I give in, I'm a COB

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Ok, I've had it. I'm tired of whippersnapper nurses, smart alecky new grads who think that their gold plated degrees trump experience.

I'm hungry for young flesh. ;)

I'm officially a Crusty Old Bat, to put it nicely.

Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
noelly10 said:
Dang it! I've still got some time. Is there an amateur group?

Oh, yes! There's the "Future Member of the Crusty Old Bat Society." Look around...there are a few people with this in their signature line. Just copy and paste it to your signature line.

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I don't know that there's a specific number, but certainly a whole lot more than one or two. IMO, anyone who has more than 20 years...no brainer.

I think if you have at least ten years of exp., you are well on your way to being a COB. If you've been a nurse more than half your life, then you are in an elite group of COBs. >()

COBs usually don't know how to use these new fangled computers that well.

Who the hell am I kidding? None of you all, that's for sure.

Hi, my name is Far and I'm a COB.

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COBs usually don't know how to use these new fangled computers that well.

Who the hell am I kidding? None of you all, that's for sure.

Hi, my name is Far and I'm a COB.

Hi Far.

I feel like I'm at an AA meeting lol.

Except we're proud to be COBs or FCOBs.

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Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.

I'm trying to remain quite.........but.

Love this thread.

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Specializes in ER.
Dang it! I've still got some time. Is there an amateur group?

Maybe SCABs? Semi-Crusty Amateur Bats?

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Maybe SCABs? Semi-Crusty Amateur Bats?

I like

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I remember, when I'd been working as a nurse on neuro stepdown / med-surg / tele for about 6 months, I had a particularly infuriating experience with a student nurse. Why in God's name didn't you tell your instructor or ME (and document doing so) about the vitals you charted? They were a big change and HELLO - I needed to know. I got angry on them and on their instructor. (Maybe I'll be a crusty old bat someday?)

I had a crusty old bat for a clinical instructor in nursing school, she really molded my expectations of what learners should do and how they should treat their patients and co-operating facility nurse. We were given three options when we encountered something that was a change or was outside of "parameters" for the patient - get our instructor, get the patients assigned nurse or get the charge nurse. We had to discuss what our plans were with the patient's primary and our instructor.

I'm thankful for the experience I gained with that instructor, and one of my preceptors at my first job - who was also a crusty old bat. I learned SO much from them. I learned how to set realistic goals, how to get used to asking for help, how to prepare myself, how to present myself professionally even in some incredibly challenging situations, how to push myself towards my best, and how to be humble when I needed to be. I learned so many things - I'm grateful for the experience.

I didn't walk into my first job "knowing it all" because my experiences in clinicals - my favorite (and hardest) instructor made clear in no uncertain terms that we were there as learners, and welcome voices for questions but voices with no authority over much of anything and certainly no expert in anything. We were dealing with people's lives and people's family members - we had to take it seriously and more than anything realize we don't know it all and won't (ever). I never made a comment at all about my education level - unless I was asked. It didn't make my automatically better than anyone else. I had a lot to learn and needed to learn not cause drama.

I get students to precept who are so certain of their entire future career that it's hard not to laugh. I never really imagined doing what I do now as a job. It's just the truth. I have learned so much though...and gained more than I imagined. It hasn't went according to plan, and I do think that while having long term goals is a great thing, sometimes being rigid and inflexible about deviating from them does not serve one well.

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Specializes in Hospice.
COBs usually don't know how to use these new fangled computers that well.

Who the hell am I kidding? None of you all, that's for sure.

Hi, my name is Far and I'm a COB.

Oh Far, you must know me so well, I really don't do computerese very well. I may not know how to copy the signature, but I am a proud member of the Crusty Old Bat Club.

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Specializes in Hospice.
I don't know that there's a specific number, but certainly a whole lot more than one or two. IMO, anyone who has more than 20 years...no brainer.

I think if you have at least ten years of exp., you are well on your way to being a COB. If you've been a nurse more than half your life, then you are in an elite group of COBs. >()

Well then, that makes me a Charter Member of the COB Society.

I'm 58, and I've been an RN since I was 22.

COB: "We're takin' it back!!" (Brownie points if you get the reference. If you don't, do your research!! 👅)

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Maybe SCABs? Semi-Crusty Amateur Bats?

So that makes us crusty SCABs?

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
What is the membership requirements for the Crusty Old Bat Society and is their a male equivalent like the Crusty Old Buzzard Society?

I'm pretty sure there are male bats . . . and female buzzards.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Do they not realize that when they say that, none of us want them to be our patient? ������������

Of course they don't realize that, since they're so perfect and all. Why wouldn't we want them as a patient?

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