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 deal with these issues on a daily basis and yes some nurses that are seasoned are burned out and can not retire and are too afraid to change and grow. I have been a nurse for almost 30 years and am always learning and growing and love the new generation of staff. Please know that many of these nurses are unhappy in their lives in general and maybe with their kids (in their 20s or 30s). What needs to happen is when horizontal violence is occuring in the workplace, management needs to take a stand and not tolerate it. If this is allowed to continue, our new generation of nurses will leave and there will be no good nurses to care for us. There is a lot of work about dealing with generational issues. Do a literature review and also I think AACN has done some work on this too. Hang in there!!!
i think it goes both ways , many young nurses also have situations where they can get a attutide , but i always tell them , we need to work together , we are there for the patient not to bicker... the new nurses have alot to give they know new things i don't know , and i know things they don't and i want them to feel comfertable coming to me .
i had a new nurse ( well she's been on our floor for a year ) , she never put down a ng tube , and wanted me to do it for her.. i told her NO , you need to do it .. you have to learn to do it yourself , and i will come in with you.. she was relieved and we did it together ,, she did a fine job and i was happy to help her...
nursing is dealing with people's lives it's not a matter of " moving up the ladder to a better job" you need seasoned nurses to show you how to do things , school just hsows you the basics.. but dealing with people's lives you need to have the expirenced nurses to show you the way
to tell you the truth i would hate to be a patient on the floor where there are all new young nurses .. you need the expirence nurses as a anchor for reference , and to guide the new nurses .. this job is not one to be taken lightly ...
i've worked with crusty nurses ( young and old) before and they have been not so nice to me , and still do sometimes, but i am always kind to them and ask them if they need help... if your kind to someone who is mean , sometimes you find out why they are having toubles... be toleratant of others and know they have lives and children too , i always put my best foot forward ...no matter what happens...
there will always be nurses graduating and learning , if the nurse leaves the profession because of someone else , if she gives someone else that control over her or his life , then she needs to move on to another job..
i would never never let anyone make me quit my job because they were mean to me.... i've been a nurse for 23 years and have had co workers mean to me... so what, who cares .. i don't have to live with them or marry them .. i work with them.. i go home and forget them... you just gotta learn to work with different people.... thats life..
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
my attitude is just fine and thank you for your concern. i am and will never be responsible for the nursing shortage. i will say after reading most of these entries that if you look the younger generation of nurses feels the same way i do - that it is time that older nurses who can't cut it anymore need to step aside and let the younger ones in to start their careers. i will never apologize for stating the truth and other nurses feel the way i do.
i believe you when you say "i am responsible for the nursing shortage." you and others like you! there's no reason anyone has to step aside for you to start your career, but your attitude and your lack of apology for it may go a long ways toward explaining why you seem to have difficulty getting along with your more experienced co-workers.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i work with a nurse who is mean & nasty to everybody but the don. this nurse backstabs & is just plain disruptive, not to mention drug errors that have occured. she is in her 60's and needs to retire. teamwork is not a part of her vocabulary. i don't know why she is still employed it's not like there isn't another nurse to take her place.
and your point would be? i work with plenty of younger nurses who spend the entire day texting their friends, surfing the internet and sitting on their butts eating chocolate while us "old dogs who need to retire" do all the work. lazy is lazy; age is another issue. and one that has nothing to do with how hard one works, how much one has kept up with the changes in the field or one's attitude.
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.
i agree 100% .. i wish i could of wrote my thoughts as well as you did.. nurses are their own worst enemy and i see that with these posts , these angry young nurses maybe have some issues of their own.. yes there are crabby meanie nurses out there , and we have all worked with them .. and they are from the old school , i am sure every nurse on this board has worked with a sour puss nurse.. i would never quit my job over the fact they were mean to me .. who cares ?? why would you leave the job you worked so hard in school to achieve , because a nurse was mean to you?? why ?? seems like an easy way or a convient excuse for not wanting to do a very difficult job... boo hoo the nurse was mean to me and so i'm going to quit my job and lively hood?? it would be a cold day in heck when someone made me quit my job because they had social issues...
nursing isn't a bed of roses and it's tough and they will meet all sorts of people , if you give people to power to upset you and make you quit your job , then you shouldn't be a nurse.... welcome to the real world
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.
Attitudes are hard to change, and since anyone over 35 may seem "old" to some, it's young to others. The part of your post "I have heard it from too many others....." indicates that you have been tainted by misinformation, and certainly you are right that you didn't start the thread about that - and you don't want to be blamed for that (which illustrates that you are being defensive about your attitude toward those several decades older than you are.
You won't find any agreement among "older" Nurses about decreasing skill and mental acuity. Alzheimers isn't pervasive among seniors, and senile dementia can be forstalled many ways. My sister who was always sharp is 10 years older than I am, and showed me the things that could happen to me within the next decade. That kept me realistic about aging, and I know now, that it is doubtful that I'll be working as a Nurse at 79 years old. So now I have to really plan to be retired in the next decade. I'm grateful to her for showing me that - and scared about having altered capacities.
My example is a co-worker who is in her 60's, backstabs other employees, makes drug errors such as giving meds not even prescribed to residents. As far as being a young nurse I am far from that. This nurse makes the statement of "nurses eating their young". Of course I suppose her usefulness could be "she is the prime example of the type of nurse I DO NOT want to be." I have worked with older nurses who only in my dreams could I hope to be like. So some how if this has turned into an age fest its not on my end anyway.
Kizzy, you express yourself beautifully, here and on your other postings.
Dear colleagues --the reason this turned into a discussion of age is the inflammatory phrase "past their prime". The obvious conclusion from so many readings of this and other threads is that bad attitiudes occur in all age groups, the challenge for managers is how to deal with them. Good luck.
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?
I'm kind of touchy about this thread, as I definitely qualify as the "older" Nurse. However, I am not prone to forgetting to do things, nor do I "slack", resulting in others having to do my work. I do have "senior moments" when a word escapes recall, and I have to express myself using a different word. If it's the name of a drug that I've forgotten (usually in casual conversation) I look it up. That can cause others to draw inaccurate conclusions that "diss" me, and that's very uncomfortable.
Just as there are people who are more comfortable within their own ethnic, age, religious groups within which they share certain experiences, Nurses aren't immune from that and although they can't possibly experience life as all other individuals may, conclusions can be drawn which influence the way others are seen and judgments are made which are discriminatory.
Please regard us as any other new person you meet, and see what we're like before drawing conclusions!
I don't believe it has anything to do with nurses past their prime. I am 70 and work part-time complimented all the time by patient's on my care and empathy. Patient's actually write letters to my Manager and DON complimenting me. I am not blowing my own horn I'm just pointing out it's not a case of past their prime.
I think it is just the personality of the nurse coming out, and there isn't very much you can do about it except to fire them.
There comes a time in an older nurses career when he/she just can't cut it anymore, but they are too prideful to get out of the business therefore making it ultimately miserable for newer nurses to grow in their careers. I wish there was an age limitation on nurses to either have to quit or be removed from the workforce when they continue to be crabby and mean to the other staff. I contribute the older nurses causing the younger newer nurses not to stay in nursing because of the way they are treated thus assisting the nursing shortage. The older nurses should help and teach the newer nurses the ropes instead of being mean and nasty. It is intimidating when you have an old nurse breathing down your neck and not willing to help you learn especially when you are a new kid on the block.
I am not sure where to begin. How do you know age has anything to do with not being able to cut it. I don't know how many young things I've seen who can't cut it and end up leaving soon after orientation. Has nothing to do with attitude just willingness to work and the disparity between what little they learned in school and how much you have to know to practice safely. As far as age limitations and forcing people to quit I think that is a poor idea. Read recently about a nurse in Michigan who worked full time nights in a nursing home and wanted to retire. Other nurses there couldn't fathom being without her and begged her to keep working at least part time. Her age? 90. More and more of us are going to be working until old age with inflation, poor social security etc. We've said for a long time that we would not be able to retire. Fortunately or unfortunately what I am is a nurse. Cannot see doing anything else and you can see from my profile I am no longer young.
Me too! I guess being 42 would make me ineligible to be a nurse according to the OP.
Don't believe it. She cannot be talking about someone who is only 42. You are just coming into your prime. Think she is talking about someone younger than myself but including everyone over whatever arbitrary age that is.
ohmeowzer RN, RN
2,306 Posts
i think it goes both ways , many young nurses also have situations where they can get a attutide , but i always tell them , we need to work together , we are there for the patient not to bicker... the new nurses have alot to give they know new things i don't know , and i know things they don't and i want them to feel comfertable coming to me .
i had a new nurse ( well she's been on our floor for a year ) , she never put down a ng tube , and wanted me to do it for her.. i told her NO , you need to do it .. you have to learn to do it yourself , and i will come in with you.. she was relieved and we did it together ,, she did a fine job and i was happy to help her...
nursing is dealing with people's lives it's not a matter of " moving up the ladder to a better job" you need seasoned nurses to show you how to do things , school just hsows you the basics.. but dealing with people's lives you need to have the expirenced nurses to show you the way
to tell you the truth i would hate to be a patient on the floor where there are all new young nurses .. you need the expirence nurses as a anchor for reference , and to guide the new nurses .. this job is not one to be taken lightly ...
i've worked with crusty nurses ( young and old) before and they have been not so nice to me , and still do sometimes, but i am always kind to them and ask them if they need help... if your kind to someone who is mean , sometimes you find out why they are having toubles... be toleratant of others and know they have lives and children too , i always put my best foot forward ...no matter what happens...
there will always be nurses graduating and learning , if the nurse leaves the profession because of someone else , if she gives someone else that control over her or his life , then she needs to move on to another job..
i would never never let anyone make me quit my job because they were mean to me.... i've been a nurse for 23 years and have had co workers mean to me... so what, who cares .. i don't have to live with them or marry them .. i work with them.. i go home and forget them... you just gotta learn to work with different people.... thats life..