I supervise 2 nurses that I really feel are past their prime. These two nurses are older and have a lot of experience(none of which they would share with a new nurse today:cry:) But I think that 25 years ago, they were just as mean and nasty as they are today.
One nurse is the RN 11p-7a supervisor( I dscribe her as "Sour and bitter" and the other is a 3-11p direct patitent nurse. I am old enough to be their daughter or granddaughter. And in the past they have been very disrespectful to previous DON's and ADON's. I have spoken to each about improving patient care, internal and external customer service. These are also long time employees of the company. I do believe that they are valued employees but they are very resistant to change.
I hold all nurses accountable for their work and in the past they were not held to any standards. OLD habits are very hard to break but I have to think about quality patient care(Which can become poor or lacking when not checked).
I am very mindful about the nasty nurse types and I want to do what I can to get rid of that stereo type. But are some nurses just past their prime?
Does anyone work with nurses that are simply just Grumpy and Nasty ALL of THE TIME!
How do we help these nurses? Are they beyond help? We have begun progressive dicipline actions and re education with all nurses. I believe in rewarding those that are a team players. I just don't want the negative attitude to continue to spread.:typing
Specializes in telemetry, med-surg, home health, psych.
the OP also states that these nurses have been rude to former DON's and ADON"s and that she has spoken to them about "improving patient care".....How does she know about their former actions??? Why is she talking to them about how they should treat their pts.???
If she is young enough to be their granddaughter, she is probably a fairly new employee....Is she their boss??? I don't understand why she is so concerned and why she is telling these seasoned nurses how to treat patients.....??????? maybe I misread the post, but it is not clear, the one nurse is the 11-7 supervisor so what is the OP"s position??
Specializes in telemetry, med-surg, home health, psych.
OP also states that in the past the nurses "were not held to any standards",,,,,,,Oh, come one, are you crazy???? Our nursing standards were equal, if not greater, than they are today....we didn't have any "fast-track" 15 mo. RN programs like you have today...so don't tell us that the standards were not as high years ago....
Oh that's good to know...a nurse who can't be as quick as a 25-year-old gets rewarded for her faithful service with discipline and warnings instead of understanding that AGE affects job performance.
Both of my parents used to tell me, "When you are younger, you think you can work forever, but when you turn 60, you discover that just getting through an 8-hour day is an hour-by-hour struggle."
Don't say, "They can just take early retirement!" Retiring early can hit your monthly income by as much as 40%...that can make or break bills.
You also have to be very careful about focusing in on older nurses, that I would also wager is at the top of your salary scale...get enough of them together and you could have a seven-figure age discrimination lawsuit on your hands.
Are these nurses putting lives at risk? Are they just not the warmy fuzzy that you would like? Are they required to be friends with their co-workers or can they just show up, do their job and go home? Is "their way" of doing things SO far off that it requires written discipline and putting patients at risk or is the supervisor so locked in on "my way or the highway" that they can't see that just b/c it's different, doesn't make it inferior?
These are questions you need to ask yourself...you can't replace that level of experience...and YOU will get there one day too.
Older employees also have major issues with sleeping, they have more health issues, they are on more medications, etc...if you had all of these things going for you...you would be cranky too.
Specializes in telemetry, med-surg, home health, psych.
Not all older nurses are on meds..I do not take anything....I work 3-12 hr. shifts and also manage another business....Please do not put all older nurses in the same ranks...everyone is an individual,
P.S. Lots of younger nurses are on meds, too....the wrong kind....
By the way, I sleep very well, thank you for your consideration....
I think the OP should realign her thinking and stop looking at personnel problems as being related to the demographic group one belongs to.
Think about how it would sound if you were having a performance problem with a Black nurse or a foreign born nurse, for example. If she/he were having interpersonal communications problems, or lack of job performance, would you attribute their problems to their racial or socio-economic background, saying "How do we help these nurses? Are they beyond help?" , basically blaming all their character flaws on the demographic group they belong to.
Frankly, you sound like you are ageist in your original post. You sound like you have pre-conceived attitudes towards the older generation.
The older generation of nurses were held to standards that we could never acheive today. The OPs attitude that a new RN knows more than these experienced nurses seems misguided to me.
Specializes in telemetry, med-surg, home health, psych.
I am so glad that not all new grads look upon us "older nurses" as sleep deprived, medicated, worn out old gals.......I have had wonderful relationships with many new nurses that consists of mutual respect... I enjoy sharing my knowledge and am so thankful for the input and help from them.....Have a wonderful Memorial Day...I must get back to cooking now....
Not all older nurses are on meds..I do not take anything....I work 3-12 hr. shifts and also manage another business....Please do not put all older nurses in the same ranks...everyone is an individual,
P.S. Lots of younger nurses are on meds, too....the wrong kind....
By the way, I sleep very well, thank you for your consideration....
I never said, "All".
I think we should all are intelligent enough to assume that I by no means think that everyone that is over a certain age has one foot in the grave...if I did, I wouldn't be supporting the fact that older nurses should not be "picked on", because some of them may no longer be as fast, or efficient, as long as patient care is not at risk.
I was obviously referring to the group that do have these issues. As EVERYONE ages, we are all at a higher risk for sleeping disorders (especially if you work a night), the pressures of a physically demanding job (back injuries being the #1 reported injury among nurses), staying on your feet for 8 to 12 hours at a time, and other COMMON health issues.
I by no means think I am exempt nor feel that just because one person that is 65 and has the health of a 30-year-old is the example of the majority of that age group either.
I have spoken to each about improving patient care, internal and external customer service.
These women may be burnt out and ditto on what others have said about just nasty no matter the age. However,............... as a long term (20+years) nurse it's possible they may just also have justifiable attitude based on being in the field for a long time and now having to deal with a younger, much less experienced in patient care manager who uses terms like "customer service". It grinds me every time I hear it.
I don't have customers. I have patients. Perhaps splitting hairs but there are times I feel like the phrase "customer service" symbolizes an enormity of wrong trends in healthcare.
You sound like a perfect fit for nursing school instructor at the Associate level. You have the requisite contempt and ego to succeed in that endeavor.
I just finished three 14 hour shifts in a LTC where I have 24 elderly, sick and immobile women who depend on me and my three person team of CNA's. I am 52 years old and 10 pounds overweight. My fellow nurses range in age from 28 to 49 years old. With one exception, they are seriously overweight, smokers, taking anti-depressant meds and move at half my speed. We all have children under age 16. I am the only nurse in the facility with a Bachelor's degree and most of my Master's and I have been a nurse for only 2 years. I have owned a business for many years, so the paperwork that faces me at the facility is not a big deal for me, unlike all of the rest of our staff.
WHO WOULD YOU RATHER TAKE CARE OF YOUR ELDERLY PARENT?
i supervise 2 nurses that i really feel are past their prime. these two nurses are older and have a lot of experience(none of which they would share with a new nurse today ) but i think that 25 years ago, they were just as mean and nasty as they are today.
has it occurred to you that 25 years ago these nurses where just like you!
one nurse is the rn 11p-7a supervisor ( i dscribe her as "sour and bitter" and the other is a 3-11p direct patitent nurse. i am old enough to be their daughter or granddaughter. and in the past they have been very disrespectful to previous don's and adon's. i have spoken to each about improving patient care, internal and external customer service. these are also long time employees of the company. i do believe that they are valued employees but they are very resistant to change.
in 25 years service these nurses have seen and adapted to more radical changes in nursing than the younger generation will see. to survive these changes these nurses must have learned new skills and changed their practice beyond recognition from when they first started.
i hold all nurses accountable for their work and in the past they were not held to any standards. old habits are very hard to break but i have to think about quality patient care(which can become poor or lacking when not checked).
25 years ago the standards that nurse were held to in training were exacting! young nurses today, quite rightly, would not put up with the rigorous standards that were expected. today's nurses are much more questioning and analytical.
i am very mindful about the nasty nurse types and i want to do what i can to get rid of that stereo type. but are some nurses just past their prime?
does anyone work with nurses that are simply just grumpy and nasty all of the time!
i am one of the old and grumpy brigade who have watched standards go down because of money and commercialism and lack of a realistic staff to patient ratio and also, i might add, watched younger nurses become just as cynical.
how do we help these nurses? are they beyond help? we have begun progressive discipline actions and re education with all nurses. i believe in rewarding those that are a team players. i just don't want the negative attitude to continue to spread.
i look forward to your comments
i may be past my prime but i try and keep my practice current and pass on what i have learned to the younger generation. we may be past it but handled the correct way we still have a lot to give!
aloevera
861 Posts
the OP also states that these nurses have been rude to former DON's and ADON"s and that she has spoken to them about "improving patient care".....How does she know about their former actions??? Why is she talking to them about how they should treat their pts.???
If she is young enough to be their granddaughter, she is probably a fairly new employee....Is she their boss??? I don't understand why she is so concerned and why she is telling these seasoned nurses how to treat patients.....??????? maybe I misread the post, but it is not clear, the one nurse is the 11-7 supervisor so what is the OP"s position??