:angryfire Hi all, I got my LPN a year ago last march and worked med/surg and long term care. I graduated in Dec and started at a Level one mixed ICU/CVICU/everything else unit. I was so excited to be in the ICU! Took all kinds of classes, on the icu.faq website all the time, bought books, asked questions, etc.
Now, 8 months later I am so disgusted. The nurses there (well at least 80% of them) are so nasty to the new grads! Snide comments, act like they're so much better, can't talk about anything except what we don't know. Didn't they emphasize teaching in nursing school? Last night I was subjected to a long conversation about how lazy we are, how stupid we are, how we can't run a code, we shouldn't be working there, etc ad nauseum. There were three new nurses present but that didn't stop the nastiness.
I have done nothing but be excited, willing to help, and willing to learn. Now I'm thinking I should be working at an insurance co where RN's run the show, don't have to wipe poop, break their backs or be subjected to such hostility.
Although I do not agree with the hostility, I also do not agree with a lpn in an ICU(CCU,CVICU, O.R. ect...). This area should be staffed only by rn's. Sorry this is happeneing to you, but it really is not fair to the other nurses to have a lpn working side by side with them in code situations....nothing personal...its the hospitals fault, they have allowed this and are the cause of the tension.
:angryfire Hi all, I got my LPN a year ago last march and worked med/surg and long term care. I graduated in Dec and started at a Level one mixed ICU/CVICU/everything else unit. I was so excited to be in the ICU! Took all kinds of classes, on the icu.faq website all the time, bought books, asked questions, etc.
Now, 8 months later I am so disgusted. The nurses there (well at least 80% of them) are so nasty to the new grads! Snide comments, act like they're so much better, can't talk about anything except what we don't know. Didn't they emphasize teaching in nursing school? Last night I was subjected to a long conversation about how lazy we are, how stupid we are, how we can't run a code, we shouldn't be working there, etc ad nauseum. There were three new nurses present but that didn't stop the nastiness.
I have done nothing but be excited, willing to help, and willing to learn. Now I'm thinking I should be working at an insurance co where RN's run the show, don't have to wipe poop, break their backs or be subjected to such hostility.
I agree with the other replies, don't let them get to you. People only treat you the way that you allow them too. Try a combination of standing up for yourself, but at the same time...kill em' with kindness...
I'm a traveling nurse for many years and while most of my assignments have been very positive, I did have one preceptor from hell.
As a traveler, you generally are scheduled 3 days for orientation. I was to be oriented by this particular nurse for those days. However, due to call offs, she was put in charge for 2 of those days and I was assigned other preceptors, both of whom were very nice and realized I knew what I was doing when it came to nursing if not paperwork etc. When I finally had my day with "Joan" it was a nightmare. By 1 pm, she dressed me down with a phys standing by for total nonsense and informed me that she would be recommending that I not pass my orientation. I ended speaking with the education coordinator about the issue and was asked to write it up because apparently there had been some issues with this woman. I suggested to the coordinator that if I was a new traveler and had this woman, I would have left the assignment.
As it turned out, I often had to work with her as charge nurse. (I never did "write it up") And it absolutely killed me, but every time I worked with her I would purposefully make myself (choking down the bile) and kill her with kindness. You have got to know how hard it was but it totally paid off! After the first few monthes of that assignment, the woman was telling me her life story and asking me for advice about how other facilities handled this or that . Thankfully, when she was trying to get me out, I had already proven myself to the others and the management.
I know this really long, but killing them with kindness is the one thing they won't expect or know how to deal with!!!
As per previous post; I got my RN 12/04, so I've been in the ICU as an RN over a year now. I treat the lpn's we have here with utmost respect; the only thing they don't do is IV pushes. And I'd be proud to have them next to me in a code. If they weren't qualified, they wouldn't be here. ACLS is not just for nurses anyway. And the people who were snotty with me when I first got here still are; but I've met a lot of nice ones who agree with me along the way. Being new doesn't mean being dumb, uninterested, or unwilling to learn.
We had a similar problem for our new nurses to NICU. Some of them ended up going to management and that's when the unit created a mentoring program for our new nurses. It provided them with a mentor that they could go to for work (or non-work) related issues. These nurses were the one's who wanted to do it so it worked really well for our new nurses and our new nurses had the option to pick someone they'd feel comfortable with. It wasnt just new grads who picked mentors; it was nurses new to the ICU enviornment, nurses who are new to the hospital but not new to icu ect ect ect... They meet at least once a week to see how things were going etc etc etc. They have a dinner or lunch or whatever away from work once a month to check in and have fun. It's a totally voluntary program. Maybe you could start/suggest a program in your ICU?
By the way, I'm glad you're still there and seems like you are doing well. Hang in there.
although i do not agree with the hostility, i also do not agree with a lpn in an icu (ccu,cvicu, o.r. ect...). this area should be staffed only by rn's. sorry this is happeneing to you, but it really is not fair to the other nurses to have a lpn working side by side with them in code situations....nothing personal...its the hospitals fault, they have allowed this and are the cause of the tension.
if you bothered to even read mayflye's post, you would've seen that they returned to school, graduated from an lpn-rn accelerated program & have been a practicing rn in the icu setting these last eight months.
why must people be soooo quick to down lpns in critical care? there is a place for cnas, mas, techs,....so why can't there be room there for lpns :angryfire? i realize you are entiled to your opinion on this...but really !
moe
hi all, i got my lpn a year ago last march and worked med/surg and long term care. *i graduated in dec* and started at a level one mixed icu/cvicu/everything else unit. i was so excited to be in the icu! took all kinds of classes, on the icu.faq website all the time, bought books, asked questions, etc.
now, *8* months later i am so disgusted. the nurses there (well at least 80% of them) are so nasty to the new grads! snide comments, act like they're so much better, can't talk about anything except what we don't know. didn't they emphasize teaching in nursing school? last night i was subjected to a long conversation about how lazy we are, how stupid we are, how we can't run a code, we shouldn't be working there, etc ad nauseum. there were three new nurses present but that didn't stop the nastiness.
i have done nothing but be excited, willing to help, and willing to learn. now i'm thinking i should be working at an insurance co where rn's run the show, don't have to wipe poop, break their backs or be subjected to such hostility.
as per previous post; i got my rn 12/04, so i've been in the icu as an rn over a year now. i treat the lpn's we have here with utmost respect; the only thing they don't do is iv pushes. and i'd be proud to have them next to me in a code. if they weren't qualified, they wouldn't be here. acls is not just for nurses anyway. and the people who were snotty with me when i first got here still are; but i've met a lot of nice ones who agree with me along the way. being new doesn't mean being dumb, uninterested, or unwilling to learn.
:angryfire I've been in Neuro/Medsurg Trauma ICU for 10 years, and recently relocated.
I'm STILL getting it from the nurses as the "newbie" Never mind my experience in a Level One Trauma Center, and that they may actually learn something from ME!
My point is that we all need to cut the crap! Everyone's got something to contribute to this profession. My heart goes out to the new grads, it seems to me that's it's gotten worse. Their treatment of a new nurse, old nurse or any kind of nurse that has willingly signed up to work along side with you (and you know who you are!!!) deserves, at the very least, the same respect that you expect from them! Aren't we all on the same team here? Has anyone even thought about the patient?
Well, that's my thoughts on this. Needed to vent a little as I am having a horrific time and am hoping one or two of the "offenders" may very well be reading this!
Although I do not agree with the hostility, I also do not agree with a lpn in an ICU(CCU,CVICU, O.R. ect...). This area should be staffed only by rn's. Sorry this is happeneing to you, but it really is not fair to the other nurses to have a lpn working side by side with them in code situations....nothing personal...its the hospitals fault, they have allowed this and are the cause of the tension.
I disagree. I worked as an LPN in ICU settings and it was great experience once I became an ICU RN. I think it's a loss that my unit does not use LPN's.
Code situations occur in Med/Surg and all other areas and LPN's are involved in them and should know what to do in that situation. I work with newer BSN's who still panic when a patient crashes and often wish I had an experienced LPN with me instead. So much for the education and licensure theory, it does not make you a better nurse.
I too was treated like crap as an LPN in one of the ICU's I worked in, the other was great to me. It was rough but I can laugh about it now. Wish I could run into one of those nasty nurses at the grocery store or something and tell them how awful they were to me.
To the OP, don't let that discourage you from a career in ICU. Just don't stay in that particular ICU because chances are, if they are nasty to you because of your newness or being "just" an LPN, they probably are nasty to each other as well, so becoming an RN won't change that for you. They would be nasty anyway. It's just a great way of hiding either what bad nurses they are themselves or problems in their personal life that are out of control so they take it out on others.
When I first started working in the ICU I had only ten months of med/surg/tele experience. I didn't even know how to draw blood since phlebotomists performed this skill on the floors. A majority of the nurses were kind, but there were a couple, one in particular, who was vicious. She was three months pregnant and I remember saying "I can't wait for her to have this baby" because I couldn't ask her any questions or for help and she was always in a bad mood. To complicate matters, I learned that she didn't know as much as she thought she did and I began to not trust her nursing judgments. One night we had a discussion about a completely non-nursing issue and I knew she was blatantly wrong. I stood up for myself in a fashion that she had never seen and I slowly started to see a change in her attitude towards me. One year later, after her baby, after her return, after I had started to not be so nice to her, I asked her, "why didn't you like me when I first started."
Her reply......
"You were too nice."
Moral of the story: give it some time. There's nothing wrong with office politics as long as you are part of it. Try and socialize with them at work. If they are having a discussion, involve yourself in it. If after 6 months the environment and atmostphere has not changed, then it is time to update your resume. It's best to wait for one year that way your resume will list "One year's experience", but if that is not possible, then move on.
In my school, we were told that the hospital nurses eat their young. Since I just graduated, I am staying out of hospitals till I get some experience. And yes, our instructors scared all of us that bad!!!!!
I agree, and I was taught that as well, 4 yrs ago. But, I always wonder, WHY? It's not like we are going to take their job or anything, there's not enough nurses to go around. What are they afraid of?????? Anybody know???:uhoh21:
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stbernardclub
305 Posts
Although I do not agree with the hostility, I also do not agree with a lpn in an ICU(CCU,CVICU, O.R. ect...). This area should be staffed only by rn's. Sorry this is happeneing to you, but it really is not fair to the other nurses to have a lpn working side by side with them in code situations....nothing personal...its the hospitals fault, they have allowed this and are the cause of the tension.