Sink or Swim/Eat Their Own

[organic_matter]

Recall your first year(s) of nursing. Did you feel as if you went through a hazing or cruel initiation? Or--was it a supportive and caring experience with veteran nurses providing encouragement and mentoring?

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

It was a mixed bag. Sink or swim was definately part of it. I went to school, I graduated, I had an RN license. It was time to deliver and take some responsibility and carry my own load.

However, I worked with awesome nurses, and a great manager. Plus I was part of a nurse internship where we met on a weekly basis for a few months to go to classes and to talk and get support.

Overall I choose "leaning towards.....".

[awsnow]

The staff at my first nursing job chewed my a** all the time. I was a new grad going straight into critical care. I felt like no one would help me with anything. Needless to say this was a very scary and dangerous time in my career. I hated nursing everyday I had to work. I still remember my preceotor's words; " Now Amanda, when you are out of orientation, I won't be there to help you. You need to do this by yourself." YUCK!!

[TBLPN, LPN]

i had the exact situation. clinicals were awful. we always felt in the way, out of place, and crapped on. but once i got out there, my first real ltc job, it was fine, scarry, but fine. all the nurses were really nice, more than willing to help and answer questions without making you feel stupid. the don at this particular facility was more than helpful encouraged me to call her anytime with questions or whatever, and i did believe me!!! i felt like i was driving her crazy, but she was always very nice and helpful.

it seems like my hazing came with doing clinicals in school at the hospital. that was horrible experience and not very conducive to learning. we were treated like we were the scum of the earth and time was never taken to explain anything to us or to show us anything useful. we were made to feel like we were in the way, that we weren't worthy of their time since we were lpn students. i was told on more than one occassion, "well, since you're just a lpn.....".

when i started my first job at a ltc facility, i was scared to death that i would run into the same attitude but i didn't. i was welcomed with open arms, i feel free to ask questions, i'm included in conversations and nurses actually associate with me. the rns aren't embarrassed to be speaking with a lpn, it's just completely different. they ask for my opinion on things and it's just been a very pleasant experience.

[Loribabble]

For the most part I was really blessed. We had 3 months of new grad orientation and by the time that was over I felt ready to be on my own. Everyone was really supportive except one (why is there always one) - it was my last week and I had to orient to the ortho floor becuase we floated there... she sat on her butt all night long - only getting up to help one of the other nurses.... while I was comfortable with basic nursing care - I really didn't know much about ortho and she wouldn't answer my questions. The worst part is she sat aroung bit***ng about how easy the new grads had it and that we were spoiled etc- and told about all her horror stories. I only had her for 3 nights, my friend had her for the majority of her orientation and she was down right mean to her. My friend was an excellent nurse - had been an LVN for years and knew what she was doing, but she left in tears almost everyday because of this.... we both went to the educator who was really supportive and this woman was to never orient again....

[mattsmom81]

There were a few bad apples but I learned quick who was supportive and who to stay away from. A good skill to learn in nursing I've discovered...LOL!!

[jannecdote]

I tried posting to this once and Lord only knows where it went because I hit a button and it disappeared, lol.

Anyway, it was an awful experience for me out of school, but after being a stay-at-home mom for years, newly divorced, I had no clue about dealing with other people in the workforce so that kind of hurt me too. And being shy didn't help.

I got 10 days of orientation. I lost 40 pounds and developed an ulcer the first 3 months on the job. I was scared to death I was going to kill somebody. I felt like such a goober, and when the charge nurse said that she felt like I needed more orientation or I wasn't going to make it, I oriented another WEEK and prayed for God to help me because I knew my kids were depending on me and I wanted to do whatever it took for me to be a nurse. Trouble was, in our LPN training we were basically glorified CNA's and did not do much one- on-one care with patients and at this hospital, I had to pass meds, hang IV's, IVPB's, start IV's, NG tube insertions, etc. It was a busy med/surg floor--8 or more patients to one nurse and we rarely had a CNA on the floor.

I learned to speak up because if I asked a question in front of all the nurses, no one would even acknowledge me or try to help. So I learned to ask a question directly to a nurse. Even then, sometimes they would say they didn't have time for me. I was ignorant of a lot of things--I never thought to speak to the DON or anyone else about my worries or concerns. So again, I prayed. I prayed a lot. And I also learned to apply what I had studied to what I was doing. I did lack some initiative--too much fear of screwing up, I guess--so in a way it actually helped me sometimes to do things on my own.

Ultimately, it was a sink or swim matter. Thank the Lord I swam.

[Nurseboi]

I don't know what it is with nursing!!! We are so nice to our patients but seem to treat each other like crap!!!!!

I am currently doing a Post Graduate in Oncology and have been rotating throughout my hospital. I started on a fantastic ward, every staff member was so kind and supportive. I have just rotated to another ward and boy am I struggling!!!!!

I have never faced such horrible *****y attitudes in my LIFE!!!! I have been subjected to horizontal violence and it has absoulutly turned me off nursing!!

I just can't understand why Nurses are not more supportive to each other!! We have an extreamly stressfull job, both mentally and physicaly exahausting at times.

These horrible behaviours just create negativity in the work place. It is unproductive and highly unproffesional and sometimes it just hurts!!!

I have never felt so sad and disapointed about my job as I have in the last month.

Cheers,

Scotty!

[RN34TX]

I got 10 days of orientation. I lost 40 pounds and developed an ulcer the first 3 months on the job. I was scared to death I was going to kill somebody. I felt like such a goober, and when the charge nurse said that she felt like I needed more orientation or I wasn't going to make it, I oriented another WEEK and prayed for God to help me because I knew my kids were depending on me and I wanted to do whatever it took for me to be a nurse. Trouble was, in our LPN training we were basically glorified CNA's and did not do much one- on-one care with patients and at this hospital, I had to pass meds, hang IV's, IVPB's, start IV's, NG tube insertions, etc. It was a busy med/surg floor--8 or more patients to one nurse and we rarely had a CNA on the floor.

Stories like that are very disturbing to me. I hear that stuff and am so thankful that I did not experience those things as a new grad LPN or RN.

10 days of orientation on a med/surg floor as a new grad??

If you are still surviving on that floor you work on and haven't killed anyone yet, you are probably an excellent nurse!!

I had 6 weeks of orientation on a respiratory floor as a new grad LPN and needed every day of it. I'm very thankful that even when I was on my own I had great experienced nurses who kept an eye on me whenever I was starting to fall.

I recently completed 9 weeks of orientation as a new grad RN in ICU and needed every day of it as well.

My hospital normally orients new grads in ICU for 16 weeks but that would be for new RN's who never worked as LPN's in acute care so they are still learning and practicing the basic stuff like NG tube insertions, IV starts, etc.

My point is that how do hospitals and old nurses expect the new ones to perform if they don't get them off to a good start and give them the preceptorship they need to begin with?

And that whole being mean to the new people thing?

I tried very hard to be patient with new nurses when I was the experienced one in Med/Surg seeing what I thought were stupid mistakes but I needed to remember that I too once was the one making stupid mistakes that only resolve through experience.

Now I'm the new one again in the ICU setting and still somewhat dependant on the experienced ICU nurses for guidance and thank god I get plenty of it and they never throw me to the wolves.

I guess I'm lucky twice over after reading so many horrible stories about treating the new ones like dirt and leaving them on their own to screw up.

One more thing, 8 patients with no CNA in Med/Surg???

That's a lawsuit waiting to happen. That's one of the biggest reasons I got my RN and left Med/Surg altogether. Even as an experienced LPN I couldn't believe what they expected us to handle on those Med/surg floors.

If you are handling that type of an assignment and had such a short orientation as a new grad, you are doing great!!

[LydiaGreen]

Stories like that are very disturbing to me. I hear that stuff and am so thankful that I did not experience those things as a new grad LPN or RN.

10 days of orientation on a med/surg floor as a new grad??

If you are still surviving on that floor you work on and haven't killed anyone yet, you are probably an excellent nurse!!

I had 6 weeks of orientation on a respiratory floor as a new grad LPN and needed every day of it. I'm very thankful that even when I was on my own I had great experienced nurses who kept an eye on me whenever I was starting to fall.

I recently completed 9 weeks of orientation as a new grad RN in ICU and needed every day of it as well.

My hospital normally orients new grads in ICU for 16 weeks but that would be for new RN's who never worked as LPN's in acute care so they are still learning and practicing the basic stuff like NG tube insertions, IV starts, etc.

My point is that how do hospitals and old nurses expect the new ones to perform if they don't get them off to a good start and give them the preceptorship they need to begin with?

And that whole being mean to the new people thing?

I tried very hard to be patient with new nurses when I was the experienced one in Med/Surg seeing what I thought were stupid mistakes but I needed to remember that I too once was the one making stupid mistakes that only resolve through experience.

Now I'm the new one again in the ICU setting and still somewhat dependant on the experienced ICU nurses for guidance and thank god I get plenty of it and they never throw me to the wolves.

I guess I'm lucky twice over after reading so many horrible stories about treating the new ones like dirt and leaving them on their own to screw up.

One more thing, 8 patients with no CNA in Med/Surg???

That's a lawsuit waiting to happen. That's one of the biggest reasons I got my RN and left Med/Surg altogether. Even as an experienced LPN I couldn't believe what they expected us to handle on those Med/surg floors.

If you are handling that type of an assignment and had such a short orientation as a new grad, you are doing great!!

Welcome to the world of nursing in Canada!!! That is the NORM - not the exception. I too received 10 orientation shifts - only my 10 orientation shifts were mixed between OB, CCA, med/surg, and chronic. I had ONE orientation shift in CCA (same as ICU but titled CCA to avoid having to paying increased wages to RNs and avoid having to do too much 1:1 nursing - also expensive for the hospital AND you could have pts in CCA and four on the floor). I do NOT have ACLS (new RNs are supposed to start this in the fall) and I do NOT have maternity certification yet (we are supposed to start this also in the fall and are being preceptored out to another hospital that has more deliveries - but we are being told that 3 deliveries qualifies us for L&D), I have worked in both of these areas since my orientation shifts ended. There are 11 new RNs working in this area and we ALL feel overwhelmed. If it wasn't for the support of the senior nurses, we would ALL be sinking. I graduated with honours but most days, I feel like I learned absolutely nothing in nursing school.

Census has been a little low lately so I've been averaging five pts. on med/surg but the routine is 8. The few times I have worked chronic, I have had as many as 12 pts. and been responsible for ALL meds for the chronic ward because one nurse had an aneurysm a few years ago - affecting her short term memory and does not give meds for this reason (which is certainly understandable). AND, we do TPC - there are zero CNA's in this hospital. RPN's have their own assignments but the RN's are responsible for their pts. IV/IM/SC meds if they assigned to an RPN.

One of the senior nurses has written a letter to management that all of the new RNs intend to sign stating that learning two specialties (CCA and L&D) at the same time is too much, unrealistic, and unsafe. But, these are the expectations here.

[heart queen]

The horrible experiences that I encountered enabled me to be a better preceptor. Doen't mean that I never went home saying "just shoot me now and put me out of my misery", when I showed up the next day patient, looking to compliment and giving discrete soft constructive criticism.

Precepting is tougher than parenting, but parenting and nurturing just the same.

[lifeisbeautiful]

I don't know what it is with nursing!!! We are so nice to our patients but seem to treat each other like crap!!!!!

I have never faced such horrible *****y attitudes in my LIFE!!!! I have been subjected to horizontal violence and it has absolutely turned me off nursing!!

I just can't understand why Nurses are not more supportive to each other!! We have an extremely stressfull job, both mentally and physically exhausting at times.

These horrible behaviours just create negativity in the work place. It is unproductive and highly unproffesional and sometimes it just hurts!!!

I have never felt so sad and disappointed about my job as I have in the last month.

This is so true, sad to say I witnessed the competitiveness and the cattiness in Nursing school. It just got worse once I was working. Now, most of the people that I work with are wonderful, but there are a few rotten, stinky apples that stir the pot and ruin it for everyone else. I think they derive some kind of twisted enjoyment out of seeing other people struggle. Most of the meanies have been Nursing for a long time and apparently, didn't have to go to nursing school because they already knew everything :chuckle I have also come to learn that the majority of these cranky, uptight and manipulative Nurses usually have control issues at home, but drag their problems into the workplace to vent.

Nursing is wonderful profession, but it always seems to be sabotaged for some reason or another.