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?
One of the young nurses asked me why Mrs. X ( who is 95) won't take her seriously.............I told her Mrs. X has underwear older than you, and they don't boogie down the hallways during med-pass. ..................
My mother is 79 y/o and just stopped working about a year and a half ago.
She had an injury and had to quit. If it hadn't been for that she'd probably still be going.
I wouldn't call her having had sat around waiting breathlessly for retirement. She was working and with today's nursing shortage, we need all who are able and willing to work. Your elders....... NOT OLD DOGS......have alot of good work experience and ethics to give to the work force. She was never late to work, never called in sick, and got her work done. How many young nurses can say that?
What an insult the Original Poster has given to our great nurses of the field.
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?
Hi there,
Uh, did you ever contemplate that maybe they already tried various positions or other settings in the past. Maybe they tried them for a decade or more and KNOW where they best prefer to be? The learning curve is really great for new grads, (like soon to be me) who start out knowing zilch, zippo, nada nothing. Hopefully once we get going we may get to enjoy actually specializing our knowledge in a field or fields which interest us. What would you prefer then, to ditch it all just because you had really found the area you love and had been there for fifteen years? I doubt so.
I think one mistake many new nurses make is to pretend to have more knowledge/experience than they do. For instance, I had a newbie (less than 2 yrs RN) tell me today that Levaquin was an antidepressant. After I corrected her, she argued w/me-- I suggested she look it up, but, hey, I'm not going to argue- eventually those who think they "know-it-all" will look foolish & hopefully figure some things out-- albeit the hard way!
Hi,
Gosh, maybe she misheard Levofloxacin or misremembered it? Hmm, looking at my pharm book the only close similar name for anti-depression that I see is loxapine, (or loxitan)-a dibenzoxazepine- derivitive. Not a -quinalone at all.
Well it could have been a teaching moment but, only you know best what was going on with the two of you.
Specializes in home & public health, med-surg, hospice.
Okay, I was really reluctant to respond to this thread b/c honestly, I think the OP is full of sh!t and this had to have been a j/k, right? And really, I'm not trying to be "mean" I just, you know, it's so absurd that anyone could make blanket statements like this and be sincere.
However, I have decided to respond b/c I feel I would be neglectful in not coming to the defense of all the experienced nurses who have been so good to me (especially when i think what the excess of responses would be if this was the other way around) and who cont. to perservere despite all of the hardships that accompany the environment that most nurses must work in.
I am very offended by the disrespect you have shown to your collegues (assuming you even are a nurse). In implying b/c they are "older" they are less apt to want to learn...geez
I want to tell y'all a story and you can take it for what it's worth (which may not be anything to you). I had only been a nurse about 2 years when, after the birth of my child my mother who was DON of a home health agency offered me a job working PRN. Back then (this was about 10 years ago) they had really been pushing the "charting by exception" model in school - in other words you only chart what's abnormal and your task. So that's what my charting was like, only charted what I did (wound care, f/c care, meds, teaching, etc.) and what was abnormal. Almost, every single note I did initially (and then some) my Mom would call me in to correct. She would ask things like, "what was this person's psychosocial status" "what was their support system like, do they have one" "what was their demeanor like" "what was their environemnt like" on and on.
I felt so mistreated. Like she was just "picking on" me. I was so d@mn stupid! I mean, yeah, I had heard all the "holistic" crap in school and yada, yada, yada. But when I got out I just acted nice and performed my tasks. With her correction, she made me think. Now that I've returned to get my Bachelor's 12 years later, guess what? My care plans, they kick @ss. And you know why? Because of my own experience and b/c I had an older nurse who cared enough to share her knowledge with a younger who thought they already knew it all (or @ least enough to "get by" - I've never been as pompous as some of these ppl gettin' all ate up these days).
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 don't like being called an old-timer. Those of us who can stick it out until retirement deserve a metal. I don't care what the age of my patient is or what their diagnosis is, they still all deserve the best I have to offer them.
Whoa, I read it through, slowly this time, and yes an apology is in order, would the OP be brave enough to admit she made a mistake and shouldn't have been so callous? We'll see. I do wonder also if she/he is even a nurse?
You know this is a HOT topic..with many battles brewing!!!!
First of all, I do see nurses who "eat their own" but I also see new nurses who think they know it all!!! It goes both ways. Some people just have the mindset that "it is their way or the highway!"
In my experiences, I've had more of the "can't teach an old dog new trick" thing...especially for a nurse that has always worked at the same facility or field. I've had both with new grads. My most disappointing experience has been older nurses who make derogatory statements about nursing students. I am a Instructor at the local school. We were in a facility just last week and the studnts overherd a nurse saying, "Why do we have to have those dumb nursing students here?" That sets an awful first impression...and it is quite discouraging to students.
I guess in a nutshell...there are many on both sides...we just have to do our best to share education/new information with our co-workers...as well as, accept new ideas/ information from others as well. Without insinuating that the other nurse is wrong!!! This is one of the biggest reasons that nurses bulk at new information/ideas. They don't like to be told they are wrong or not doing something right. Also, prior to imparting new knowledge, we need to use some of the change theories/ methods to help increase the acceptance of the new ideas.
amen to that! :) i've had to chew on a few interns and seasoned docs in my nursing career, but i've never tasted a young nurse -- and don't plan to. i like my "meat" "seasoned". :rotfl:
OP, all though I relize that you were probally not trying to insult anybody by using "old dogs" as a thread topic.. but it truly is not a proper way to go about this conversation.
I will graduate in 4 months from nursing school and I know that I do not know everything far from it. I also agree with one of the post stating that nursing school prepares you to take boards and to do basic care I concur with that also. I think what the OP was trying to get at was the attitude that some have with the young... but I have had issues with RNS on the floor that has just graduated and some that have been there 20, 30 years or longer. I think its an individuals personality that causes trouble. I have encountered some that have been wonderful in teaching and I have found others that would rather take the bridge then deal with a student or a GN for that matter. I am leaving some days feeling belittled and a complete moron. Now I am a sensitive person and get my feelings hurt easily so that may not help much. Not to mention that we all know how busy we are no matter where your at what unit you are in, it is busy and some times it takes alot of time to teach somebody when it needs to be done. I just constantly get the attitude that I dont have time for this and do it this way and no rational behind why I am being told to do something that particualr way. I love nursing. I like what you can do for people in the profession, but I also feel like we could be doing alot for each other also. We are a family we are caring individuals and we all bring our own strenghs to the table and we all have our weaknessesm but is this not why were working as a team. To get the job done with everybodys abilities. The young dont be "obnoxious" but you seasoned nurses, take the time too teach us eager youngstrs that really care and want to make a difference.
Just as a side note I do not mean to offend anybody with my post so please do no take it that way if I offended anybody I am sorry.
ROSE
live4today, RN
5,099 Posts
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