Getting put off my job by nasty nurses!

Nursing Students CNA/MA

Published

I have been working as a carer in aged care for 3 months now. I enjoy the job and the residents but am seeing a side of nursing which is putting me off finishing my bachelors degree. The nurses are rude, snappy and pick on me for any little thing they can find! One nurse in particular has not liked me from the start, I have no idea what her problem is with me but she talks to me like i'm a piece of s*%t. I have held my tongue with her for as long as I can but now i'm ready to explode! What gives these nurses the right to look down on us just because we are carers? I work incredibly hard, have 2 small children, am studying full time to become an RN and still manage to keep a smile on my face and be polite to everyone everyday! It is not hard to treat others with respect, if this is what the nursing profession is really like I don't think I want to continue.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peds, Float, Ambulatory, Telemetry (new).

You know what you do? you take these nurses as the example of what you don't want to be. That is what I did. No lot every nurse is like that. Those nurses may be burnt out. Who knows what their exact issues are but it you handle it really well. If it bothers you that much you should go to your manager and have a meeting to see what the issues are and for those nurses to check themselves. I have even heard that the older nurses/cna's are sometimes intimidated by the younger generation coming in. Like we want to steal their jobs, its ridiculous. But I am sorry you have to deal with that but stay focused in school and don't let any one deter you from achieving your goals.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I agree it seems like this is a personality issue, like these are maybe just unhappy people, and you just have to not take things personally, but just try to co exisit. or maybe it is the facility that you work at. how is it at your facility? some facilities just do not run in a way that would have anyone happy to work at. sometimes the pressure on these nurses is so great that they dread their job, and not saying it is right, but they let off steam sometimes and it can usually fall on the first people they can get to and unfortunitly it is a CNA.

I agree not to let this be an issue for you not to persue nursing. Many nurses can be kind, sweet, and compassionate. You can be one of those nurses, and you can love your career.

If things get to bad I'd as well would speak to someone higher up, or if you think you have to find somewhere else that you can work that would not have a hostile work enviroment that you yourself will dread to come to work.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Don't let others stop you from pursuing a career you think you will enjoy. Personality has everything to do with it,I'm not a CNA or a Nurse but I have been a patient many times, I can tell you not every nurse is like that. I had nurses and CNA's that when ever it took two people to help me seemed to get along so well. In any line of work you will always have people who are hard to work with, in healthcare it just seems to more noticeable. Some people treat others badly simply because they can. Keep on caring!! :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I've dealt with it before too. Best you can do, is try not to take it too personally and if you can look for a better job once you have enough experience (if you don't already). I've worked with nice nurses too, they aren't mean everywhere.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical Surgical.

I think it depends on the person. The nurses where I had my clinical were far from pleasant but when I volunteer in the ED the nurses love having me shadow them and teaching me their knowledge!!! This is even true for some of the people I go to school with. Some are very nice to talk to and others can't seem to think outside of their own box. It truly is an individual characteristic. And like someone said maybe those nurses are burnt out and unhappy with their jobs. My first semester of nursing school was not difficult as far as the workload but some of the people I saw every day did challenge me to control my emotions/anger. If you have a positive outlook and not let the attitude of others affect how you do, I think you will be fine.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I have been working as a carer in aged care for 3 months now. I enjoy the job and the residents but am seeing a side of nursing which is putting me off finishing my bachelors degree. The nurses are rude snappy and pick on me for any little thing they can find! One nurse in particular has not liked me from the start, I have no idea what her problem is with me but she talks to me like i'm a piece of s*%t. I have held my tongue with her for as long as I can but now i'm ready to explode! What gives these nurses the right to look down on us just because we are carers? I work incredibly hard, have 2 small children, am studying full time to become an RN and still manage to keep a smile on my face and be polite to everyone everyday! It is not hard to treat others with respect, if this is what the nursing profession is really like I don't think I want to continue.[/quote']

There are unhappy-nasty people in every profession. My advice to you is to kill 'em with kindness until you can't any longer. I've found some people just need to know that you will stand up for yourself and then they are done with the attitude. Best of luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks everyone! I had to work with her again last night, she didn't say a word to me except to ask me to help reposition a resident, you could cut the tension with a knife. I will be mentioning her when I see my manager next as she is nothing but rude, lazy and thinks she has it over everyone. I don't like the way she treats the residents either, she bellows at them when she speaks assuming they are all deaf and when they question her about anything she rolls her eyes as if to say 'what an idiotic question' She reminds me of Rosy o'Donnell!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Clinical Informatics Specialist.

What you are describing is terrible, and I hate that you are going through it, but unfortunately this is an all too common situation that many nurses experience. Lateral violence, or "nurses eat their young" often occurs to new nurses by nurses who are threatened, angry, or perhaps just mean.

The first thing you should do is address the situation and let the offending nurse know how she is making you feel. If the behavior continues to occur you should notify your manager and keep a log of any examples of bullying that you experience from this nurse going forward.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm a CNA in a LTC facility, and I have to say that I love (most) of my nurses. They actually appreciate us and say "thank you for all your hard work" before we go home for the day. Granted, there are a few I'd like to knock down a few inches but MOST of them are awesome. The ones I don't like, I just use them as an example of what I don't want to be like when I'm done with my RN program. Honestly when I started as a CNA I was scared of the nurses, but then I quickly learned that the other aides are far worse than the nurses. Some of them are downright scary :/

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

If you quit school because of that nurse, then it means she wins. There are mostly nice sweet helpful people in the world, but there also few obnoxious ones too. You've met one and the best way to cope with her is to be polite when you deal with her even if it kills you, and just go ahead and do your job.

Keep a secret log of dates, times, other employees present when she's rude to you and that way you'll have the ammunition you need to report her.

You will survive because you're a strong woman and you are a survivor.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment