Generation gap and attitudes towards work - hurting patients?

[pebbles]

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?

[Sadie04]

I agree with Steph and Tweety, management needs to draw the line on this one.

[Judee Smudee, ADN, RN]

This is a generalization. I worked with several young people. I never saw any of these behaviors. I think it is more a problem with your place of employment than younger workers in general.

[mtymom]

I am 33 years old. I was 26 when I was in nursing school. Some of the students there were older than me and they acted the same way. I enjoy a good sense of humor and I think it is okay to play practical jokes as long as a patient is not involved in any way. It is abuse for that patient to be left that way. If management doen't do anything about it then it should be reported to the BON. Leaving a patient in dirty sheets and with things in their beds can cause bed sores. Then that patient is in more trouble. I can almost guarantee that if that were them or one of their family members they would not tolerate that behavior. It sounds to me like they lack common sense. :angryfire

[nurseinmo]

I'm just trying to imagine what I would feel like if I were the family of a serously injured trauma pt and tried to use the phone and it was covered in lube?! You would think the embarrassment of that incident would be enough. If it were me I would start making a list of things that are being done (and more importatly, what isn't) and that way you have a record of what is occuring and hopefully then the mgt will do something about it. I don't know that I would include names though, it might seem as if you are trying to "get someone in trouble" when what you really want is, Heaven forbid, people to grow up and do their job!

P.S. I am only 24 myself, but know exactly how this feels, being looked on as the b**** because I won't take part in it and report things that don't get done or what could be considered neglect. Good luck, hopefully things will get better soon.

[roxannekkb]

On problem with "new" nurses is that many may be entering nursing because they've seen the glitzy ads that make nursing seem almost glamorous. They're told that it's stable, they can always get a job, they have flexibility, they can "go places," and so on. What is omitted is the real nature of the job, or at least the fact that before they can move to being a nurse practitioner, CRNA, or nurse exec, they need to have some patient care under their belt. I truly think that many really entered the profession without any real thoughts on why they want to do nursing, what the work is really like, and what their responsibilities. Many schools also allow you to glide through, stuffing your head with inane theory and little practicality.

Just one take on it. I may be wrong, but I think that this massive recruitment effort is merely bringing warm bodies in who may not really want to be doing nursing.

[pebbles, BSN, RN]

On problem with "new" nurses is that many may be entering nursing because they've seen the glitzy ads that make nursing seem almost glamorous. They're told that it's stable, they can always get a job, they have flexibility, they can "go places," and so on. What is omitted is the real nature of the job, or at least the fact that before they can move to being a nurse practitioner, CRNA, or nurse exec, they need to have some patient care under their belt. I truly think that many really entered the profession without any real thoughts on why they want to do nursing, what the work is really like, and what their responsibilities. Many schools also allow you to glide through, stuffing your head with inane theory and little practicality.

Just one take on it. I may be wrong, but I think that this massive recruitment effort is merely bringing warm bodies in who may not really want to be doing nursing.

An idea I hadn't thought of before, and one that should be added into the mix of what could be going wrong... thanks. :)

[pebbles, BSN, RN]

I agree with Steph and Tweety, management needs to draw the line on this one.

Yup, I'm slowly coming to that conclusion myself.

Our unit had bad managers and was "covered" by managers from other units for so long, we tend to be a little blurry on where things become the managers responsibility to deal with. That, and we all feel responsible for our own practice, so I think resentment builds when other people don't meet our expectations for their practice.... if that makes sense.

ALL of the most senior nurses have talked to the manager about the incidents that happen and about the trends we see. I'm dissapointed, but coming to the conclusion that the manager is falling short in not dealing with it. I wanted to think she was a great manager. But the manager does indeed set the tone on a nursing unit, and our leader isn't stepping up to the plate. She's good at lots of other things. But leading new nurses and guiding them in forming their practice is not her strength.

It's just hard for me to admit that a manger I like in so many ways is contributing to or causing this downturn in work ethic....

Thanks everyone for your insight, and for listening. :)

[elainemarie]

. I want to again clarify that I feel age has little to do with ones ability to understand the responsiblities to the profession, the co-workers, and most importantly to the patient. As for management,I'm surmizing that this is also a case by case situation.

[mattsmom81]

I know what you're feeling...I can recall doing agency shifts with nurses whose priority in ICU was bouncing balls to each other, giggling, acting silly, flirting,gabbing on cell phones, and propping their feet up on the balloon pump and watching TV. Patient care was way down the list somewhere in priorities.

My last manager shared with me in her experience the work ethic has changed tremendously the past 20 years.

It is hard to change this type environment if you are in the minority. You become the bad guy. I know its hard to watch when patient care is compromised. Just wanted to let you know I understand how you feel.

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

Just one take on it. I may be wrong, but I think that this massive recruitment effort is merely bringing warm bodies in who may not really want to be doing nursing.

I couldn't agree with you more!! I have seen so many students in my class who dont ''really want to do this job anyway''...It kills me! They come to clinical in dirty scrubs, long hair all out, messy papers. Why are they allowed to stay in class?? Because of the nursing shortage. It sucks.

When it comes to complaining about the co-workers thing, instead of discussing the practical jokes and squirting syringes, write up an incident report everytime you see something detrimental to patient care. If in a month your boss sees that patients have been left in poop 10 times, it is pretty hard to ignore. Bosses can only ignore behavior issues, but not safety issues...

[Mandylpn]

The problem is with the instructors who allow the students to continue their unprofessional attitude (and I don't care what age they are), improper dress, etc. At the school I went to, we were told NO artificial nails. Well, there was one student who wore them all the way through and nothing was ever said. Also you were only allowed two tardies total and there were two students who came late EVERY dang day of our clinicals, and never got busted for it. There are always those who will bend the rules to see how far they will get. Ya gotta nip it in the bud. :bowingpur

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

The problem is with the instructors who allow the students to continue their unprofessional attitude (and I don't care what age they are), improper dress, etc.

Some of the instructors helped to encourage the unprofessional attitudes.

(Thinking of one in particular now).