You won't believe.....

[NanikRN]

True story from this morning---

I'm in break room , reading document student comes in to use computer to preview pts for clinical tomorrow

Hi I'm Sally student

Me - still intent on document--mumbles hi

*silence *

Student --I guess you don't like students I've heard about nurses eating their young

Me: still reading--huhh?

Really? Give me a break

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

Ya know, it wouldn't have killed you to look up, make eye contact, and introduce yourself.

Just sayin'.

[Marsha238612]

I'm a very near future nursing student and it maybe because of that reason that I think the OP should've taken 3 seconds to look up and at least say "hello".

Manners are a must-have everywhere. It's sad some ppl just don't have them. 3 seconds would've not killed your document reading time in its entirety.

However as for the nursing student's comment I think that was out of place but not completely blame her/him for saying that.

But the OP having a higher education and being in her natural habitat(hospital) per se, should've showed the most basic manners such as saying a mere hello looking up at the student.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

GREAT point.

I wonder if the student would have replied the same way if the CEO did not say Hello to het.

[SaoirseRN]

I'm a very near future nursing student and it maybe because of that reason that I think the OP should've taken 3 seconds to look up and at least say "hello". Manners are a must-have everywhere. It's sad some ppl just don't have them. 3 seconds would've not killed your document reading time in its entirety. However as for the nursing student's comment I think that was out of place but not completely blame her/him for saying that. But the OP having a higher education and being in her natural habitat(hospital) per se should've showed the most basic manners such as saying a mere hello looking up at the student. Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com[/quote']

Manners also mean you don't interrupt somebody when they are reading something. It works both ways.

[Susie2310]

Maybe clinical instructors are somehow conveying to students an inaccurate set of expectations now? I remember being a student and quite satisfied if a nurse made an audible noise that seemed to be directed toward the space I was occupying at that time.

I would say that it's unfortunate that Sally probably won't learn some important lessons from the encounter about assessing a situation before you interrupt someone who is clearly concentrating on something else, no matter what it was. The NETY comment was totally inappropriate and - hopefully the lack of verbal impulse control was a one-time fluke, for the student's sake. NanikRN, maybe you could attempt to talk to her about more effective ways to communicate with others in the clinical setting and save her from worse than your supposed rudeness.

My response most closely mirrors the one above. I remember that when I was a student the expectation from the clinical instructors was for us to be very respectful, considerate and polite, as we were on the nurses/hospital territory. Remarks to the nurses about NETY would never have been tolerated; I think anyone who did that in the program I attended would have found himself/herself on probation if they were not dismissed from the program. Maintaining good relationships with the nursing staff and the hospital was very important to the nursing program.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

I wonder if the OP would have responded in such a way if a colleague or better yet the CEO of the hospital would have walked in.

...And asked what she was doing working in the break room?!

[Karmatism]

You were rude. She said something stupid. Put it to bed.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Ok, I'm floored that this debate has gone on this long. Especially since I can't even qualify the situation as debatable.

The OP gave a distracted acknowledgement that the student addressed her. She said "hi" and then continued with her reading. The student, in response, said an intensely stupid thing in stating that "I guess this is what they mean when they say nurses eat their young" (or something extremely similar, I'm paraphrasing).

How on earth can this be construed as a case of the nurse creating a situation in which an obnoxious comment from a stranger can be viewed as expected or acceptable? On what planet?

It's unfortunate the OP didn't give the 100 watt smile and bright fluffy tail of a greeting to the student (for those of you who think she should have). But explain to me how this equates with such a rude statement from the student? She deserved to have Miss Obnoxious verbally attack her because she had the audacity to "only" acknowledge her with a distracted 'Hi'?

How dare she. Flog her in the streets. And maybe that poor student could get an A for having put up with such a horrible encounter with a Young-Eating Nurse.

Absurd.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

I guess like everything else at the hospital, the nurse is always in the wrong.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

I guess like everything else at the hospital, the nurse is always in the wrong.

Duh!! (sarcastic smiley)

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Based on what the student said, you have assessed she was rude and would have straightened her out.

Any unit I have worked on, the students evaluate us( by name) and we'd best be supportive to all, not just the ones we feel are worthy.

Your response was quite judgmental and hostile.

You're damn right I judged her as being rude. She was! And no, I don't waste my precious patient care time showing disinterested or rude students the way things are done. I expend too much energy on patient care, helping out my coworkers, and teaching wonderful students to waste it on a student who has the audacity to insult me because my greeting wasn't bright and cheery enough.

[Bortaz, MSN, RN]

I wonder if the student would have replied the same way if the CEO did not say Hello to het.

What the student said was stupid.