A new grad, young nurse landed her DREAM job. Or what she thought would be her dream job in ICU. After orientation and on her own, she quit and said she thought she was dangerous and could kill a patient. The training was poor and the bullying was second to worst I have seen. That day she went home and gave up her life. Later, her parents notified the floor/ unit.
Now, obviously not every nurse under these circumstances has the same outcome. But, what can be done to change the (mean-girl- middle school) culture on floor? Who do you complain to? Who recognizes this as an issue with not just that nurse but many whom have left the floor for the same reasons?
How do you cope, who should be there to help nurses cope? Has this happened where you work?
I had a neighbor that was a NICU nurse for many many years. He was unstable and didn't get the help he needed. After he retired he had nighmares about dead babies pretty much nightly. He drank and did drugs and ultimately ended his life because he couldn't cope. It's a sad and horrifying story. It goes to show that not everyone should work in the NICU and that self assessment is important.
It doesn't mean that all NICU nurses are suicidal or can't handle what they do.
One person is not all people. One nurse is not all nurses. One new grad is not all new grads.
Exactly, and insinuating a "trend" without evidence is unhelpful at best and dangerous at worst.
I would caution all readers that this "trend" is just one person's opinion until proven otherwise.
I am am seeing a trend. That's why I asked. Colleges are offering classes to teach hope to cope. Google it
Google does not equate legitimate research. Please be aware of your posts and the danger that they may pose. If you are indeed an RN, you have an obligation to potential patients to bring only truthful issues to the table.
I looked up studies for suicides among professions and this is one study that I found:
Several occupations with the highest suicide rates (per 100 000 population) during 1979–1980 and 1982–1983, including veterinarians (ranked first), pharmacists (fourth), dentists (sixth), doctors (tenth) and farmers (thirteenth), have easy occupational access to a method of suicide (pharmaceuticals or guns). By 2001–2005, there had been large significant reductions in suicide rates for each of these occupations, so that none ranked in the top 30 occupations. Occupations with significant increases over time in suicide rates were all manual occupations whereas occupations with suicide rates that decreased were mainly professional or non-manual. Variation in suicide rates that was explained by socio-economic group almost doubled over time from 11.4% in 1979–1980 and 1982–1983 to 20.7% in 2001–2005.
This study is from the NIH of a retrospective study published in 2012. Perhaps the "trend" the OP is discussing is anecdotal?
I've been a nurse for 24 years and worked in some high stress areas (ED, ICU, pre-hospital). I personally found increased stress working in the level one ED. However, in the 10 years I worked there, I did know of any suicides among our staff.
Sounds like nursing was a poor fit for someone so unsure of themselves, their education and their abilities. This is not a "trend" it was a bad career choice by an emotionally vulnerable person.
I am am seeing a trend. That's why I asked. Colleges are offering classes to teach hope to cope. Google it
Thats not the same thing. What you are seeing is an increasing trend of depression among college kids. The depression rate among college freshman is around 60% these.
There is a reason for this. Helicopter parenting. Parents incessant need to fix their child's life and control it so they won't ever experience failure, disappointment, or hurt feelings. Now, kids have no idea how to deal with it in college and become depressed and suicidal at their first failure or disappointment. They don't have the coping skills they should have learned 10 years earlier. These people don't see that a failure is not the end of the world.
When a person first experiences this they should be around 8. Remember your first failure? To you, as a kid, it was the end of the world. Even as a dramatic teenager it was the end of the world. But you learn it's not bad you will get through with the support of your family or friends. These adults don't have that capability and the end of the world, literally becomes the end of the world.
These parents, think they are helping, but are doing the biggest disservice in the world to their kids.
The trend I am seeing in my own community where I live is that students generally speaking seems to suffer from high stress, crazy expectations from other people, a lack of positive outlook into the future ("you will not find a job", "the world is dying and global warming will kill us", "the world will be destroyed in 50 years" and so on).
The pressure is huge! There have been more High school students in my "high performing" community than over who struggle with depression, anxiety, and self-harm, attempted suicide and completed suicide. Sadly enough, last week another student took his life. The expectations that parents , school, and colleges have are literally crazy in my community. They are teenagers and supposed to grow up and go through all those stages and at the same time there is so much pressure in my town to be in honor's classes and keep the GPA close to 4.0, athletics - at least 2 - several extra curricular activities (some kids have 10 on their resume by the time they apply for college and those are often longstanding commitments), and we expect them also to socialize and develop into a mature young adult.
My oldest who has left for college pointed out the other day that there is a common feeling among students that they "are not good enough" and are not "worth anything unless they achieve high grades, high test scores, and get admitted to a prestige college".
Parents are a huge part of this problem - they are the ones who pushing them and instill this kind of idea that your value and worth is based on achievements only and you as a person do not matter.
That is clearly a trend in my community and as far as I have learned, also in other communities that are similarly structured.
The other piece is that coping with stress is something that people need to learn but I think that is not happening much either. As a parent I had discussions with my child and said that "your personal happiness and satisfaction is very important, you are not a machine. There is nothing wrong with dropping down from an AP course, it is not making you a failure. It is a learning experience". But according to both my children it is not the norm that parents understand the stress and problems that this generation faces.
And when a person has anxiety or "depression", which seems to be a common side effect of "growing up" , the general ability to cope with stress is greatly reduced - leading to more problems in a society that defines itself through test scores, GPA and such.
There is some research about suicide and which professions seem to be the ones that are involved. Healthcare workers including nurses and physicians come up - but also farmers.
I think it is not a trend the "new nurses" commit suicide but it is a trend that students in High School already face challenges and stress that previous generations did not have in the same way and it extends into nursing school and after that into the first job - those are all high stress situations plus when a nurse has pushed through HS to get competitive grades to get into nursing school, they have to continue to work hard through nursing school. By the time they start the first job they are already anxiety ridden. The reality shock does not help when a person starts working. If reality does not align with expectations and emotional / personal investment it can bring on huge disappointment and potentially that person questions their whole life based on that.
Thats not the same thing. What you are seeing is an increasing trend of depression among college kids. The depression rate among college freshman is around 60% these.
There is a reason for this. Helicopter parenting. Parents incessant need to fix their child's life and control it so they won't ever experience failure, disappointment, or hurt feelings. Now, kids have no idea how to deal with it in college and become depressed and suicidal at their first failure or disappointment. They don't have the coping skills they should have learned 10 years earlier. These people don't see that a failure is not the end of the world.
When a person first experiences this they should be around 8. Remember your first failure? To you, as a kid, it was the end of the world. Even as a dramatic teenager it was the end of the world. But you learn it's not bad you will get through with the support of your family or friends. These adults don't have that capability and the end of the world, literally becomes the end of the world.
These parents, think they are helping, but are doing the biggest disservice in the world to their kids.
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
the bullying was second to worst I have seen.
If you were a witness to this bullying did you speak up for said new grad? Or did you sit back a watch?
Hppy
PS as a psych nurse I have seen a rise in depression and suicide among all walks of life - rarely does one commit suicide from one aspect of their life going wrong - it is a multifaceted psychological issue.
Specializes in Family Medicine, Tele/Cardiac, Camp.
If you were a witness to this bullying did you speak up for said new grad? Or did you sit back a watch?
Hppy
PS as a psych nurse I have seen a rise in depression and suicide among all walks of life - rarely does one commit suicide from one aspect of their life going wrong - it is a multifaceted psychological issue.
That's also what I'm wondering. OP said it was the 2nd worst bullying she's seen so I'm wondering what, if anything, she did to help address the problem. Still haven't heard from her despite my having asked in my 1st response.
CrunchRN, ADN, RN
4,556 Posts
She did not have coping skills period. Any new job is difficult and may have had the same result. It is really sad.