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?

[GrnHonu99, RN]

Not that this hasnt been said forty times over by now but i'll say it one more time:)

Not all "young nurses" are that way. I am 24 and I am not that way. No one in my current program is that way. If we were caught "goofing off" or playing practical jokes we would be kicked out no questions asked....Maybe you could have attributed those bad traits to the individuals that you worked with. Unfortunate, yes, in fact, im sure we all can think of individuals like them and they can range in age from brand new nurses to older nurses.

Instead of critisizing, guide...maybe these new nurses do not realize how unprofessional they are being and how their actions are effecting the patients around them.

I do see your point in a way. I too, have known students like that...before I transferred programs there were quite a few in my classes...cheating off tests (and that was sooo funny to them) the entire class, which does no one any good, making up vitals...well those who do that...they prob wont be in nursing for long anyway. Yes, the mentality of shape up or ship out may sound good in theory, but maybe we can reform these students, help them learn what it means to be a good, caring, respectful nurse, that can have a little fun here or there. The students that I knew doing these things, well they ranged in age from 18-55.

I hope that if my actions were ever considered to be not up to par or to be unprofessional, that someone would tell me. I want to be the best nurse that I can and I am certainly not afraid of hard work...I mean that's what you are there for, to work.

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

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

OUCH! Speaking as a 32-year-old, I hope you realize we're not all that way...but the sad thing is, I SEE IT TOO. My oldest brother is your age and my mother is 71. I think more like a baby boomer than this "X" I'm supposed to belong to (most of them drive me nuts).

I'm not a nurse yet, but I see what you're talking about when I'm having to deal with these people on a professional level.

Iron uniforms? You mean they actually OWN pants that cover their a**es in the first place? SOMEONE CALL RIPLEY'S!!!

Their baby boomer parents were NOT raised this way (at least, my siblings weren't). What happened?

How do you not BELT them one, figuratively speaking, of course....?

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

Thanks for that. 28 years old here and very dedicated to my job, but that's just it isn't it......just a job....nursing is not a life mission it's a job. I love to have fun at work with my co-wokers during breaks and away from patients, most people in their carreers do so and nursing should be no different. Don't take the fun away just be smart about where and when you have the fun....My generation is very different than the older generation and for the I am proud and grateful in many ways. Sure there are negative points about my generation but we are young and we have time to grow and develop. But fingers can be pointed at every generation those before me and after me. My generation may be seen lazy at times to an older generation ...(hopefully not all the time lol :chuckle ) but they have to understand our work ethic is still there its just that we don't work ourselves to the "grave" anymore. we take vacation and enjoy ourselves, something my parents and definetly my grandparents never did very much. We only give a part of our life, our energy to our jobs because it only makes up a small fraction of our very big world. Not all young people goof around all the time or neglect their patients, please don't group all of us into a small category, it's not logical.

I'm 32 - with parents who are possibly contemporaries of your grandparents (my mother is 71; Daddy died in April and was 75). Keep in mind that we now work in a world where you get paid vacation and sick leave (that wasn't the law not too long ago); my mother did not. That's why they didn't take it - they probably didn't get paid if they didn't work. Your parents were raised by what I call Depression Babies - people who remembered the breadlines and being out of work - so that also explains the lack of taking vacation, even when it was available: that fear of hunger and no money was never far from their minds. (Of course, your parents could have been part of the work-minded 1980s "yuppie" crowd, and what I'm saying may be meaningless.)

And we WILL be working ourselves to the grave - literally. I predict that, by the time we're old enough to retire, federal retirement age will be 75 (and there will be, by my prediction, no social security; I don't even expect it). So we have to start working like the ant NOW and not listen to the call of the grasshopper.

As for many of these Generation "X"ers and "Y"ers or whatever we're being called this week...God help us if many of them don't grow up soon - based on what I encounter here in this university-laden area.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

I hate the Generation X label.

[GrnHonu99, RN]

I hate the Generation X label.

what exactly does that mean anyway, generation X? I mean I know it refers to a specific generation but what is the significance of the X?

[MQ Edna]

I'm 21, been a nurse since 19 and these allogations are rediculous! I am very professional, and graduated top of my class. Trust me, there are many older cigarette smoking, bar drinking, who knows what else nurses. You can't categorize by age!

[oldcurlyrn49]

I think it is wrong to catagorize people. My current manager who is in her thirties is always talking about "Generation X".

According to her, gen-xers do not feel they need to "pay their dues" ie; work holidays, night shifts.They are all about instant gratification, because they have grown up with the latest technology, cell phones, computers/internet etc. How ridiculous is that?! I have raised 3 children from so called generation- X.They are not perfect, however they are kind, caring hard working people.I have worked with some awesome 20 year. olds. I have also worked with a 23 year old that refuses to remove her tongue ring , even though it is against the hospital dress code, because"it is who she is". She is also the person that comes in late without calling, because she was "tired". Our manager has never done a darn thing as far as holding her accountable for her behavior even though she is aware of it. This girl has the potential to be a great nurse, she is very smart and energetic. However I feel management is creating a monster that feels she is so darn special she doesn't have to follow the rules like the rest of us! Our manager, because of her gen-x theory doesn't see this as a problem. I, on the other hand am sick of the "hot flash, menopause" comments made at my expense by my manager. I feel discriminated against and have just about had it, even though I love my job.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

what exactly does that mean anyway, generation X? I mean I know it refers to a specific generation but what is the significance of the X?

Generation nothing.

It's purely insulting.

[Nella]

I'm older ( late 40's) and I work with a nurse that's 4 years older than I am. She drives me crazy all day at work complaining about this, complaining about that. Spends work time writing up emails to complain to supervisors that she ends up not sending. I figure she burns at least 30 minutes of every day on this stuff. Age apparently has nothing to do with one's work ethics.

[Dragonfair]

After reading all these replies about professionalism, I wonder how many of the young pups are really in the nursing profession because of money or because of really wanting to be a nurse. Nursing is something that is in your heart when you are born. I would like to know how much experience you all have had before you made your decision to be a nurse. In our area they are going from High school to college with no idea what is going to happen to them.

They know it is good money eventually, but have no idea they have to get their hands dirty. (You all know what I mean). I feel this is the schools problem and they need to let them know when they apply, but they won't because they need there quota. You may say that I'm just an old burnt out nurse and you are probably right. After 27 years of trying to raise the new pups up to a learning adventure you get tired.

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

After reading all these replies about professionalism, I wonder how many of the young pups are really in the nursing profession because of money or because of really wanting to be a nurse. Nursing is something that is in your heart when you are born. I would like to know how much experience you all have had before you made your decision to be a nurse. In our area they are going from High school to college with no idea what is going to happen to them.

They know it is good money eventually, but have no idea they have to get their hands dirty. (You all know what I mean). I feel this is the schools problem and they need to let them know when they apply, but they won't because they need there quota. You may say that I'm just an old burnt out nurse and you are probably right. After 27 years of trying to raise the new pups up to a learning adventure you get tired.

I don't believe that you have to be "born" a nurse to be a nurse. I give excellent care to my patients, I advocate for them, I care for them, and I work hard for them. I definately was not born a nurse. I became a tech because my mom was a nurse and got me a job in the hospital. It took 10 years of being a tech to convince me that I wanted to be a nurse. There are many people out there that go into nursing with no experience and more power to them. They find out right away that nursing isn't pretty and if they stay then good for them. After a little adjustment period, all nurses are nurses, and people will be people. I have found out with my experience that all nurses don't routinely assess their patients. Both old and new. I have found nurses who don't like their patients, either because they are old or overweight or poor. Again, both old and new nurses exhibit these qualities. I can't believe people are still attribuiting these behaviors to age or experience. Morals and decency have nothing to do with your age-these are the real things we are "born with in our hearts".

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

I wonder how many of the young pups are really in the nursing profession because of money or because of really wanting to be a nurse.

They're people, not pups.