What Is the Problem With These Nurses?

barneyrn · Dec 6, 2006

Yes it's true that Nurses eat their young. But it is up to you to make the nightmare into a positive learning experience. If you think these Nurses are tough, wait til you're on your own and see just how kind and forgiving the general public is! Perhaps that is what you're being prepared for, whether they mean it to be that way or not. My Granddaddy always said that there were more horses asses than there were horses. Next time some jerk is being mean, 1) Picture them in their underwear and 2) Smile sweetly and say, "Thank you for sharing that with me"...say nothing else...use the silence to your advantage, and walk away. Don't let their bad day and attitude ruin yours. BarneyRN

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Dec 6, 2006

Yes it's true that Nurses eat their young. But it is up to you to make the nightmare into a positive learning experience.

A good start would be to nix the use of that phrase.

reneemcsquared · Dec 7, 2006

I still remember my first clinical as a student nurse. The charge LPN chastised me in front of the group because I didn't give her temperature, pulse, blood pressure and respirations in the "right" order. Years later, I was her nurse when she was incarcerated and I ran the jail medical unit. I said, you probably don't remember me but hey, What goes around, sometimes comes around.....

P_RN, ADN, RN · Dec 7, 2006

"a good start would be to nix the use of that phrase."

amen!!! speak sister marie!!!!!

it is not eating our young. it's being mean.

dragonflyRN · Dec 7, 2006

Wow! This thread has alot to offer in both aspects. My unit is going to take students for the first time. We are a monitored cardiac unit. I appreciate the insight coming from a student. We have strong personalities. Time management and organization are a must. If you have those skills, then you will do well. I know, I have been there and not for long....lol.

joyceeliz · Dec 7, 2006

I have found that while I was doing active bedside nursing in the 1970's, that the registered nurses were extremely hard on "undlerlings" in general were treated by the R.N.s and continue to be, probably because of their very advanced and long years of eduction, to try to belittle those of us who didn't have the opportunity to have such an advanced eduction.

In life, as time goes by and depending how much you read and keep up with current journals, the internet and newspapers much can be learned. As well as that there are quite a lot of careers, with many, many ways of keeping yourself up to date. I do not like the fact that registered nurses "Lord their education above us", and would really be happy if they were a little more helpful and not so "full of themselves." The nursing profession was about helping real people, not just flaunting how much education you have or are going to get. Registered nurses seem to forget this, get all caught up with the new technology and don't even seem to have any idea anymore of what real "bedside nursing is".

Anyone want to comment on this ideation? Joyce E. Forbes Registered Practical Nurse, Thunder Bay, ON.

By the way, speaking of technology I am also a registered health record technician with a two year diploma, as well as certification in Ontario and federally in all of Canada.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, please don't tell me about continuing education in the field of nursing, as there are many, and they are vast and varied. jef

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

kadokin, ASN, RN · Dec 7, 2006

Yeah, I know ... it's an ego thing. It's just that I feel it's a constantly moving target. If I try to improve on one thing, she changes her mind about what she told me earlier. She'll tell me not to do something and then, later, expect me to do it.
I guess I'm supposed to feed egos and, normally, I could do that but, there's only so much crap I can take. I don't know why I'm supposed to bend over backwards even more when I'm being treated like absolute dirt.
It's has taken every ounce of my energy to maintain a professional demeanor, and I have but ... I really just want to explode.
:typing

I admire you for maintaining your demeanor. I take it you are a student? If that is correct, this may be a very valuable learning experience for you.

Unfortunately, in this profession, we sometimes have to: bend over backwords; feed egos; take an inordinate amount of crap; be treated like dirt; maintain professional demeanor in the face of unbelievable circumstances.

As a matter of fact, this happens in other professions, too. Fast food, the military, law enforcement immediately come to mind. Do people sometimes explode from the pressure? Yeah. Are all of us as professionals responsible for knowing when to draw the line on how much we can take, step aside and let someone else take over and be responsible for our own healthy stress relief habits? Yeah to that too.

Here's the thing: I believe that a good dose of humility never hurt anyone. And I TRULY believe that those we serve are better served by someone who is humble than by someone who is wrapped up in their own superiority. (I wonder if the nurse you speak of is one of those). She has something to teach you. You were put in this situation for a reason. LEARN from it. She has some years of experience over you. Surely she knows SOMETHING that you don't. Focus on learning from her and then move on. Life is too short to let other people make you miserable.

MHO;)

GardenDove · Dec 7, 2006

I still remember my first clinical as a student nurse. The charge LPN chastised me in front of the group because I didn't give her temperature, pulse, blood pressure and respirations in the "right" order. Years later, I was her nurse when she was incarcerated and I ran the jail medical unit. I said, you probably don't remember me but hey, What goes around, sometimes comes around.....

OH! :eek:

I'll never forget when the nursing instructor from Hell sent her adult daughter, who was on her way back from Alaska to California, by to see me in Washington State. Her daughter was getting a divorce, and for some reason this nursing instructor, who had driven me to tears the day after my mother's funeral, gave her my phone number.

Ha ha, the daughter ended up spilling her guts about her abusive childhood that sounded like it was out of 'Mommie Dearest', turns out my hated nursing instructor was as twisted as I thought she was. :rolleyes:

Sheri257 · Dec 7, 2006

It is not eating our young. It's being MEAN.

Yeah ... that's the bottom line. But, at the same time, we are not those RN's offspring.

If anything ... we're management's offspring and their attempts to undercut RN staff salaries and benefits by making them train us. Let's face it: a new grad is a hellava lot cheaper than a veteran RN.

As an older student, I know what's going on and I certainly understand the resentment.

But, in this case, she didn't have to be a preceptor. She did have a choice. And, despite my mistakes and shortcomings it was, still, fairly cushy duty for her.

She got her CE hours and I did most of the work. It wasn't a bad trade.

:typing

twotrees2 · Dec 7, 2006

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

seems weird to me- either school is changed dramatically or our school was just that different - we took perhaps 2 - 3 patients depending on what area we were learning and took the most difficult -

however - our instructor was breathing down our necks the whole time in and out frequently to check - we did not do anything without first approving it with the instructor or the nurse, our care plans were extensive and 12- 15 or more pages long and were NOT used by staff but for clinical only ( found mine a month or so ago - had to laugh at how we addressed everything compared to what we actually do in nursing lol) - ( though often nurses did review them and get ideas to use) - the nurses were great with questions usually but when not the instructor was there.

it was clear to the facilities we were NOT there to do aide work but to learn nursing so we never got that trouble ( except psyc ward lol - as there wasn't much "clinical" or "medical" cares or treatments there on a whole so we would help with aide work just to do something besides sit watching the psyc patients troll around the unit. )

matter of fact by the end 4th term clinical i was actually asking for more patients as i was interning and used to 7 patients and the activity associated with it - and even though our extensive care plans made life busy those i did mostly at home so i could get bored having 2 - 3 patients.

maybe its cause we are a small area an a small college - i dont know. to bad students are made to take such heavy loads - how can they learn about things when given a full load - learning takes time to be able to ask questions , get help, be sure its right, just dont see the value of overburdening students to a point they are working loads like we are that have been in a long time- enough time once get out in the real world working to learn all about the overworked scenes - maybe that is why i have seen so many new grads run away cause if i hadn't learned the clinical skills in school ( and i wouldnt have if i hadn't had time to learn- hands on learner here ) id never have made it to where i am today. guess next time a new grad doesnt know how to change a wet to dry or do an accucheck ( honestly had these issues) i will be more understanding.............( not that i was harsh - but being short staffed i just did them instead of taking time to teach them the right way...... ) from now on any new grad we get will get a call to come watch and learn things if they have time - so when it comes up they wont have to feel anxious cause they dont know it.

Rnurse4963 · Dec 7, 2006

They are naturally mean people who have no lives . They are rude, they have friends in high places and get away with alot of crap. The one I work with is an alcoholic. Brace yourself I've been a nurse since 1988 and if I had nickel for every nasty nurse Ive met I'd be really rich. What can you do ? Do you like your job? Just do the best you can do. Other people will notice what a good worker you are and defend you . If your job is not that great, poor pay? shop around. Eventually the boss who is employing the nasty nurse will get the hint when no one will work around her/him. You can complain about your co worker but chances are it will fall on deaf ears, and if you are the only one that is complaining it will seem like a personality problem . Ive bent over backwards to be nice to my nasty nurse, but to no avail. just recently I heard a new accusation she has started about me . You can only laugh at such humor, which also will get you thgough alot of good years of practice. Keep your chin up you've come this far.GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR HANDS.

melpn · Dec 7, 2006

I'm in California where we have ratios. Because of that, we never got more than five patients and, towards the end, I took all five so ... increased patient loads wasn't an excuse for my preceptor.
:typing

I understand, Lizz. But no matter how many pts. you have it is extra effort to train because you can't just do the job, you have to stop and explain what you are doing and why; it slows you down. This is an explanation of frustration, not an excuse! None of us were born nurses; we all had to go to school and be precepted by someone else. That's why I said it's no excuse and newbies should be treated kindly no matter what. I remember the resentful attitudes I encountered 10+ yrs. ago from my preceptors and I vowed I'd be the exact opposite. Teaching is unfortunately not something everyone does well or willingly and I am truly sorry you had a bad experience. Please don't let it sour you on nursing. Again, you learn just as much from the bad preceptors as from the good ones- the message you take away is that you know what you'll do better when you are the preceptor. As a result, you will be a great teacher when it is your turn even though it was a crappy way to learn that lesson. I wasn't trying to defend the nasty attitude you received- I hate it and when I see a newbie getting it I pull them aside and give them a bit of encouragement. No offense intended.