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Nurses have a reputation for "eating their young", and I have heard many horror stories that confirm this statement. What advice would you give to a new nurse to avoid or deal with situations where more experienced nurses are not the friendliest?

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

I wish that phrase had never been coined, although I'm sure it made a lot of money for whoever wrote the book.

If you go into a situation expecting to find nurses who eat their young or unfriendly, that's exactly what you're going to find. If you go into the situation expecting to find friendly experienced nurses who are able to answer your questions and help you to learn and grow, that's exactly what you'll find. Attitude is all, and yours will set the tone.

Even the most curmudgeonly nurse will respond positively to a new nurse who is consistently friendly and positive. We like people whom we believe like us -- so make up your mind to like them all, and they're far more likely to respond in kind.

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Specializes in ED, ICU, lifetime Diabetes Education.

After almost 5 years of nursing, I have found NETY to be a very real phenomena. I wish it were not true but looking at the history of nursing or is something deeply ingrained in the profession. I believe it is long over due that we stand up to NETY and acknowledge it's existence and work on eradicating it. Older nurses have a lot to offer to new nurses. New nurses have a lot to offer to the profession. "Why can't we all just get along?"

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