Nurses Past Their Prime

loriangel14, RN · Jun 17, 2008

The OP has a bad attitude so i guess she would be no help in an emergency.

leslie :-D · Jun 17, 2008

Incidentally, I work with a young nurse who is lazy and shirks work. She sits on her backside as often as she can, and tries her best to 'delegate' any and all tasks to others. She lacks respect for more experienced, older nurses and tries to get away with as much as humanly possible.

i'm thinking these types of nurses, are the ones who age into the nurses that everyone wants to retire.

i'm enjoying these ironies.

leslie

FireStarterRN, BSN, RN · Jun 17, 2008

i'm thinking these types of nurses, are the ones who age into the nurses that everyone wants to retire.
i'm enjoying these ironies.
leslie

:chuckle:smokin: You got it, leslie, old girl!

aloevera · Jun 17, 2008

my, oh my, with the present shortage going on and the attitudes of some of the younger nurses, I am afraid of where healthcare is heading......!!! ??????

I have been a nurse for over 22 yrs. I do think I am somewhat slower than when I was younger, but I am also more patient, more caring, and more careful......and definately more experienced !! I have left the med-surg setting and gone in to psych..I just love it, and the new nurses that come in get all of my knowledge and experience, I love teaching them...what a shame that this is how they feel towards us..I guess they go home and make fun of me too !!! I hate the thought of one day being a pt. myself and getting one of these arrogant, snippy, younger nurses !!!! I will ask for the "oldtimer" for sure...that is one thing I have taken from these posts...

Pity, Pity, Pity....when I was young, I was taught to "respect my elders", I guess we all didn't teach this new generation that....

leslie :-D · Jun 17, 2008

you know, this thread reminds me of one of my favorite nurses, "mary" who was in her 70's when i worked with her.

she had been a nurse for 50+ yrs and most nurses couldn't stand working with her.

mary was militant, abrupt, high strung and nurses (of all ages) just didn't know how to take her, and remained intimidated.

personally, i found her to be a professional in every sense of the word.

i watched her w/pts and her art in distracting them from highly invasive procedures, while she did said procedure in matter of minutes:

i watched her assess a pt in matter of seconds, and knew what kind of challenges we would be tackling.

i watched her cradle a screaming, anguished aids baby (hooked up to multiple lines, monitors) while also appeasing a screaming, hysterical mom...

she calmed both of them down within minutes.

i found this woman amazing, and will always be one of my personal heroes.

i'll bet my bottom dollar that many of these senior nurses, could run circles around most of us.

truly, i'm in awe of these women.

and truly, when you interact with them 1:1, you immediately see past the 'image' and recognize the wealth of knowledge and experience they have to offer.

so as far as i'm concerned, i don't care if they are physically slower...

i want these nurses around as long as humanly possible, for their impact on palpable achievement, far surpasses the obstacles we face in growing older.

they're an inspiration.

learn from these nurses, and pay it forward. :balloons:

leslie

suzy253, RN · Jun 17, 2008

Bravo Leslie....as usual!!! :yeah:

jessiern, BSN, RN · Jun 17, 2008

I have not read all of the post here, and I apoligize for that. But from reading the last couple of pages, and the OP, I would like to state my opinion.

#1. Bad attitude has not a thing to do with age. I have worked with older nurse with bad attitudes, and younger nurses with bad attitude. If one has a bad attitude, then one just has a bad attitude. End of story.

#2. Give me an old, cranky nurse any day. She is experienced, and that is worth its wait in gold. Anyone that tried to "boot" these women out of the field are cutting off their own nose. A great deal can be learned from years of experience, and I pity the patient coding with only young, fresh, new nurses in the room.

#3. I find it hard to believe that a group of professional could argue for nine pages about something as stupid as age. Even to go so far as to say nursing should have an age limit? That's crazy, and thankfully discrimination laws would prohibt that. Do you really think that one's age is the sole determining factor as to whether they can perform their job? Or what determines if they have a "good attitude". That's crazy, and surely you all are intelligent enough to know so.

I think this whole thread from what I have read is full of generalization, and surely you guys have learned enough to know that statements made saying the younger generation has not learned manners is a bit too broad to be true. Plently of us have respect for the older nurses, and admiration. I know I do. So please don't throw me in the blender with the young nurses trying to put you out to pasture.

And I would like to end by reminding the young nurses what an great nurse (in her 50's) told me. The best retirement plan for an old nurse is marrying a rich man. Basically, retirement plans aren't great...they suck for us. That's why so many nurses are there "after their prime" as you say. Be careful with judgement, as circumstances may put you in those well worn shoes one day.

ERbunny · Jun 17, 2008

I am so very disappointed by the ageism displayed by some of the younger RNs on this board. There are several other posts and threads where ageism is rearing its ugly head. It is also showing up in my workplace where some of the very young techs seem to think they have to tell me things I have known since before they were born. Here are some facts:

In 3 three weeks I will celebrate both 40 years as an rn, working all but 3 of those years full time in ERs and ICUs, and I will also turn 60 .

I am still being asked to precept both new grads, and new hires, and I absolutely love it. Some of them have even requested me. It is fabulous to take part in their professional growth, and perhaps feel a little responsible for it.

I work an average of 48 hrs/week on 7p-7a, am very prodective and get good evals from my supervisor and peers--all of them younger !!

Aside from the divisive and mean attitudes expressed here, I have a sincere concern that these angry young nurses are giving poor care to their elder patients. Unless they spend their entire careers in Peds or OB they will be encountering an aging population over the foreseeable future. I used to joke about who would take care of us when we need it, now I wonder if they will even want to.

Best wishes to all.

Josh L.Ac. · Jun 17, 2008

Just to clarify, ageism is discriminating against an older [or younger] person and prejudging their abilities based solely on their age. Each nurse should be evaluate by their ability to carry out their duties. Period.

On the other hand, if you consistently have to pick up the older nurse's workload, catch important tasks that they forgot, and work faster and more efficiently in nearly every measure, then stating that they should retire or transfer is not ageism; it is making an educated observation.

Since we aren't going to use age as a justification to discriminate against the older nurse, then conversely we cannot justify their inability to carry out their duties by just chalking it up to age, nor should be "let it slide" because they are close to retirement. In addition, the younger nurse shouldn't have to pick up the slack with the justification that they "are young and can handle it". After all, wouldn't that be ageism?

lamazeteacher · Jun 17, 2008

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
I look forward to your coments:wink2:

"Grumpy" and "Nasty" may be depressed and unhappy......... after 25 years of knocking themselves out as Nurses. Many get "burnt out" and need an injection of diversion, certainly relief from the night shift might help that one (but I'll bet she'll defend her position by saying she dislikes the day shift, as it's busier, with administrative types roaming around, and in the evening there's all those visitors....,yatata yatata yatata). They need incentives to change - we all do.

If education is promoted at your facility, perhaps they could take a course that would get them away for a while...... and add to their self knowledge or knowledge base as 25 years after taking Nursing School right after High School, would/should put them right at their prime, at 45+/- years of age. Personally I love to tell young nurses how much I appreciate the equipment in use today, instead of sterilizing glass syringes and sharpening barbed old needles on the unit eons ago. (I'm 69 and still going strong.)

In the case of the night Nurse Supervisor, sleep deprivation ( a torture method) could be her problem. I've worked that shift more years than I care to think about, and usually you sleep a few hours when you get home,

then wake up and think you can get some things done, then just before leaving for work, realize that more sleep/coffee would make life better. Mistakes are more frequent at night, and when a new dilemma comes up (like no more functional IV pumps) there's no one who could rescue/explain what to do. (We used to go cross-eyed, counting drops to make sure the correct rate is administered.......)

The best way to help Nurses who have become worn out, is to stay clear of them. Answer their lights if you can and always give them warm fuzzy praise for giving you information you needed, sympathizing about the miles that supervisor walked to get to you (not in a saccharine way). Most of us are somewhat co-dependant and hooked on appreciation. :yeah:

I know your world would be immeasurably superior without others plodding

around who contribute less than you think they should, to the scheme of things. Just remember that will be you, some day.

lamazeteacher · Jun 17, 2008

Thanks for your reply.
Your response is our current plan and we are giving this plan some time. We understand that we are all getting to know each other and building a new trusting relationship. But I am really concerned about the next nursing generation that are working under very negative conditions. I know that nursing eats its young, I just dont want the next generation of nurses to become discouraged or repeat the same negative behaviors that they are seeing. Their are so many wonder things that I am looking forward to rolling out for all of the staff. I am looking for very strong, motivated nursing leaders that take pride in the Art of Nursing .

Your willingness to see another's point of view is excellent, and the biggest step toward improvement. It's very important to access the strengths of your staff and help them get recognition for the skills they pride themselves for having. :heartbeat

Remember that depression dogs many of us, after years and years of giving more than we get - and those in most need of counseling and medication for that, are the ones who shy away from it (for a multitude of reasons).

I cried excessively for many years until my doctor said "would you like to try an antidepressant?" (I'd gone to her for a URI that wouldn't leave me, and couldn't stop crying). After 3 weeks on Effexor XR, I was a new woman!

bob7rob7 · Jun 17, 2008

And have you actually worked with an "older" nurse that did not want to share with you? Find that hard to believe.
Most of us oldies love to teach and share, and I have been doing it throughout my career and still do it every day at work.
Please do not consider us older nurses that old and need to be put out to pasture just yet. And what are you referring to as old? There are actually many new or recent grads that have just started and they are in their mid 40s and 50s.

I was not the original poster of this thread. I said clearly that is what I find hard to believe, based on the other posts and the original post in this thread. However, I have heard it from too many people for there not to be some truth to it. I am glad you are the exception. The older nurse thread was started by someone else, so don't blame me.