I wonder if I was just lucky....

[MomRN0913]

I have been truly disheartened by the posts on here about how badly new nurses are being treated. belittling, trying to get them fired, the conspiracies....

I wonder if I was just lucky. The nurses I started my career in were great. There were the exception fo one or 2 nurses who will act cocky, no-it-all or get mean, but there were only a few bad seeds. And I floated for the first 4 months, and I had been to almost every floor. yeah, sometimes I got stuck with all the admissions and the worst patients being the floater, but I will say the nurses did help me.

I got a position in the MICU 4 months in. I heard from the other nurses that they can be b!itchy there. But they weren't, except for the one nurse who was out to get EVERYONE. She was just a bitter hag, and I learned how to handle her.

My preceptor for med-surg float was GREAT. We were very friendly. My preceptor in ICU days was excellent. Always encouraged, taught me and never belittled me. We became very good friends outside of work also. My preceptor nights I was warned about, but she was great too. And we became friends too.

We were a very good team in the ICU, we were always good to the newbies, taught them, were resources for them.

Perhaps I was just very fortunate to have such a good experience. I am out of bedside now and starting a new job in 2 weeks. I want to do per diem bedside because i actually miss it a little, I haven't been at the bedside in almost a year. But I am scared to go anywhere else after what I read on here. I'd like to go closer to home, but where I worked seems to be a very unique experience.

Really, I am saddened it isn't like this everywhere.

[opossum]

As common as it is to hear about new nurses being treated badly, I don't think it happens everywhere, all the time...I think we just hear more of the bad stuff than the good.

I am a new nurse (6 mo in) working both med surg and ICU; I can honestly say that my situation mirrors yours - wonderful preceptors for the most part, with the occasional battle axe/bad seed. I've heard horror stories from friends I've graduated with, but for the most part, they too have had overall positive experiences.

I think it's easy to focus on the negative while you're new; I find myself doing it from time to time. Sometimes it's legitimate, where I can see how my growth is stymied in some ways by the politics of the floor; other times, it's simply that my cute little newbie nurse feelings are hurt...but you get the point.

I've had to make the conscious decision to view each opportunity (including the horrible ones) as a learning point. And hopefully, over time...I'll have much more to add to the profession as a result.

[NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN]

It really depends on the facility. My first facility was horrible, but the two I have been at since had excellent nurses and excellent teamwork, minus a few lousy ones. I think you will get that anywhere, and how you portray yourself may also change how you are treated. I've noticed friendly outgoing types tend to be less bullied than the quiet ones.

[EMT-newbie]

just a bitter hag, and I learned how to handle her

Maybe some notes on how you worked that out I know I can always use help in that area.

[NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN]

I've noticed the stronger personalities tend to be in ICU and ER. It IS a good thing in the sense they often are more comfortable sticking up for something their patient needs when a physician is around.

The bad is that they also come across that way to everyone else even when it isn't warranted.

I've learned the quicker you are to respond initially to a bad/rude comment and disable it, the better it is. If they learn to walk all over you once, then it's sorta just a snowball effect from there.

Always exude confidence, even when you don't know what your doing. Mention what you think is right, and just say you want to clarify that that is what they would do.

Ally yourself with the other friendly nurses on the unit, they usually are there. You can be each other's support system.

Be friendly to everyone. I've had nurses from other units be shocked when I smile when they bring me a patient that took a turn for the worse. I guess they are used to the frowning faces. What's the point? It's not going to magically make the patient return to their unit.

I've learned that when I'm kind to others, even the snippy ones tend to be less snippy. And no matter what, even if you are steaming on the inside, act as though their rude comment doesn't affect you. If you don't give them the pleasure of having you flustered and upset, then they didn't win anyway and will go in search of an easier target.

Some nurses picked nursing for the wrong reasons, and that usually shows in their personality. Their unhappiness shouldn't be allowed to affect everyone else.

I feel so sad for this one nurse on our unit. She has just been beat up verbally by every one on day shift I think. She has absolutely zero confidence, even says she's an idiot (she's not). She unfortunately is one of the ones who has let everyone get to her, and is just barely hanging in there... She's got three times the experience as me, but because of how she portrays herself, they don't let her do any of the harder patients, or learn any extra skills. It just saddens me.

[wanderlust99]

My time as a new nurse was similiar to that move "Mean Girls" except much much worse!

[MomRN0913]

Maybe some notes on how you worked that out I know I can always use help in that area.

I basically never let her get me angry or flustered. I was always friendly, but I always showed her I knew my stuff, and never let her make me doubt myself. She had no ammo left.

She is the acting nurse manager on the unit now. Unfortunately she was the only one "qualified' when the current one stepped down. A few nurses made an action plan to leave if she got out of control. I'm not there anymore, but I hope she does not break the unity of the unit.

I haven't been there in a year and I got invited to the holiday party they organize independently of the hospital, and one of the nurses own holiday parties.

I actual want to go per diem just to work with them! And because i ocassionally miss direct patient care