What is up with the level of entitlement?

I've observed this behavior in newer nurses of various ages not just those that are young. Many new nurses at my facility have been appalled at the fact that they too must work with COVID patients, or bariatric patients, or any sort of unpleasantness at all! Float to another unit, "I wasn't hired to float, it's not fair.". I have never had an inpatient job whether as a nurse or an aide where I didn't have to float somewhere when needed, I realized some people hate to float and I understand that and some level of complaining is acceptable but then you do it and take your turn, where as what I've seen is people demanding special treatment. So many complaints about assignment equity as well, complaining because they have one more patient than another person, complaining that they one less patient than the other person and will get the first admission, complaining that the acuity is too high, complaining that the acuity is too low, complaining that their rooms are too far apart from eachother, blah blah blah. I am fine if someone has a legitimate concern with their assignment but when every single shift you complain and demand it to be amended, that's just ridiculous. We all get tough assignments, it's a part of the job, deal with it. Sometimes I just get tired of people refusing to care for certain types of patients, refusing to float when it's their turn, refusing portions of their assignment, refusing to accept constructive criticism, and it's always coming from newer nurses and newer CNA's. Also have had several new nurses think it was acceptable to put off their charting until the next shift they return! ?

I realize that nursing programs prepare students for the NCLEX as opposed to reality, but I really wish they would at least tell students that nursing is hard and there is a degree of unpleasantness that goes along with the job. But most of these nurses plan on leaving the bedside in a year or two anyway.

I will say though, that I've had some really terrific new nurses as well, they've been a breath of fresh air and a joy to work with compared to their peers.

I think it's best not to paint a whole group this way. There are hard workers and complainers in all demographics.

I'd imagine these new nurses were taught the same idealized version of nursing the rest of us were, and in my opinion things have gotten very bad in hospitals in recent years; like intolerable. So at least in my mind it makes sense that more recent grads would recognize an even bigger discrepancy between school vs. real world than maybe previous generations. I don't know, just thinking out loud. This year we've been hearing from people whose education has been shorted due to Covid, and no one seems to care too much except them. They're just expected to get out there and be the workers they were (partially) trained to be. It can't be easy.

As far as compromise and give-take employer-employee relationships, those days are going by the wayside. Big corps started it and employees got the message. I'm not sure why you would find it odd that they would be surprised to be told to float if they didn't sign a float position. We know that's normal but they're just learning how things roll. Do you think they see give-and-take, flexibility and cooperation and that sort of thing when they consider how their employer regards them? Doubtful.

On 12/24/2020 at 11:11 PM, sofla98 said:

It’s really starting to aggravate those of us over the age of 30, especially because if they don’t get their way they go to the manager and say “so and so didn’t help me enough” or “so and so wasn’t available and I couldn’t find them for an hour.”

Personally I'd ignore this. Not worth the aggravation.

As far as complaining about assignments, that's been going on, what--forever?? At my first nursing position whenever I was in charge I did my own little acuity calculations to get the fairest assignments I could possibly come up with and people would belly-ache until I showed them my math and said "have at it."

If you try to develop a rapport with these newer nurses you will get a lot farther. Even if they some of them do have a problem it certainly isn't worth your time to get frustrated about it. Let management worry about it. Just take good care of patients.

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On 12/25/2020 at 1:54 AM, JKL33 said:

I think it's best not to paint a whole group this way. There are hard workers and complainers in all demographics.

I'd imagine these new nurses were taught the same idealized version of nursing the rest of us were, and in my opinion things have gotten very bad in hospitals in recent years; like intolerable. So at least in my mind it makes sense that more recent grads would recognize an even bigger discrepancy between school vs. real world than maybe previous generations. I don't know, just thinking out loud. This year we've been hearing from people whose education has been shorted due to Covid, and no one seems to care too much except them. They're just expected to get out there and be the workers they were (partially) trained to be. It can't be easy.

As far as compromise and give-take employer-employee relationships, those days are going by the wayside. Big corps started it and employees got the message. I'm not sure why you would find it odd that they would be surprised to be told to float if they didn't sign a float position. We know that's normal but they're just learning how things roll. Do you think they see give-and-take, flexibility and cooperation and that sort of thing when they consider how their employer regards them? Doubtful.

Personally I'd ignore this. Not worth the aggravation.

As far as complaining about assignments, that's been going on, what--forever?? At my first nursing position whenever I was in charge I did my own little acuity calculations to get the fairest assignments I could possibly come up with and people would belly-ache until I showed them my math and said "have at it."

If you try to develop a rapport with these newer nurses you will get a lot farther. Even if they some of them do have a problem it certainly isn't worth your time to get frustrated about it. Let management worry about it. Just take good care of patients.

??

You bring up some fair points, and I will say that perhaps my opinion is tainted by the fact that healthcare just sucks all around right now. I do try to develop a  rapport with newer staff and be supportive. But it is exhausting when staff are trying to pick a fight with everything that comes up in a shift because it "isn't fair". Not saying they're wrong, just saying that it's frustrating.

In my experience the worst new grads to work with are middle aged or older. They always seem entitled and unwilling to listen to younger nurses, even though they have years of experience. Whereas younger nurses have only ever worked in healthcare and are more receptive to what experience nurses say and are far more adaptable.

4 hours ago, JKL33 said:

...I'd imagine these new nurses were taught the same idealized version of nursing the rest of us were, and in my opinion things have gotten very bad in hospitals in recent years; like intolerable. So at least in my mind it makes sense that more recent grads would recognize an even bigger discrepancy between school vs. real world than maybe previous generations.

I think you've hit on a good point with this thought.  The reality of nursing vs the academic ideal hits hard once you start working in the real world.

Be a patient of one of the entitled ones(and it's not only the new grads)....although on the grand scale most our empathetic and caring and advocate for the patient....personal experience has shown me that some and granted they are few and far between think they know the patient's body better than the patient.  Get offended when the patient even dares to ask "why?" or asks for a different plan of care such as substituting a drug they have used before compared to what the doctor has ordered.  Possibly, especially in a hospital setting, the doctor has never cared for the patient or actually knows the patient's history.  

I've had plenty of older/experienced nurses complain about "unfair" assignments ("I had xyz patient LAST WEEK already").... Others complain about "punishing competence" (which is probably more realistic, where the sicker patients go to the nurses that will actually do their job well. People don't like to work hard overall.

So I actually have seen this in all ages. I do think maybe it’s more common in the younger generation but I have also seen nurses in their 20s who are unbelievably hardworking and rarely ask for help. I think it goes back to work ethic, not always necessarily age. Like another poster said, same thing goes hand in hand with covid. I have seen nurses with absolutely no covid risk factors refusing to take covid patients or absolutely panicking over covid.....and others with true risk factors or family members with cancer, autoimmune diseases, etc simply take the covid crisis in stride.

25 minutes ago, speedynurse said:

 I think it goes back to work ethic, not always necessarily age.

I wonder if it's at all tied in to fewer adolescents having jobs for various social and economic reasons? I had my first job when I was 11 (paper route) and had my first "official" tax-paying job when I was 15. It did teach some universal skills about the nature of work...

When I started as a nurse I got a reality check that nursing is not holding elderly people's hands and handing out meds while looking perfect in your Figs. I quickly learned that not all patients are pleasant and grateful, the work is hard, physical, and dirty. You get verbally and physically abused. You get an insurmountable workload and no support from management. 

BUT, I never expected other nurses to help me when they are suffering from the exact same huge workload. We all help each other, but I don't feel I deserve help and don't have to help in return. And this is coming from a white millennial from a privileged background LOL

Most of the new nurses I work with and train are wonderful, helpful, ask for help when needed, open to learning. One 40 year old nurse was appalled that he has to do incontinent care. He said "that's for CNAs, I shouldn't have to do that, it's disgusting." News flash, our hospital doesn't have CNAs. He also hates getting admits/transfers/dishcarges. Our ratio is 3 pts, but if he transfers a pt and gets a new one, discharges and gets a new one, he claims that's 5 patients because he has to chart on all of them, and complains the whole shift. sighhhh he is nice outside of work but it's annoying. Don't think it has to do with generation though, and he is a hard worker. just an anecdote LOL