New nurse: I get no respect

[Nurse326]

Hi all.

I recently started as a new grad in the ED, and as I've already expected and heard prior to going into that hospital-- there will be some nurse bullying and sure enough, there is.

I've been there for about a month now and I'm still precepting. So far I haven't had too many issues with the RN staff. I know there's a lot of cattyness and complaints about new grads but I've just ignored them. Aside from the RN staff, I feel like I'm getting most of the attitude from the ED techs. On several occasions, I felt like I was being pushed around because I'm so new.

I have always made an effort to be nice and say hello to anyone I'm around but I've been consistently ignored and treated as if I'm not there. On several occasions when I was watching a trauma come in, the techs would tell me to get this and that for them in a dismissive tone and not talk to me after that. I really don't mind getting equipment and helping out, but I felt like they were treating me as if I was beneath them. In that situation, I didn't feel like I had the choice to refuse or stand up for myself because I was just standing there observing.

On another occasion when I was giving an IV medication, the MD corrected me about something, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the ED techs shaking their heads at each other and rolling their eyes. I could go on about other micro-aggressions, but most of it is going out of their way to ignore me and excluding me (ie, updating my preceptor on my patient's status even though I was assuming most of the care and I was right there, and still refusing to talk to me).

I feel like the obvious answer to this situation is to talk it out with them, but I feel like snapping back is also something I need to do for myself. I don't want to use the "I'm the RN and you're the tech and you need to respect me" argument because I feel like they should treat me with respect regardless of the position I'm in.

It's hard enough learning as a new grad in the ED. It's even harder when people around you are beating you down.

*Sigh* Has anyone had experience with this? How did you deal with it?

[GM2RN]

But rudeness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

You read my mind! I started to say something along those lines but decided I didn't want to put in the effort. Problem is, sometimes the beholder interprets caution and truth as rudeness when they think that they have a higher level of skill than they actually do.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

You read my mind! I started to say something along those lines but decided I didn't want to put in the effort. Problem is, sometimes the beholder interprets caution and truth as rudeness when they think that they have a higher level of skill than they actually do.

All too often, newer nurses interpret criticism as rudeness rather than understanding that new nurses MAKE mistakes. We all make mistakes, but new nurses make more mistakes than crusty old bats. When a crusty old bat points out your mistake, she's not doing it to be rude. She's doing it to help you to improve your practice. You may not LIKE the delivery, but you damn sure better heed the message. Even if you consider it to be rude. Because a tired nurse may not have the stamina for all the praise and fluffing you need before you can here the bad news.