As current times have shown, we're short staffed. Administration wants to make money. So cuts are made to equipment and man power. Who has your back? Who can you rely on? Your fellow nurses? I'm not so sure anymore. Why do we as nurses eat our own when we should be teaching them and guarding them as our own. The fact is as we age our young nurses are going to be taking care of us, but there are those all too eager beavers who will in fact burn you. This is my experience.
This is my own personal experience as to why nurses eat their own? I have been in nursing for 20+ years. I've watched a lot of nurses come and go and some trying to move up that corporate food chain leaving a path of destruction a mile wide in their path. It's a very sad thing to have witnessed nursing go from a caring environment to a volatile, stressful, "me" environment.
I personally have never thrown anyone under the bus but I have been thrown under the bus by a nurse trying to move up. I was shocked, not to be naive but how callus and calculating this nurse had become in such a short period of time. She was a new grad. I took her under my wing, taught her in a specialty area just to be told shortly thereafter that there were going to be cuts in this area, and I was one of the people being cut along with approximately 20 more nurses. I then found out that my underling I had taught was at the helm of helping administration make these cuts based on who had been there longest, made the most per hour and new grads or new hires would be cheaper. So it was done and my underling moved up to an office of ease while the rest of us were dispersed throughout the facility or some even let go destroying lives and careers.
Once moved to another area of the facility I witnessed a male nurse dating several other female nurses turning them against each other and ending up dating a charge nurse that was best friends with the manager of that department, so they were allowed to cuddle up at the nurses' station and pretty much did nothing else other than sneak outside. Yes all of this was reported by others than myself, however administration didn't care, bottom line was man hours not pt care.
I've since left that facility after many years. I am now at a new facility and have already picked up on the "eager" young nurses more than willing to talk behind other nurses' backs. This is disappointing. The nursing school and instructors of old that I had the privilege of going to and being taught by would be appalled and would not have tolerated for one moment. Is loyalty, character and earning your title without harming something taught in nursing schools? Should certain psychiatric characters be red flags for school administrators be implemented to prevent cannibalism within nursing?
I feel as if those great women who pioneered nursing to care for the sick, indigent and wounded would be so saddened by the "General Hospital", "Grays Anatomy"; "high school acting" nurses of today. On that note I don't want to diminish the fact that nurses have to be go-getters, usually type A, hungry for knowledge; however there's a professional line where we should have each other's back.
Nurses go to college to achieve a degree of higher learning along with all the nursing classes. You're professionals, intellectuals. Would you compromise your name, integrity and reputation for a easier schedule, a desk job, an office? All you have to do is help relocate or terminate 20 to 25 fellow nurses?
I am curious to the opinions of others, so please post. BTW this underling was moved back down the food chain and eventually out the door and with no friends or references to rely on now.
Before going down this road ask yourself. Why did I become a nurse? To help others who need it or to eat my young? If you answer or turn into the later, I fear you may be in the wrong profession...
There are so many new, disgusting comments on generalizing new nurses, that I can't even quote them all.
I don't believe in NETY at all. However, all of these comments on this thread are actually supporting the theory of NETY.
I repeat myself, NOBODY can bring you down to get into higher positions, unless they specifically threatened you, slept with a superior, illegally misrepresented you to your superiors, or killed you. This is childish behavior and I CANNOT believe that seasoned, responsible, older nurses, whom I respect very much, are saying these disgusting comments. There is so much hatred on this thread, and I sincerely hope you're not bringing this type of behavior into the workplace to your patients.
Stop saying young nurses are "bringing you down," because nobody can do that but yourself.
Specializes in Ambulatory Care, LTC, OB, CCU, Occ Hth.
Farawyn said:
Jimmy, wait. Are you against higher degrees? I may be reading you wrong.
Not at all. I am against individuals using their higher degrees as proof that they are better than others, and use them to make others feel inadequate. I think higher degrees and those with experience all have contributions to make. I wholeheartedly believe everyone of us should continue to seek higher education.
I despise the higher degree mills that are pervasive among nursing now though. Someone who gets an online MSN comes in and suddenly disregards the value of experience. Many of those nurses end up looking foolish. Life is too slippery to cling to just books.
Specializes in Ambulatory Care, LTC, OB, CCU, Occ Hth.
milesims said:
There are so many new, disgusting comments on generalizing new nurses, that I can't even quote them all.
I don't believe in NETY at all. However, all of these comments on this thread are actually supporting the theory of NETY.
I repeat myself, NOBODY can bring you down to get into higher positions, unless they specifically threatened you, slept with a superior, illegally misrepresented you to your superiors, or killed you. This is childish behavior and I CANNOT believe that seasoned, responsible, older nurses, whom I respect very much, are saying these disgusting comments. There is so much hatred on this thread, and I sincerely hope you're not bringing this type of behavior into the workplace to your patients.
Stop saying young nurses are "bringing you down," because nobody can do that but yourself.
The reason we exist is to serve our patients. That is all. Stop making it about age.
Nurses who entered the field looking for a big paycheck alone don't get what nursing is about. Nurses who want to feel smart and superior. Also missing the mark.
Specializes in Ambulatory Care, LTC, OB, CCU, Occ Hth.
SpookyCat said:
I'm sorry but I cannot read a discussion like this and keep silent.
It's okay nrsgofold. There are a lot of snarky people out there. In my darkest moment while in nursing school, I made the mistake of asking for advice on allnurses. I was poked at, chewed up, spit out, and charged with THE HIGHEST TREASON to the profession. I had made a mistake in clinicals. I already felt horrible. The comments on here had me bawling like a baby for 3 days. HEAVEN FORBID WE BE ANYTHING OTHER THAN PERFECT.... Sorry. I'll save that rant for another thread.
One would think that nurses would show a little more comraderie toward one another. When I was a newbie floor nurse I would have been foaming at the mouth for a more seasoned RN to take me under her wing. Then once I made my own way I would have gone out of my way to help her if she ever needed it.
Why are nurses so judgemental and critical of one another? I don't care how stressed I was. I NEVER belittled anyone. I was always the one taking that co-worker, who is having a bad day, aside to make sure he/she's ok.
Why can't nurses accept that fact that we are all human beings and all inherently flawed? No one is perfect. You try your absolute "Type-A Personality" best but you can't be perfect in everything.
Perfect examples of of how wonderful nurses have treated me over time starting with nursing school:
1). They stole our charts/MAR's and hid them so that we couldn't properly take care of our patients, while in nursing school. They just didn't want to deal with us.
2). They watched in silence as my nursing instructor ripped me up one side and down the other for not "paying attention" during report. In reality, I felt rude sitting in a room full of women while they bashed a coworker behind her back. They hadn't even started report yet. They were gossiping (as usual).
3). They say to your face, "how could you be so stupid?" Oh I can never ever forget the wonderful time when someone said, "You are such a disappointment." --- where is the constructiveness in that criticism?
4). I once had a patient fall because he vasovagaled in the bathroom. I was standing beside him, grabbed him under the axilla, (I'm 5'6" and he's 6'2"). Needless to say, his butt hit ground (very gently but because it did I had to write an incident report. No one spoke to me or even looked at me for 2 hours and I was made to feel like the incident was entirely my fault. Turns out, they were Withholding assistance on purpose.
5). I once went to someone I thought was a mentor to ask advice. I got a little watery eyed because it was very serious in nature. She told me that I was being unprofessional and so on and so on.
6). I learned to 'shut up and color' real quick. I was forced to turn very introverted and I used to be quite the opposite. There a lot of strong personalities in nursing. So after being criticized and ridiculed or just plain ignored when trying to make small talk at the nurses station/break room, I just withered away in the background.
7.) I made the mistake of going into the OR. I did love surgeries.... I didn't love the drama. I was constantly ridiculed and compared to another nurse who started a month just before me. I wasn't catching on nearly as quickly as she did. I couldn't understand it either. I was usually pretty good at learning things that I had a drive for... And I wanted to be an OR Nurse BAD.
Long story short I was diagnosed with MS (hence, the difficulty learning with memory loss). There was a staff meeting and my name came up because the housekeepers were asking how my orientation was going. The housekeepers shouldn't know anything unless people are openly gossiping about me!! That other new OR nurse didn't help and would often throw me under the bus as well because it made her look so much more golden!
I loved helping people but Nursing broke my spirit. I see my diagnosis as an open window to a brighter world than I've known in nursing. I'm applying for Grad School to start a Master in Social Work program in the fall. No job is perfect but Maybe there I'll be allowed to be a little bit more myself.
I'm so sorry you experienced this. It's behavior like this that runs good nurses from the field.
My first day in Labor and Delivery - I call the MD to report on his new admit. He hung up on me. I called back. He did it again. I called back because I needed orders, and he was impeding my patient's care. He hung up on me again, and called back to talk to the charge nurse who snatched my notes from me with a sneer, reported on the patient, got the orders and said to me "Here. Not that that was my job or anything." I asked what the doctor's problem was and was told he didn't like to talk to new people, and me in particular, he didn't like my face.
I got asked about what kind of a "man would come work OB", when I worked in OR, I was scolded constantly, other nurses went into my ORs after I set up, and removed equipment, rearranged supplies, removed cables, and then the surgeon would proceed to cuss me for being incompetent. I tried to explain my position, and that made me look like I was whining and making excuses.
Nurses intercepted lab results for my patients, and filed them away or hid them and never told me they arrived, so then I caught hell for not being telepathic or if I called the lab, they got ugly for having to send reports to me again.
I was told by one facility that I couldn't work in their L&D department because I was a man. I was told to go work ER. Another facility hired me for pediatrics, and assigned me to ICU for which I had no experience or training.
My first night I was given 4 ICU patients and I was the only nurse in the unit. The house supervisor told me to "quit complaining, act like a man or I'll have your license" when I raised the point of patient safety. She said I didn't need to be a nurse because I was telling her I wasn't competent to care for patients.
I had a patient grab my crotch in a room where I was with her alone. I reported it to my boss and HR. My boss laughed at me and told me to grow up; it happens. If I didn't like it, then I needed to hire more "man nurses" so that patient would be distracted.
Another job, my boss told me I got my job because she liked to have "man candy" around the office.
Wrong. This line of thinking comes from simply years of work and life experience. I am not even in a union position, so you don't know my situation at all. But go on and believe what you want. It gets you nowhere to write it off as "union" mentality. For me, it's ridiculous to make generalizations and statements about a career in which a person has zero experience.
SmilingBluEyes,
This was not directed at you (unless you determine the culture of the entire nursing profession). Just as there is a certain culture with postal employees (such as not able to be fired), apathy, expectation of regular raises and good benefits, so too nursing has a culture that has been shaped to some extent by it haven a high unionization rate. It has created a culture that the public has recognized as such. Just look at this article: Security camera catches USPS worker's amazingly lazy delivery. Despite hemorrhaging money, employees still expect Cadillac benefits.
The reason we exist is to serve our patients. That is all. Stop making it about age.
Nurses who entered the field looking for a big paycheck alone don't get what nursing is about. Nurses who want to feel smart and superior. Also missing the mark.
To serve requires humility.
This is all your opinion and you are stating it as fact. Who are you to say what people "get"?
The reason we exist is to serve our patients. That is all. Stop making it about age.
Nurses who entered the field looking for a big paycheck alone don't get what nursing is about. Nurses who want to feel smart and superior. Also missing the mark.
To serve requires humility.
I completely agree with you, and I hope you understood my point. I think it should absolutely not be about age!
However, many people in this thread are making it about age, and it's childish how you can blame an entire age group of nurses for shortcomings that you may have.
Well, I must admit I'm a bit disheartened to read about all of the negative experiences nurses are having with nurses who are my age. There are a lot of generalizations being thrown around here, but those generalizations, while they may be true at specific hospitals, are not true across the entire board. I mean look at AN. There are so many members I respect on here, ranging from students and nurses who are my age to nurses who are decades older. I've seen wisdom, humor, snark, meanness, and love in every single age group here. I wouldn't trade any one of my favorite members (and there are a lot of you) for someone of a different age group.
Well, I must admit I'm a bit disheartened to read about all of the negative experiences nurses are having with nurses who are my age. There are a lot of generalizations being thrown around here, but those generalizations, while they may be true at specific hospitals, are not true across the entire board. I mean look at AN. There are so many members I respect on here, ranging from students and nurses who are my age to nurses who are decades older. I've seen wisdom, humor, snark, meanness, and love in every single age group here. I wouldn't trade any one of my favorite members (and there are a lot of you) for someone of a different age group.
Specializes in Ambulatory Care, LTC, OB, CCU, Occ Hth.
Farawyn said:
This is all your opinion and you are stating it as fact. Who are you to say what people "get"?
You're right. To me nursing is about serving our patients. The reason I exist is to serve my patients. In my opinion, from what I observe, nurses who aren't interested in service or looking for a big paycheck are more likely to be the nurses who miss things or bully their colleagues or get wrapped up in looking good. They are more likely to lose compassion, if they had any to begin with. They are more likely to be unhappy in their work. To me, nursing is not about money. I feel such sadness for my colleagues who dismiss the ideas of humility and service in nursing.
If you want some evidence and empirical data, I can provide some that shows that nurses who are more selfishly driven or plain not nice are more likely to be sued by patients when they make small mistakes as humans are apt to do, particularly ones who just show up for a paycheck.
I think nurse practice acts and professional scopes and standards as well as healthcare organizations policies and procedures might also agree with me on what nursing is. Nursing is service. Everyone of those documents state it and nurses who don't follow them find their licenses revoked
You're right. To me nursing is about serving our patients. The reason I exist is to serve my patients. In my opinion, from what I observe, nurses who aren't interested in service or looking for a big paycheck are more likely to be the nurses who miss things or bully their colleagues or get wrapped up in looking good. They are more likely to lose compassion, if they had any to begin with. They are more likely to be unhappy in their work. To me, nursing is not about money. I feel such sadness for my colleagues who dismiss the ideas of humility and service in nursing.
If you want some evidence and empirical data, I can provide some that shows that nurses who are more selfishly driven or plain not nice are more likely to be sued by patients when they make small mistakes as humans are apt to do, particularly ones who just show up for a paycheck.
Sorry you work with crap people. Again.
I don't need evidence. I live my life and I have my own experiences. I put out good and hard work and I've mostly gotten it back.
Farawyn
12,646 Posts
Jimmy, wait. Are you against higher degrees? I may be reading you wrong.