WHY are some PCT's so bitter towards new RN's???

teaquay · Jul 28, 2009

I haven't gone through it yet, but I honestly won't be surprised if I do. A lot of people harbor either resentment or envy for many different reasons, and I have found that unfortunately they are not always like you and me - they don't try to overcome it or use kindness as a counterforce - they just become obnoxious, rude, hostile, or all of the above. I wish it didn't have to be like that. I'm bracing myself for what awaits me at my new job......*gulp*

Jami RN, BSN, RN · Jul 28, 2009

As a charge nurse, if this was going on I would like to know about it. I would take care of it for you immediately. It would not be tolerated on my unit.

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Jul 28, 2009

They are insecure. Plain and simple.

They don't want newbies to come and boss them around, or feel that their roles are minimized or not important.

SlightlyMental_RN · Jul 28, 2009

I'm a "kill them with kindness" kind of person, too. Besides, it's so funny to see them squirm when you've been super nice to them, and you know they're just dying to find a reason to be mean to you. It doesn't take much time to be nice, and then we're all working together swimmingly.

Medic/Nurse, BSN, RN · Jul 28, 2009

I guess it is just too hard to play nice and be respectful for some people. Folks tend to do what works for them - I'd make the environment one where bad behavior was not tolerated from either group.

NurseMarla · Jul 28, 2009

I'm in home hospice now, so I don't see much of our aides; they've all been friendly when I do see them though (maybe because I do their evaluations :idea: ). However, when I was doing clinicals in an inpatient hospice (I'm a new grad) the CNAs were very rude, made comments about how slow I was, happened to be talking about how nurses shouldn't smoke every time I came through the door (as they sat on their 200 lb situpons eating Snickers- no offense to the heavier ladies, I'm just saying you shouldn't throw stones).

I don't know why they did this, but it made me feel terrible. As if I wasn't beating myself up already for taking 2 hours to pass meds to my 12 patients; I didn't need it from them.

Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN · Jul 29, 2009

Im a CCT in an ICU and a nurse extern who is a PCT in the ER told me to go do a blood sugar on a patient while she sat at the nurses station reading a book and eating cherries.... as you would imagine I was not very pleased. I did not become hostile however I did tell her it was her patient too *sigh*

teaquay · Jul 29, 2009

happyloser - Well, in your case, it was the nurse (extern) that was being a Bee-yotch! I know it can be like that, but I have noticed too that techs can be downright mean, especially to new or younger nurses, even though they didn't do anything to deserve it.

NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN · Jul 29, 2009

I went through the same thing as a student nurse, where some techs had an attitude. When I told them that I work as a tech ( part-time for an agency) they seem to be a little more kind. Some techs are insecure or may feel threatned by nurses. Or maybe some have been so disrespected by some nurses that they put up a gard on all nurses. IDK. It definitely goes both ways though. I'm currently working as a tech and get little respect by some nurses and student nurses. However, when I tell them I'm a new grad just waiting to take boards their whole attitude changes. Before the student nurses treated me like a bump on a log and paid me No mind. As soon as they found out that I was a new grad they were up in my face asking me a ton of question. Go figure !

missbutton · Jul 29, 2009

I am an aide for the homecare division of one of my local hospitals. I am also a senior nursing student in the hospital. Even though I'm an employee, I don't know any of the techs that I work with as a student. I usually don't mention that I work as an aide unless someone directly asks me.

Techs do alot of the hard, dirty, backbreaking work. They get very little respect. And very little money. The way that I get the tech's respect is that I ask their opinions. They may see different things than you do. If they're doing baths, they may have more information about a patient's skin than you do. Or about a patient's bowels. Or their mental status. So, when I work with techs, I don't just ask them where things are. I ask them what they think about the patients. Just like nurses are a doctor's eyes, an aide can be a nurse's eyes. I have found that the fastest way to earn respect is to ask for an opinion and to listen.

That's my :twocents:

Jami RN, BSN, RN · Jul 29, 2009

I don't feel this behavior can or should be explained or excused. I don't feel like a new nurse should have to psychoanalyze her co-workers in order for them to do their job well. CNAs and RNs have different job descriptions. Good CNAs work very hard, as do RNs. I have worked with far too many nasty CNAs who have a chip on their shoulder towards all nurses. This is bullying... horizontal violence. Don't tolerate it. Managers and charge nurses get paid to deal with it.

If I were aware that it was happening on my unit, it would only happen 4 times from the same CNA... enough for a verbal, written and formal corrective action, and then termination.

Nurses should not need to "figure out" or "impress" their co-workers in order to work cohesively with them. That goes for CNAs, doctors and other nurses.

For those of you that are CNAs that are excusing this behavior -- shame on you. Bullying is not justified --ever.