I read this phrase in utter disappointment. I feel disappointment towards the destructive nature of this very sentiment. The idea that experienced nurses and their behavior towards students or novice nurses shape succeeding generations of front line nursing staff. We are, in this instance, the very people who hold the key to the fate of the profession. By "fate", I am not referring to its survival, but rather its vitality.
Imagine going to work everyday with the expectation that the very last bit of self-confidence you had had would somehow, in someway be stripped away by a snarky comment or backhanded compliment. Now, dig a bit deeper and tack this onto the responsibilities of the job, the stresses that it brings, and the collaborative obligation you have to operate around others, who, according to your negative experiences, do not appear to want anything to do with you. Then, consider anyone in their right mind and the quality or quantity of motivation that they have to get up in the morning and do their job. Its a system waiting to fail. A bomb about to implode. Perhaps a nurse ready to give up and move on from the negativity.
The origin of this phenomenon would be interesting to dissect in terms of its conception into the practice of nursing and how it was first perceived. But more importantly, the motivation that lies beneath this behavior is even more interesting. In my estimation the motivation can either be obligatory in nature or an unjust reality. Nurses can choose to behave less than optimally towards those with fewer miles under their belt purely due to the culture that has developed surrounding the "student" & "master" ideology. Perhaps the idea that "experience" trumps "knowledge" or weighs more heavily in favor of time spent in practice is what sparks the fire (so to speak) in response to an underlying fear of powerlessness by way of the knowledge that the novice brings. I suspect that its a bit of both. A little bit of influence from nursing culture and a hint of our own fear apparently makes for a poor or sub-optimal experience for those who will proceed the next generation of nurses. But I digress.
What is more troubling to me is that in a very nonsensical way we are contributing to the degradation of the profession. In other words, we are being our own worst enemies. Allowing the unnecessary torment of the novice nurse will lead to burnout, resignation, poor mental health (confidence, self image, etc), and a level of vitality that continues to suffer one jaded nurse at a time.
