Nurses eat their young?

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Any stories of being a new nurse and being treated badly by more experienced nurses?

All I can think as I read the horror stories described in this thread is (and I believe them), WHY do nurses eat their young? What is the point of it? I'm a nursing student and would love to understand WHY, seriously.

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Specializes in PACU, OR.
All I can think as I read the horror stories described in this thread is (and I believe them), WHY do nurses eat their young? What is the point of it? I'm a nursing student and would love to understand WHY, seriously.

I've done more in life than nursing, and you could just as well ask, "Why do typists eat their young?" "Why do shop assistants eat their young?" 'Why do office workers eat their young?" Many times it's nothing of the sort, just the newbie feeling like a fifth wheel, being over-sensitive and seeing aggression or hearing criticism when there is none. However, there are nasty people in all walks of life, and it stands to reason you'll find them in nursing too.

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All I can think as I read the horror stories described in this thread is (and I believe them), WHY do nurses eat their young? What is the point of it? I'm a nursing student and would love to understand WHY, seriously.

Me too :confused:

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Specializes in ED/ICU/TELEMETRY/LTC.
You are a manager, and you know this sort of thing goes on, and then describe someone bringing it to your attention as "ratting" someone out, no wonder new nurses are afraid to bring this stuff up to managers.

It is one thing to know it is going on and question it, quite another to do something about it so that it doesn't happen again to put patient's lives at risk...that would be what I would not tolerate, and make sure I took steps to change it.

Either I did not say what I meant or you misunderstood what I said. I was not referring to the person being bullied bring it to me but other members of the staff. And what I do not tolerate is the bullying. I always do something about it. I bring the person in, tell them what I have been told, what I have seen. And proceed from there. Sorry for the misconception.

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Shall I bring the Chianti? Or would you prefer a vintage Merlot?

Well, Hannibal, wouldn't a nice merlot be more in keeping with red meat? :barf01:

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All I can think as I read the horror stories described in this thread is (and I believe them), WHY do nurses eat their young? What is the point of it? I'm a nursing student and would love to understand WHY, seriously.

I've started to believe/think that a lot of the ones who are being nasty got thrown to the wolves after not getting the clinical training they needed, and are more insecure than 'deep down nasty' ....:confused: It would be hard to be useful to someone else if they are still struggling.... (but some people are just jerks).

The whole "go through school just watching" (for whatever reason) and get thrown on the floor and expected to DO the skills is part of the issue.

As one poster said (sorry I don't remember who), the older ones weren't as likely to be as nasty (though there will always be exceptions) as the younger ones.

Insecurity breeds a lot of nastiness. :down:

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All I can think as I read the horror stories described in this thread is (and I believe them), WHY do nurses eat their young? What is the point of it? I'm a nursing student and would love to understand WHY, seriously.

The relationship goes both ways....(and this isn't meant to be "bad"...just an observation). The students/new grads that have the weakest skills are going to be given more opportunities while they still have a preceptor/orienter. It will feel overwhelming for everybody :o But for the ones who have the hardest time, it may be that the job is trying to give them the chance to learn more. Those who come in having had more clinical experiences are going to complete the skill check lists more easily, and move through the process more smoothly.

It's not that the ones who need more exposure to things are "bad" or "not good enough" = they're simply needing more guidance initially. SO, if you've got a newbie who didn't get the skills they needed, and the preceptor picks up on this, they will likely push harder. If they ignore you, they don't care and have given up :eek:

I loved new grads and students- as long as they knew what they didn't know. I can spend all day with someone who can tell me they aren't comfortable with something. If someone runs around and never asks questions, I'm following their backside ALL. DAY. LONG.

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The relationship goes both ways....(and this isn't meant to be "bad"...just an observation). The students/new grads that have the weakest skills are going to be given more opportunities while they still have a preceptor/orienter. It will feel overwhelming for everybody :o But for the ones who have the hardest time, it may be that the job is trying to give them the chance to learn more. Those who come in having had more clinical experiences are going to complete the skill check lists more easily, and move through the process more smoothly.

It's not that the ones who need more exposure to things are "bad" or "not good enough" = they're simply needing more guidance initially. SO, if you've got a newbie who didn't get the skills they needed, and the preceptor picks up on this, they will likely push harder. If they ignore you, they don't care and have given up :eek:

I loved new grads and students- as long as they knew what they didn't know. I can spend all day with someone who can tell me they aren't comfortable with something. If someone runs around and never asks questions, I'm following their backside ALL. DAY. LONG.

Xtxrn, your comments make sense. It's a complex business we're in and with lives at stake. I figure my best bet on the "nurses eat their young" thing is to make sure I've got my thick skin suit on each day, focus on becoming a competent nurse (requires assertiveness, and a willingness to ask for help, accept and apply feedback), know my own skills and limitations, pull my own weight as much as possible, and appreciate whatever assistance/mentoring comes my way.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

anyone who goes looking for examples of nurses "eating their young" will find them . . . whether or not they exist. i'd rather look for examples of people helping each other out.

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anyone who goes looking for examples of nurses "eating their young" will find them . . . whether or not they exist. i'd rather look for examples of people helping each other out.

ruby, xtxrn started a thread today just like that. is titled what have your co-workers done to make a shift go more smoothly? is good!

see it at https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/what-have-your-631985.html

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