would absolutely not continue my education there.

Please don't group all of us younger nurses into the same group with the few that don't treat their patients well. There are stereotypes about older nurses as well... it isn't fair either way.

Where is management? Nursing shortage or not, this is never acceptable. They have a boss, and that boss should take action immediately before someone gets killed. I hope you are reporting each of these episodes. Don't worry about being popular, worry about what is best for your patients (it sounds like you already are) =)

pebbles, BSN, RN · May 16, 2005

I agree that steroetypes aren't fair. I just feel very frustrated. I USED to feel that I could make a positive difference in teaching newer nurses how to be better at the job. Not any more. All of the more experienced nurses on the floor are feeling the same way. The coaching and teaching our unit was once praised for is falling on deaf ears.

I think you may be right in pointing to the management as the person responsible to clean up the attitude problems. But we have gone through five managers in the last six years, and this one is the best of the last four. I guess she will learn sooner or later how to tell people to "shape up or ship out". But not soon enough for me.

BTW, I'm 28. Not that much older than the people who spent the day playing squirt guns with the syringes last weekend.... I *KNOW* that not all young people are like that.

My problem is, how to get the ones that ARE like that to grow up and act more mature when they are at work? Sigh....

elainemarie · May 16, 2005

Everyone like to have humor and good work relations with their coworkers, but I also have noticed some of the younger nures take it too far at times. Your first priority as a nurse is to be the patient's advocate. Anyone who does not keep this iin mind is not professional enough for the role of nurse in any workplace setting.

I would like to amend my statement to include staff of all ages,I do not mean to imply this cavalier or unprofessional behavior lies with only a particular age group. I have been in all areas of nursing in my over 30yrs as an RN, and have seen some poor or incompetent nursing practices in all age groups and in all settings.I feel the tone for the nursing staff is generally set by the employer who may or may not know and/care what is going on in the workplace.

soontobe_RN · May 16, 2005

I am a 52 year old nursing student. My classmates are the 20 to 30 year olds. It appears to me that this group lacks any kind of work ethic.
They will hide out so they do not have to work. They learn something and that's it. They don't want to do it again. Some smoke pot before clinicals and the attitude is f-this and f-that.
One girl was bypassing blood pressures before insulin. She made them up. And the staff is lax.
I am so proud to be a nursing student. I find it hard to get through to the youth that they are so lucky to be here with their parents help.
I sure with they knew how a iron works. Where is the pride????? Iron those uniforms.
thank you

Now this may have been an oversight on your behalf, but like Pebbles said in the thread, not all of the young people are like this. I am 25 y/o and most of the time, the most dedicated student in my classes, as well as, in the work field. Truthfully, their are even older students who do not take their classes, or anything else for that matter, seriously.

I do agree that a majority of the younger students are very immature and need a good kick in the butt. I have always stayed away from people like that, and did what I was there to do. Even in class, my seat is always on the end either all the way in the front or all the way in the back. This way I don't have to deal with the constant chattering, gossip, ect. I am just requesting that the next time you post, please mention that not all of us young students/nurses are like that. There are a few, like myself, that love nursing and are their for the patients, not our "play time". :smiley_ab

Pebbles,what really blows my mind is that the manager/supervisor is allowing this to go on. The continued actions of these nurses is a reflection of the upper management. Having a good time at work is one thing, but when the good time is negatively affecting the patients, something is deffently wrong. I work in an adult substance abuse inpatient facility. As far as, our policies from the state, if we were to not care for our clts opprpriatly, it would be cosidereda PM46. Which is abuse/ neglect on a patient or clt. That alone can not only have someone fired, but never to be allowed to work in the patient care setting again. I think it boils down to people who get into nursing that is only in it for the money. I wish you luck with this situation. Especially, since you are not getting any help from your manager. :banghead:

Jennifer

Brotherbob, BSN, RN · May 16, 2005

Goofing off and playing practical jokes is seen as okay.

I am a responsible and competent nurse but I must confess that I am guilty, I do joke once in a while, believe me I even squirted a syringe... Anyhow, I definitely see your point, the patients shold not suffer. Don´t forget that humor is a great stress-relief.

fergus51 · May 16, 2005

I like working with people who have a good sense of humour and a practical joke among staff is fine with me (not jokes involving patients). Maybe that's why I like working with the younger night shift crew. If the patients are suffering, then the manager needs to get involved. Either way there isn't much one staff nurse can do to change it.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · May 16, 2005

Please don't group all of us younger nurses into the same group with the few that don't treat their patients well. There are stereotypes about older nurses as well... it isn't fair either way.

THANK YOU.

Tweety, BSN, RN · May 16, 2005

This doesn't sound like a generational problem, but a management problem.

Where are the charge nurses and the manager while these people are goofing off.

They are goofing off not because they are of another generation, but because they are able to get away with it by management.

allnurses Guide · May 16, 2005

This doesn't sound like a generational problem, but a management problem.
Where are the charge nurses and the manager while these people are goofing oof.
They are goofing off not because they are of another generation, but because they are able to get away with it by management.

This is exactly true.

steph