Nurses eating their young

This distructive and hurtful behavior is about "power" and "control".

Maybe its more about personality. Most nurses are nice, some arent.

S.I.G.H.

They taste like chicken...

TL:DR (Scroll to last sentence for the abridged version.)

When you are new, you are bright eyed and bushy tailed. You are immune to office or floor politics. You have a temporary force-field that repels cynicism and absorbs knowledge/skills with enthusiasm.

To some, all of the smiles, curiosity, and mistakes resulting from being inexperienced are irritating and possibly threatening.

My first ever preceptor was irritated by the fact that I needed a rationale for everything. I wanted to know why something was done a certain way. While I realize this was not conducive to time management, I still think her reaction of "You're a nurse not a physician"..was less than helpful. There were others in the bunch who did not take kindly to my question asking mainly because they did not know the answers to said questions

There were a handful of nurses who met my curiosity with kindness and direction. They (even when swamped) when out of their way to teach me or guide me in the right direction. Yes, they were stressed and overworked; but they also knew if they taught me something, I wouldn't be asking the same question again. The best nurse who ever mentored me in the workplace copied a few scholarly articles from journals and told me the answers were somewhere buried in the text.

My point here is:

If the new-grad is open to learning, has a great work ethic, and shows signs of progress at the appropriate times...you should thank your lucky stars they were hired to be in your dept. Even if said new-grad is awkward, takes too much time at the omnicell/pyxis, asks too many questions etc... enrich their beginnings in nursing and they will remember you always. They will also become a more competent nurse!

I think the problem is certainly multi-faceted. But remember no one was born an expert in anything. Eventually, you might have to rely on that once incompetent new-grad to be your wingman when the sh*t hits the fan.

We're all in this together people.

This is not about the perfect "RN Hospital USA" which you would think is kind, compassionate and caring. This is "real life". Ego-centric, power and control with other Nurses including students.

I'm very fortunate to work on a floor where, from the time I came in for my interview, I felt welcomed. I've been treated kindly and taught patiently every step of the way.

My co-workers are not cannibals.

I agree with the power and control theory!

Nurses are an odd bunch.....we have very little power/control or autonomy. We are subject to the orders of physicians and the policies and protocols of our place of employment.

I personally feel that the low levels of autonomy and feelings of powerlessness lead to aggression.......that aggression manifests itself through lateral violence.

Nurses spend a lot of time criticizing other nurses......look around this forum and you can see it first hand. You don't really see that with doctors. Nurses judge each other very harshly...."I would never do that," or "I have never made a medication error." Or we make a HUGE deal out of a nurses error.....somehow it makes us feel better about ourselves.

The whole thing is a shame.....but I am not sure how it can be fixed. I think it really is important to acknowledge that tearing others down really has more to do with how we feel about ourselves.

Read this article:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/when-the-nurse-is-a-bully/

They taste like chicken...

:lol2: Too funny !

I don't believe nurses eat their young, I just believe there are some mean nasty nurses out there from the ones with the least experience to the ones with the most. Nurses eat each other, period.

I believe the problem is the fact that preceptors are given their normal patient load and having the task of precepting a new nurse to the facility, adds more stress to an already stressful shift. Some preceptors are frustrated because in reality, they are doing two jobs in one shift. It is more stressful when it is a new graduate with no nursing experience at all. Facilities should have preceptors who just precept and they should not be given a full 5 to 6 patient assignment. So, new nurses think that they are disliked but in actuality, it is the frustration and pressure that makes some preceptors seem unkind. On the other hand, some preceptors do not have the gift or patience to teach, therefore they should not be required to do so. Facilities should only use the nurses who are willing and love to teach. This is just my perspective.