I notice some students or others seem to think that because they've heard about a nursing shortage, that means that they will get a day position in their dream unit, and be welcomed with open arms as if they are the reserve troops come to save the day.
I don't think that's really the case. You still have to take the less desirable shifts, prove yourself, be accepted by your co-workers, and earn respect. Yes, there are toxic units, and those ones are probably more in need of extra help, so you might be more likely to get a job there.
If you are a newbie, you still have to 'pay your dues' in some way, that's usually the way life works in many arenas.
This is exactly the attitude that makes me dislike nursing.
The more experienced nurses that treat the new grads like crap instead of mentoring them.
This is why I probably won't stick with nursing.
"You have to pay your dues and work cleaning up poop for 12 hours with no breaks, while getting treated like garbage by your coworkers, management, etc for at least a year doing a job that no one else wants to do." because you're the new guy/gal.
Because I'm new, I get treated like I don't know what I'm doing until I prove myself I do.
Because I'm new, once I prove myself that I know what I'm doing people think that I "know everything". If I ask questions on something I'm not sure about, they will say "He doesn't know what he's doing"
It's not right. This is why burnout happens. Maybe I'm just jaded from working in a hospital for four years.
Oh and I found out today that someone from my old department was running their mouth saying "Oh, he won't pass ACLS, they'll eat him alive." I thought ACLS was easy, passed it without any problems and didn't miss any questions on the written exam.
Well, there's always medical school. At least as a physician I would have respect with my job.
This is why there's a nursing shortage. It's a job no one wants to do.
Specializes in Birth center, LDRP, L&D, PP, nursing education.
I think it's sweet that you have such a positive attitude and I think it's great that you haven't been exposed to any negativity on the job(I do find this hard to believe). But, be aware that at some point in your career, you will be exposed to someone who is jealous and/or bitter.
We can all sit here and hold hands and bury our heads in the sand and say that everything in the nursing world is hunky dory, but many of us know that is not true. I love being a nurse..but I'm also aware that there are things that need to be fixed, that there are still nurses eating their young, and there are still people not willing to fight for better conditions. I guess by many people's definition, I'd be considered negative or not dedicated, because I'm done with continually "taking one for the team" in the interest of "paying my dues". I would argue that this makes me more of an asset to nursing, because I'm not interested in kissing managerial butt to get ahead, I could care less if the ol' grumpys like me or not. I'm there to take care of patients to the best of my ability, and to learn things and (oh horrors!) make some decent money in the process.
Oh my Lord, I have experienced negativity: my preceptor ate me alive. We had the "you intimidate the heck out of me, i don't feel that everything you say is constructive" closed door discussion (me to her, of course). That doesn't mean that I think she's jealous or I think that I'm entitled to tell her to bug off. It's a profession. You get rude grumpy people everywhere. I think she's grumpy because she's working long shifts and missing her kids for the 19th year in a row. I think she gets frustrated because she forgets what it is like to be young, new, and unsure. I think there's probably a lot going on with her that I just don't understand.
I think that it's my job to create the best possible environment for patient care, which is to ignore/avoid the turf war or focusing on the generation gap. I don't care if you're a new nurse or a seasoned veteran. If my work is done and my assessment is charted, I'm hopping off my seat to ask you if you need something. My point to help at least one other nurse out often has made ti so when I'm drowning at 6AM after a late admit or I have a 400 pound patient, I have two RNs who are more than willing to help and show me a better way to do it.
I've only been on my own for 8 weeks, but I do know that the difference in my attitude either makes or breaks a shift, no matter how busy or crazy it is. We spend so much time taking care of other people, why not put a little effort into taking care of our colleagues?
I'm just saying there's bitterness and there's laziness from old grads and new grads alike. But I'm sure as heck gonna avoid the negative and focus on the good... after all my patient's care is at stake. :redbeathe
I think the attitude in this post is part of the problem with nursing today. I think it is most of the reason that we can't stand together and fight for what we need (like low ratios, etc.). Nurses are always worried about what the next person is or isn't doing. They are worried about new grads coming in and not kissing their feet. They are worried about who got what days off and who did what to whom. Seriously, it is frustrating and disheartening. New grads taking advantage of the shortage shouldn't be frowned upon. They happened to get out of nursing school at a time when they could make demands that would be agreed upon, or were smart enough to go into nursing knowing that they may be able to make these demands. To the nurses worried about "paying dues" I say, if you don't like where you work or the conditions you ae working in then go someplace else. Another facility would be more than happy to hire an expirienced nurse over a new grad. This mentality keeps the nursing profession down. People won't leave unsatisfactory jobs and then just blame everything on the new people coming in. If nurses as a whole would stand up for themselves, they could force the changes we need. Instead we worry about the new grad who got a good deal because they were willing to not take less. Until we stop back biting and worrying about what is fair and not fair, and actually stand together nursing is not going to change at all. The companies can keep us focused on fighting amongst ourselves instead of fighting them.
End of rant. Sorry.
I think this post is way off base, and really not even related to the main point of the thread.
Seasoned nurses by no means want young newbies to "kiss our feet" or be willing to take less- we just want them to have a good work ethic. There are some who seem to have the attitude that because there is supposedly a nursing shortage, and they are nurses, that all they have to do is show up and grace us with their presence- God forbid they should actually do some work.
I see a number of young nurses who sit in the mgrs office brown-nosing while others are taking care of their neglected pts for them. Yes, I've seen this from older nurses, but it is much more common among the young ones, in my experience.
And as an older nurse- I've been eaten by some young ones who really thought their you-know-what didn't stink.
Again, if you have a good work ethic, this thread is not about you- no matter what your age.
i agree that some of the new grads think they should have "privileges". we all had to pay dues. why shouldn't the new grads? a degree, or the paper, doesn't give you experience.
I think this post is way off base, and really not even related to the main point of the thread.
Seasoned nurses by no means want young newbies to "kiss our feet" or be willing to take less- we just want them to have a good work ethic. There are some who seem to have the attitude that because there is supposedly a nursing shortage, and they are nurses, that all they have to do is show up and grace us with their presence- God forbid they should actually do some work.
I see a number of young nurses who sit in the mgrs office brown-nosing while others are taking care of their neglected pts for them. Yes, I've seen this from older nurses, but it is much more common among the young ones, in my experience.
And as an older nurse- I've been eaten by some young ones who really thought their you-know-what didn't stink.
Again, if you have a good work ethic, this thread is not about you- no matter what your age.
I think this post is way off base, and really not even related to the main point of the thread.
Seasoned nurses by no means want young newbies to "kiss our feet" or be willing to take less- we just want them to have a good work ethic. There are some who seem to have the attitude that because there is supposedly a nursing shortage, and they are nurses, that all they have to do is show up and grace us with their presence- God forbid they should actually do some work.
I see a number of young nurses who sit in the mgrs office brown-nosing while others are taking care of their neglected pts for them. Yes, I've seen this from older nurses, but it is much more common among the young ones, in my experience.
And as an older nurse- I've been eaten by some young ones who really thought their you-know-what didn't stink.
Again, if you have a good work ethic, this thread is not about you- no matter what your age.
The point to my post is why is anyone worried about what other people are doing? If they want to brown nose or be lazy, noone says you have to help them. They put their licenses on the line every day just like everyone else. Nurses in general are always worried about what everyone else is doing. If they don't do their work they will get bit in the butt by it in the end.
What I don't understand is the "Paying your dues" part. Do I expect to get every holiday off? No. But I do expect there to be a rotation on the holiday schedule. I also don't expect to work every holiday just because someone happens to be older than me. The same goes for the other issues brought up in the thread. There are always bad apples that expect everything to be given to them, but on the flip side, newer nurses shouldn't be expected to do all the crap shifts/ work either. We are a profession. You don't see the executives at (place name of big company here) all worried about what everyone else is doing and calling "not fair." Work is a competition. If you prove yourself to be invaluable, you get to ask for what you want. It doesn't matter how long you have worked or what your age.
the point to my post is why is anyone worried about what other people are doing? if they want to brown nose or be lazy, noone says you have to help them. they put their licenses on the line every day just like everyone else. nurses in general are always worried about what everyone else is doing. if they don't do their work they will get bit in the butt by it in the end.
in my 18 years, i've seen that many of these lazy nurses move into mgmt, and mess up things for everyone.
and... have you ever followed this type of nurse at work? many of us have, and have spent the first part of our shifts fixing their screw-ups and picking up all the balls they've dropped. (val)
what i don't understand is the "paying your dues" part. do i expect to get every holiday off? no. but i do expect there to be a rotation on the holiday schedule. i also don't expect to work every holiday just because someone happens to be older than me. the same goes for the other issues brought up in the thread. there are always bad apples that expect everything to be given to them, but on the flip side, newer nurses shouldn't be expected to do all the crap shifts/ work either. we are a profession. you don't see the executives at (place name of big company here) all worried about what everyone else is doing and calling "not fair." work is a competition. if you prove yourself to be invaluable, you get to ask for what you want. it doesn't matter how long you have worked or what your age.
no one expects new nurses to do all the crap shifts, or work all holidays. i am shocked at new nurses who show up on the floor and announce to everyone that they are not working christmas, thanksgiving or new year's, then throw a tantrum and sulk because they have to work at least one of the holidays. or, they expect to get hired right into a day shift in facilities where long-term employees have been on the waiting list for days for a long time.
get in line, do your work, and wait your turn, like everyone else. be willing to learn from others with more experience, and don't come into the unit thinking you know it all. have just a little bit of respect for those who have come before you. don't just talk the talk: walk the walk.
[color=#483d8b]new nurses do have to demonstrate to their co-workers that they are team players, that they are competent, and that they actually give a crap. it's all about give and take: not just take, take, take. this is what is meant by "paying your dues."
The classic 'crabs in a barrel' analogy is excellent. One nurse tries to climb up and out of his/her toxic situation, and the other 'crabs' attempt to pull this person back into the 'barrel'.
I am SO dealing with this right now. My year as a new grad is up next week.... although I realize I still have sooooo much more to learn and new "new to me" experiences that I want to get under my belt. I was also lucky because I prefer night shift and I like working weekends and holidays. I am also the person everyone on my shift knows if they come to me and say, "Can we switch shifts" I will do it if I possibly can (which is 99% of the time).
When I was allowed to begin to float units after my first six months, I went out of my way to learn the Peds ED (very different environment, very different nursing than on the floor. Whoever thought a nurse is a nurse is a nurse was not really bright but I know our staffing still has that idea) and get my ENCP. As a result, Peds ED requests that I be floated down there and I have had the opportunity to pick up extra shifts there. This summer has been hard, we've all been cancelled right and left... I've managed to keep from going completely under financially by making up some (not all) of my missing hours by taking whatever 4 or 8 hour blocks in the Peds ED need covering... and I've got nurses on my floor claiming to staffing that I'm picking up 1-2 extra shifts EVERY WEEK and getting OT when other nurses are cancelled. It's going to be a rough few weeks while the paperwork is gone through but I can't figure it out... they don't even want to work there! They gripe, moan and complain about being floated there... and they aren't even all that safe when they are there because of the broad differences in the types of nursing performed. But how dare I, the newest kid on the block, be the one they prefer? Very frustrating. (The only new grad newer than me on our floor was an LPN who transitioned to RN a couple of months ago.)
My kids are still being raised and you can BET that what I see in the world around me (in the form of those 20-30 year old Gimme Kids) definitely shapes how my hubby and I approach it. They want money? They do chores, jobs. They want stuff? Earn it. I don't care what Johnny's mother gave him.
The Gimme Kids, as I call them, aren't the doing of my age group, LOL...I didn't birth 'em, didn't raise 'em, and sure as heck don't have to carry the blame for 'em! So, I guess I'm allowed to complain :)
ROFLOL... I have six kids. They all know if they want something, they work for it. They know how hard we work to provide for them and that we don't get anything handed to us, and neither will they. I get constant compliments from their teachers... for example, they needed to move a table from one place to another in their school during the after school care time... most of the kids kept running around, sometimes in the path of the table... my kids helped pick it up and then went back and grabbed the chairs. My mom says I should have let them "just be kids"... um, yeah, my 40 year old brother is one of the most self-indulged, spoiled, wimpy, weak human beings I know. Every little thing under the planet is "too stressful" for him. I started working as a babysitter at 13 and in an insurance office at 15... I've worked hard my entire life and reaped the benefits. I think the last straw was when my mom told me, "You have to be patient with your brother (who had been VERY rude to me for no reason), because his wife is having a baby and he has to work!" Oh, yeah, sure, I see... um, mom, I had the last three babies while *I* was the one working and now I support the family because a drunk driver hit my husband... gee, how could I not understand his stress levels??? Gimme a break.
Everything is about balance. Thats how I view life and how i teach my children to view life. It is not obsurd to give your children "a better life than you had" if your life was tough. But at the same time, its also not obsurd to expect your child to learn the value of hard work as they reach the point where they can appreciate that.
The US is full of pendalum swings in how we function. A hundred years ago kids were working in sweat shops and running the family farm to the detriment of their education and their futures. Now as a result, children are given everything, in order to make room for them to "be kids". What would solve this would be a break in that pattern and teaching our children balance, but unfortunately cyclical pendalum swings tend to be more the norm than a balance.
All I can say is. When I started working it took me 3 years to get from a day /night swing shift onto a day/afternoon swing shift.
My next job it took me 7 months to go from a straight afternoon shift I hated onto a straight day shift. That was at a time when we went from 8 hour shifts to 12 hour shifts. I consider myself lucky to have it only take 7 months instead of 3 years.
As to working holidays or weekends, I can't point fingers at just the new nurses to the unit some of the core unit nurses(senior) whine also.
I will give you that it is annoying to listen to people whine about having to take their share of holidays etc, but that whining comes from the "older generation" too. The nurses young and older who expect that just because someone is new to the unit, or don't have kids, or any other excuse that they can come up with, they should have to work all holidays and do everything that they think is less appealing. I am not saying that all the older nurses are like this. I have been fortunate to meet quite a few who were willing to help out and teach and took great pleasure in the fact that I have succeeded. I have the utmost respect for them as colleagues and as nurses. I will not, however, give respect to somone who goes out of their way to keep me "in my place."
In my mind, if we have the same job, we are equals. I have learned a lot from nurses with more experience and they have updated their knowledge through me. It is a give and take relationship of equals. Nurses with experience already have the upper hand when it comes to finding jobs etc, so why is it that when we do the same job, I have to show any more respect to expirienced nurses than I would anyone else I consider my equal? When it comes to work respect is earned, not given solely on the fact that you are older than I.
:yeah:
Andrew, RN
93 Posts
This is exactly the attitude that makes me dislike nursing.
The more experienced nurses that treat the new grads like crap instead of mentoring them.
This is why I probably won't stick with nursing.
"You have to pay your dues and work cleaning up poop for 12 hours with no breaks, while getting treated like garbage by your coworkers, management, etc for at least a year doing a job that no one else wants to do." because you're the new guy/gal.
Because I'm new, I get treated like I don't know what I'm doing until I prove myself I do.
Because I'm new, once I prove myself that I know what I'm doing people think that I "know everything". If I ask questions on something I'm not sure about, they will say "He doesn't know what he's doing"
It's not right. This is why burnout happens. Maybe I'm just jaded from working in a hospital for four years.
Oh and I found out today that someone from my old department was running their mouth saying "Oh, he won't pass ACLS, they'll eat him alive." I thought ACLS was easy, passed it without any problems and didn't miss any questions on the written exam.
Well, there's always medical school. At least as a physician I would have respect with my job.
This is why there's a nursing shortage. It's a job no one wants to do.