Other Side of Coin---Less than Humble New Grads

Nurses General Nursing

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We hear a lot about 'eating our young', something which I personally experienced myself, btw, but what about the other side of the coin? How do we handle 'know it all' new grads who overstep their bounds? I've also run into this.

What about the new grad who is so full of her/him self, and who shows a lack of understanding and/or respect for the established members of the unit? Any thoughts???

Specializes in LTC.
lilgirl if a staff nurse told you to shut so see could listen to the intercom. Just Shut Up. Important things are announced over the intercom like CODES. And you're darn lucky the said staff nurse did not report you to your professor for "The Look." In another post you said if you give respect you get respect. Giving the staff nurse the Look is not giving respect. Granted the staff nurse could have said it nicely but your response would have earned you a ticket off the floor.

We did shut up. But my point was she could have said please be quiet instead of just "shut up". We weren't loud just quietly discussing something about school. Shut up is not my perception of giving respect, so if she had given respect so would I.

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Specializes in Telemetry, ICU, Resource Pool, Dialysis.
We did shut up. But my point was she could have said please be quiet instead of just "shut up". We weren't loud just quietly discussing something about school. Shut up is not my perception of giving respect so if she had given respect so would I.[/quote']

I agree...it was a very rude way for her to approach the situation. The phrase "shut up" doesn't belong anywhere (IMO), especially a professional work environment.

I believe, though, that withholding respectful behavior when someone is disrespectful to you just perpetuates the cycle of rudeness. You don't neccesarily have to respect her (I don't think she deserves it) but you have to try to maintain a respectful demeanor. That doesn't mean bend over and take it, just assert yourself in a respectful way - rise above it. Believe me, we all ran into people like her while we were in school - just don't let it get you down.

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Specializes in LTC.
I agree...it was a very rude way for her to approach the situation. The phrase "shut up" doesn't belong anywhere (IMO), especially a professional work environment.

I believe, though, that withholding respectful behavior when someone is disrespectful to you just perpetuates the cycle of rudeness. You don't neccesarily have to respect her (I don't think she deserves it) but you have to try to maintain a respectful demeanor. That doesn't mean bend over and take it, just assert yourself in a respectful way - rise above it. Believe me, we all ran into people like her while we were in school - just don't let it get you down.

Point taken. NOt an excuse for my behavior. How hard it is though (for me) to be gracious to someone who comes across like that. Will have to work on that. Thanks for the reply

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Specializes in LTC.
Oh yeah I've had a few of those. They know it all, tell you "I'm really just waiting to get into the ER or ICU". And are never around for cleaning up poop.

I agree that as experienced persons we much learn the difference between confidence and unsafe arrogance and ego.

Fortunately, they are few and far between. I do my best to make them listen to what I'm teaching and know what my expectations are. And if a patient needs cleaning they are right there with that wash cloth. They can sigh, roll their eyes, whine while we're cleaning up poop all they want. I have my job to do as a preceptor and I will not let the new grad or myself down.

Fortunately the new grad I'm precepting now is a sponge, always asking questions, and eager to work with the enthusiasm that only a new grad has. :)

Tweety I wish you were at our hospital. I ask questions to the point that I think they get sick of me. Probably they are just sooooo busy. But I have to say most no the majority of them are very helpful and insightful to our many questions. If they could all just be like you (right all the time! haha from another thread Tweety). :chuckle

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Specializes in Telemetry, ICU, Resource Pool, Dialysis.
Point taken. NOt an excuse for my behavior. How hard it is though (for me) to be gracious to someone who comes across like that. Will have to work on that. Thanks for the reply

It's really hard for me to be gracious to someone like that, too. I have to work on it daily if I'm around someone like that. In the end, it works to your advantage, though - the other person starts to look like a fool of their own making. I had a really bad experience when I first started in ICU with a house sup with a HUGE ego. She attempted to publicly humiliate me during a crisis situation with my patient. Even going so far as to stick her finger in front of my face. I was stunned - you know that feeling you get when you can't believe someone is treating you so badly? Fortunately, I didn't have the time to strike back (that was my first instinct). Just continued to do what I knew needed to be done for the patient. The thing was, she didn't have a clue what she was talking about, but spent all morning defending her behavior. I think she ended up being "talked to" by a doctor and the head of respiratory over the incident. She literally avoided me for weeks - wouldn't even walk through the unit if I was there. After she started coming around again, I never said a word about it and acted as politely and respectfully as I do towards everybody else. Luckily, she and her ego moved on to greener pastures.

It just takes practice, but it can be done.

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Specializes in Rodeo Nursing (Neuro).
Im a nursing student and just want to say...no know it all here! Im scared to death for my first clincals.....coming up in 3 weeks! I am so afraid I will come off looking like an idiot...Im very book smart, but I have never been to clinicals and I hope that im hands on smart too...things seem to go well in skills lab but, dummies really can't give you feedback...sigh...flipping back to the other side of the coin, I really hope that my clincal instructor doesnt "eat me"...there is only 1 hospital in the area in which I live that I know that prob would happen...with my luck i'll get assigned to that hospital...

just a q. for you guys..if you were in the hospital would you let a student nurse in clinicals take you on as a pt or would you refuse?

Something like 8 out of my first 10 patients in clinicals were nurses, retired nurses, or aides. I'd like to believe my instructors were assigning patients who could help a very nervous student, but honestly, I fear they may have been providing some laughs for ailing colleagues.

I won't tell you not to worry. You will worry. But you'll start out pretty easy and progress to more difficult stuff over time, and you'll do great.

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i believe a lot of the problem starts with students not being told how to behave in clinicals and not knowing routines of running a unit. I was told where to congregate, where not to, don't hang around the desk, or get in the way, be a sponge without being pushy, let the charge nurse know politely you're taking the chart, be aware the staff is busy, etc.

This stuff seems commonsense but a lot of students today don't seem to know this. I can't tell you how many times students have hung around my desk when I was charge..hogging my computer when they should realize I have orders to input. Giggling and loud and silly behavior (yes I need to hear the intercoms too, like Medsurg nurse did...I'm on the code team).They would even take my chair and obscure the monitor...totally disrupting the desk and the work I, the secretary and the monitor tech needed to do. They seemed to have zero comprehension they were in our way.

I understood they probably just wanted to be where the action was, but there is limited enough space there...and we leave a chair open for the docs when they make rounds, so they can access the second computer and talk to the charge nurse. I was told stuff like this ahead of time.

Where was their instructor and why didn't she tell them ahead of time how to bahave on the unit?? That would have saved a lot of hurt feelings, because not only did I and the nurses have to get after them, so did the docs. :(

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I think most new grads start out with the Crusader Rabbit Syndrome...as did I back in the days when dinosaurs roamed freely. Doesn't take long to understand that book-knowledge is a poor substitute for the real world. They come around.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

the saddest thing about a newbie with a know-it-all attitude is that you can't teach them anything! i've run into a few . . . and years later, there are still significant gaps in their knowlege base.

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Specializes in Neuro, Critical Care.
It's really hard for me to be gracious to someone like that, too. I have to work on it daily if I'm around someone like that. In the end, it works to your advantage, though - the other person starts to look like a fool of their own making. I had a really bad experience when I first started in ICU with a house sup with a HUGE ego. She attempted to publicly humiliate me during a crisis situation with my patient. Even going so far as to stick her finger in front of my face. I was stunned - you know that feeling you get when you can't believe someone is treating you so badly? Fortunately, I didn't have the time to strike back (that was my first instinct). Just continued to do what I knew needed to be done for the patient. The thing was, she didn't have a clue what she was talking about, but spent all morning defending her behavior. I think she ended up being "talked to" by a doctor and the head of respiratory over the incident. She literally avoided me for weeks - wouldn't even walk through the unit if I was there. After she started coming around again, I never said a word about it and acted as politely and respectfully as I do towards everybody else. Luckily, she and her ego moved on to greener pastures.

It just takes practice, but it can be done.

I agree, this is probably the hardest lesson that I have had to learn. The first thing I want to do when Im in a situation like that is, lash out at that person. Its an instinct to defend yourself, I admit i'm still working on it! Taking the high road is not easy, but in the end, after you cool off, you are very glad you did:)

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
I wish you were my preceptor Tweety:)

Would love too.

I love percepting students and new grads because I learn so much. You're knowledge is so recent and up to date, we can learn from each other.

Lately though it's so rough and busy on the floor, I've been so scatterbrained and behind, I don't feel like much of a mentor. Fortunately the preceptee has been out of time and didn't have to see me like this. LOL :)

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Specializes in NICU.
Just Shut Up.

That's nice.

The phrase "shut up" doesn't belong anywhere (IMO), especially a professional work environment.

ITA, "shut up" is something little kids say to each other. I used to get my mouth smacked when I said it as a kid.

I would love for Tweety or Deb or Marla or any number of the great nurses on this forum to precept me!! Yalls students and preceptees are very fortunate. I had a WONDERFUL preceptor during my preceptorship last semester, I hope I can get lucky enough to get another one when I start working.

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