Do you in nursing land find that old time nurses, those with many years in the career, dont want to learn new things?- like learning to care for a new kind of patient than they are used to, for instance going from LTC to a more acute setting or rotating from a geriatric unit to a unit with younger, more alert residents, which would require learning new skills?
Ive spoken to a few old timers, and they seem only to want to coast until retirement.
They dont seem to feel obligated to stretch themselves, to maintain and update there skills- wouldnt they feel better about themselves as nurses if they did take on new responsibilities?
Is this the normal course of evolution in the career of nurses?
I just turned 55 and I just can't quit. I started an FNP program last year...among other things. What the new smart-alex nurses (not the humble ones) might want to realize is this. Our educational system is going downhill and has been since us old guys got out. I taught nursing twice...a few years apart. The second time I couldn't believe how fast things were going to pot. The university even had remedial courses...remedial courses in college!! What the heck are high schools not doing that forces universities to have remedial courses? I remember putting one potential nursing student in all remedial courses for her first semester.
At least us old guys got out when school was good. Now...what do you want to ask us, LOL!
I am perplexed too as the OP seems very willing to throw out a loaded question, but doesn't seem to return to comment on the posts...hmmm.
I've posted a thread before, and not been able to get back to it for a couple of days, due to other personal issues. Some people don't have the time to visit several times a day everyday.
The more I think about the original post, the more I feel it might be a thesis/study group topic. I can just see Professor B. assigning it and "saying ok you kids prepare to get flamed."
Anyway, in my experience, it's the older nurses that are more inclined to learn new things. Even though i've only been one for less than 2 years, i've already seen a few newer ones that are only going to do what they HAVE to do and nothing more.
Do you in nursing land find that old time nurses, those with many years in the career, dont want to learn new things? Is this the normal course of evolution in the career of nurses?
Speaking as an older nurse (30 years exp), not an "old dog", we have to learn new things whether or not we want to. If you had been around 30 years ago... we did not have IV pumps, we calculated gtts by using the roller clamp and how many times would a confused CHF patient play with the clamp and you'd go in 30 minutes later to find the whole liter infused, the nurses stood up at the nurses station when a doctor entered, we walked behind them during rounds and carried their charts, we didn't have computers to look up labs or meds, we charted on every patient every two hours (actually write) because it was mandatory, we had to pour meds out of bottles, put them in medicine cups and put a little card with the patients name and room number next to it and put them all on a little tray. No med cart, no such thing as a glucometer, telemetry at the desk, no printers, you get the idea. Besides these facts, I for one, love to learn about new advances and new ways of doing things. I am from the old school of peroxide and neosporin for wounds and have recently learned that peroxide destroys cells that promote healing and NS is far more preferable. I am sure there are nurses who are stuck in their ways. The 50'ish nurses I work with are all happy to keep up-to-date. Thanks for the chance to reminisce!
Hey PRMENRS, remember the days of no fetal monitors!? I do !!
I love dogs, I have 8 of them, they are my best friends, but I don't appreciate being called an "old dog", although I don't find it humorous I don't think the OP meant it in that manner. If she did, shame on her.
Like DutchGirl and some of the previous posters I am an experienced nurse of 36 years. Her post brought back lots of memories of my first years in Nursing. Nursing has grown by leaps and bounds over the years. So many things that are commonplace on the units now were nonexistant when I first started. I remember as a new grad feeling really scared because I was afraid that my patients and their families would expect me to know things I didn't. I thought that when I was out of nursing for a year I would feel much more comfortable and by the time I had been a nurse for 5 years I would be a pro. How little I knew then.
More experienced nurses have to keep learning and changing if we want to keep our jobs and do them well. We have no choice. But many of us choose to go above and beyond in our learning.
Unfortunately in todays society some people want to do the bare minimum to get by. Then you have those hotshots that think they know everything based on little real experience. This isn't just a nursing problem or confined to any particular age group. I don't know what the answer for that is.
Back to the thread, I only consider myself an older nurse in terms of nursing experience. In years, I'm still a young pup.
So when you work with younger patients you are challenged more? Oh, I get it geriatric pts are easier and you don't do much for them, after all they are old?
Wow. I'm hoping the OP is reading these posts, so they many actually learn from us.
Like DutchGirl and some of the previous posters I am an experienced nurse of 36 years. Her post brought back lots of memories of my first years in Nursing. Nursing has grown by leaps and bounds over the years. So many things that are commonplace on the units now were nonexistant when I first started. I remember as a new grad feeling really scared because I was afraid that my patients and their families would expect me to know things I didn't. I thought that when I was out of nursing for a year I would feel much more comfortable and by the time I had been a nurse for 5 years I would be a pro. How little I knew then.
More experienced nurses have to keep learning and changing if we want to keep our jobs and do them well. We have no choice. But many of us choose to go above and beyond in our learning.
Unfortunately in todays society some people want to do the bare minimum to get by. Then you have those hotshots that think they know everything based on little real experience. This isn't just a nursing problem or confined to any particular age group. I don't know what the answer for that is.
Back to the thread, I only consider myself an older nurse in terms of nursing experience. In years, I'm still a young pup.
zenman
1 Article; 2,806 Posts
I just turned 55 and I just can't quit. I started an FNP program last year...among other things. What the new smart-alex nurses (not the humble ones) might want to realize is this. Our educational system is going downhill and has been since us old guys got out. I taught nursing twice...a few years apart. The second time I couldn't believe how fast things were going to pot. The university even had remedial courses...remedial courses in college!! What the heck are high schools not doing that forces universities to have remedial courses? I remember putting one potential nursing student in all remedial courses for her first semester.
At least us old guys got out when school was good. Now...what do you want to ask us, LOL!