What Is the Problem With These Nurses?

Nurses General Nursing

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I've always thought the "nurses eating their young" phenomenon was somewhat of a misnomer, since we're not their children and I know students can impose a lot of burdens on nurses. But, when you're pretty functional and helping out with most of the work, and some nurses still beat you down to a pulp, I just don't get it.

What's the point of being so mean? I'm running my butt off all day, I'm giving all of the meds, doing all of the charting, aide work, etc. for most of the patients. Yet, no matter how hard I work, there's still a constant barrage of criticism ...

Of course, I make mistakes and I definitely need to improve in a lot of areas. No question about it. Nevertheless, I am not a total novice and, despite my shortcomings, I do know I'm making their day a hellava lot easier.

But ... I'm only human, and I do tend to make even more mistakes when I know I'm going to get slammed no matter what I do. After awhile, no matter how tough you are, it's difficult to concentrate and do everything the nurse wants when you know she's hostile and looking for any opportunity to jump on your case ... even when you do things right.

I actually don't need nor do I expect praise or reassurance but, like a lot of people, I don't tend do well when I getting slammed all the time either.

I can't wait to get out of there and let them get back to doing all the work. Thankfully, my days of slave labor will soon be over. I hope they got their jollies because if this is how they make themselves feel better or whatever it is ... good riddance.

:typing

Mobbing: another good theory. I've seen that behavior, and that's hardly limited to nurses or hospitals. What's really at issue here is why women of any kind, regardless of profession, feel the need to lash out at each other. One of my nursing text books refers to it as "horizontal violence." That's apt.
Yes I agree,its what we do when we cant lash out at the people who really need a lashing, we have become the pawn of the corporate management, I can just hear them now " Yeah, lets keep them fighting each other, then they wont notice how bad it is and fight us!"Remember united we stand , divided we fall. Simplistic, but TRUE.
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Mobbing: another good theory. I've seen that behavior, and that's hardly limited to nurses or hospitals. What's really at issue here is why women of any kind, regardless of profession, feel the need to lash out at each other. One of my nursing text books refers to it as "horizontal violence." That's apt.

My theory? And I say this as a woman ... hormones. And, the fact that it's sometimes more fun to be mean than nice.

Men just duke it out, get it over with and move on. They don't hold grudges like women do.

:typing

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My theory? And I say this as a woman ... hormones. And, the fact that it's sometimes more fun to be mean than nice.

Men just duke it out, get it over with and move on. They don't hold grudges like women do.

:typing

Whoa, you are scaring me .Maybe we should not allow entrance into the nursing field unless you are a male, or post menopausal.:bugeyes:
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Yes I agree,its what we do when we cant lash out at the people who really need a lashing, we have become the pawn of the corporate management, I can just hear them now " Yeah, lets keep them fighting each other, then they wont notice how bad it is and fight us!"Remember united we stand , divided we fall. Simplistic, but TRUE.

Very true.

Sylvester

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Whoa, you are scaring me .Maybe we should not allow entrance into the nursing field unless you are a male, or post menopausal.:bugeyes:

PMS is now a widely accepted phenomenon. Menopause isn't much fun either. It's just the way it is.

Look at all of the threads on this board and everything that's going on. It's always the same story ... nurses backstabbing each other for no reason in particular. You don't think hormones have something to do with it?

:typing

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PMS is now a widely accepted phenomenon. Menopause isn't much fun either. It's just the way it is.

Look at all of the threads on this board and everything that's going on. It's always the same story ... nurses backstabbing each other for no reason in particular. You don't think hormones have something to do with it?

:typing

I do agree that a PMS-ing woman is more on edge. I think it may have a wee bit to do with it, but if we go that route we are once again negating the REAL issues of mobbing. My opinion only, but it is so prevalent because this frustration we feel every day at work compounded by the feeling of impotence to change anything makes us lash out at each other because its the only thing that we can easily do. I am only an LPN, I have no degree in phsychology, only a dilpoma in the school of hard knocks. :smiley_ab I speak only from 27 years of observing this phenomenon.
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I'd say it's a pretty good observation.

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I do agree that a PMS-ing woman is more on edge. I think it may have a wee bit to do with it, but if we go that route we are once again negating the REAL issues of mobbing. My opinion only, but it is so prevalent because this frustration we feel every day at work compounded by the feeling of impotence to change anything makes us lash out at each other because its the only thing that we can easily do. I am only an LPN, I have no degree in phychology, only a dilpma in the shool of hard knocks. :smiley_ab I speak only from 27 years of observing this phenomenon.

I certainly can buy that to a certain extent. But ... I don't see it as the reason my preceptor is lashing out at me. For one thing, we're in California where there's ratios. Also ... it's a union hospital so ... they have a lot of job protection and procedures to address grievances like floating, etc.

She's been there six years so, obviously, she's happy there. If she wasn't happy there's a million other jobs she could take if she wanted to. She told me she'll make $100K this year with overtime, which is pretty typical of most nurses I know so ...

I still think it all goes back to hormones.

:typing

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I guess that's my complaint here. I can understand that when you're dealing with first semester students, just as an example ... it is a real hassle because the students don't know anything and the RN has to be with them all the time.

But by the time we get to preceptorship, the RN doesn't have to be with us at all. We've been signed off on everything and, before we go to preceptorship, we have to get signed off on several tasks again ... just to make sure we can do it.

There's very little we can't do as far as routine med surg floor tasks. The RN does not have to be with us unless it's something we literally have no experience with, which doesn't happen all that often with routine med surg tasks.

So, it's really not that much of a hassle for us to be there except ... teaching us the quirks of that particular facility's system and equipment. My RN has never gone into any room to watch me do anything. You are, at that point doing most of the work because that's what you have to do to pass.

But sometimes, I guess, it's just more fun to be mean than nice ... even when people are helping you out.

:typing

This is true. We are 2nd term students and can do a lot on a med surg floor, but not everything and we have to have supervision from an RN when actually giving the meds to the patient, hanging IV's, wet to dry dressing changes, putting in a foley, inserting NG tubes, trach suctioning etc.. (basically putting in anything sterile, or inserting anything into a body orifice). We can take out IV caths, urinary caths, empty drains, do simple dressings, CBG's, assessments, charting and any basic skill on our own. We don't make the rules, but we sure can get kicked out of the program for not following them. Some nurses get very irritated that they have to actually watch us hand the meds to the patient or hang the bag. I understand that they are busy, but to get to where they are now, once upon a time they were in a similar position. Acting super annoyed with the student isn't going to do anything except make the student think "boy I sure won't be applying here". On the other hand I have seen some students who are not proactive. The student should be getting all the supplies (if they know what to get) and getting everything ready and communicating with the nurse about what times are good for them to come watch you do _____. This will cut down on the time we are taking up from the nurses. A good orientation that includes the staff would help in our case.

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Hey, along with the more negative traits of the female gender, are some pretty great ones, don't forget! Women are great nurturers, which is why we are such great nurses. (And, according to Gallup, the most respected profession!)

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And, btw, the reason I think it's hormones is ... I'm having some pretty bad menstrual cramps right now and I wouldn't mind beating on a student myself. Or, better yet ... my preceptor.

But, I'll just have to settle for my husband. :Crash:

Just kidding, of course.

:Crash:

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hmm lizz, my thought would be to get her expectations and instructions in WRITING.. signed.....so she cant wiggle out of them later....merely asking her to do this should set her back on her heels a bit....other than that, you are learning a WHOLE lot about how NOT to be.......good luck

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