Just one persons opinion

BelleKat, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2008

Wow I'm not familiar with that article or person but he sounds like a real blowhard if he thinks experience is not useful in this profession. I just try to ignore people like that because that's not how most people think.

mscsrjhm · Aug 25, 2008

Nurses do not only eat their young-

The nursing field has been munching on this old nurse for a few years.

I am hearing the same- 'experience is over-rated'. this is coming from new nurses- not the older ones.

go figure.

lpn1313 · Aug 25, 2008

My favorite go-to person has been a nurse for 30+ years. I'd never want to lose all that valuable experience! Just because we have a newer way of doing things doesn't mean it's better.

pagandeva2000, LPN · Aug 25, 2008

Just yesterday, I worked in a step-down unit with some experienced RNs and they blew my mind. They were so together, organized and work with a 'we are a team' ethic that I was happy even though I worked HARD that day. They showed me so much, that I knew this was a day sent to me from the Creator! They saw that I was new, but determined to learn, so they took me under their wings. What this person said is clearly not true to me.

RN1989 · Aug 25, 2008

A blanket statement like that is not cool.

Evidence Based Practice is a good thing. When nurses refuse to change their practice because "we've always done it this way" is when the problem starts.

I have found that some newer nurses have had a harder time changing things because they did not have the years of experience to see how nursing practice/healthcare has evolved over the years.

When I started nursing, it seemed like the "older" nurses - who had been practicing since the '40s, were unwilling to change. But today's "older" nurses have adapted pretty well, considering that we've gone from hand done everything to computers, everyone on an IV pump, fancy vents, etc.

I do think that we are at an impasse on some things though. The respect, the proper staffing, and appropriate wages continue to haunt us and we haven't been able to change that on a wide scale for quite a while.

We also are being regulated to death due to errors that are system failures and that so far, we nurses have been unable to control. Sometimes it is hard to implement some evidence based practice when we aren't given the tools and are restricted by Joint Commission and other entities because the greedy employers have tied our hands.

RN1982 · Aug 25, 2008

Experience is NOT overrated. Sorry but if I'm going to ask another nurse what intervention or plan of care to take with a patient, it's going to be a nurse with more that a few months of experience. That statement in The Maryland Nurse was stupid.

"experience is not sufficient for competence." And inexperience is not sufficient for competence either.

IngyRN · Aug 25, 2008

That is bulls$%t-excuse my language. How could experince mean nothing! I am still amazed that newer nurses 1year or less are precepting, taking charge, even teaching clinical groups! I am not saying they are not capable but there certainly is much to be said about the veteran nurse!!!

PICNICRN, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2008

Ok, I totally understand the importance of evidence based practice, and I have seen some great changes come from this- most recently ventilator acquired pneumonia protocols. I totally understand that we are making research breakthroughs every year in medicine and how we care for our patients needs to be evidenced based. But.... to say that experience basically doesn't matter? That is offensive! Aren't we all learning as things change? New policy to follow, inservices on new equipment, yearly mandatories? Its not like you stop the learning process after nursing school! :eek:

JaneyW · Aug 25, 2008

First off, I can see how this would upset you. Blanket statements aren't the most accurate, and he can't assume that all "experienced" nurses have not kept current within their specialty. I am in my 40s, but have only been a nurse for 6 years. I am experienced in life, but not so much in nursing. I have always been an OB nurse and have always belonged to my professional association (AWHONN). I even attended the convention this year.

I currently work registry per diem and go to many different hospitals--I have been to 9 in the past 9 months. I am finishing my MSN to teach at nursing school. I have said all of that leading up to saying that I can kind of see where he was going with the article. In OB, I might even extend this to the MDs. I often work with RNs who have practiced for 20+ years that have no idea what current practice is. They are still doing what they were taught all those years ago even if what they are doing is now contraindicated or even not recommended.

I mostly don't mind that as we are fairly autonomous in our department. What drives me crazy is when I am caring for a patient using current AWHONN recommended practice (which is what I would be held to legally if there was a lawsuit, btw) and the "experienced" nurse comes in and repositions my patient and changes the coaching, etc. This drives me CRAZY and it happens quite regularly. They look at me like I am the one in the wrong when they are actually the ones out of standard.

Evidence-based nursing changes regularly as new research is done. This can be frustrating and also we know that not all research is good research. I have had many "experienced" nurses tell me they have been around long enough to see the same things cycle through as right and then wrong and then right again. I empathize. So, I can see both sides. I think what we need to try to do is focus on what is best for the patient instead of worrying about which way of practicing is better. I am not out to prove that I am the best nurse around--I know that I am not. I do know that I am competent and knowledgeable even after only 6 years. Partly because I take an active interest in my practice and staying current.

RN1989 · Aug 25, 2008

And there you have it - you have to stay current like Janey said. Which is why I am so irritated that nurses get angry because they are required to take CE for license renewal.

How can you practice in a vaccuum? Yes, there has been some stuff that is wrong one day and right the next, then wrong again - think ACLS. But if you don't stay current, is that EVERYONE's fault? Sorry, I cannot force my friends to take CEs that are relevant to nursing practice. And I cannot force MDs, and CNOs that write hospital P&P to stay current. Since we can't control everyone else's actions, you can't lump everyone together.

Some days I feel like nurses have such power. Other days, I see where we are lacking in accountability and it affects the public's perception of us as a whole.

JaneyW · Aug 25, 2008

Before I get flamed too badly, I do need to say that the majority of "experienced" nurses I work with have kept up and do keep up and are also very open to hearing about new evidence-based findings. I am not making a blanket statement! I think a lot of the problems come when we don't listen to each other or we approach each other with an attitude of being right and not open to each other's point of view. I have learned so much from others' experience. It cannot be discounted.