Comments on: A sad myth: nurses eat their young http://scrubsmag.com/nurses-eat-their-young/ Fri, 25 May 2012 00:51:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Teresa http://scrubsmag.com/nurses-eat-their-young/#comment-10795 Teresa Fri, 04 Feb 2011 10:46:13 +0000 http://scrubsmag.com/?p=6146#comment-10795 Ignoring the big ol' white elephant standing in the middle of the nurses' station ain't gonna make it go away. I've been a RN for almost 4 years, and nurses not only eat their young, they eat their old more. I've seen 20 something nurses just visciously attack older RNs starting out. It is as bad as being thrown back into 7th grade out there. I left a hospital a year and a half ago d/t this issue, and just about left nursing entirely. There is seriel mobbing going on, and it appears that HR is pretty powerless to stop it. So your pollyanna attitude just isn't helping matters one bit. If 20% of newbies are leaving largely due to this problem, wouldn't it be better to address it than pretend it doesn't exist? Ignoring the big ol’ white elephant standing in the middle of the nurses’ station ain’t gonna make it go away. I’ve been a RN for almost 4 years, and nurses not only eat their young, they eat their old more. I’ve seen 20 something nurses just visciously attack older RNs starting out. It is as bad as being thrown back into 7th grade out there. I left a hospital a year and a half ago d/t this issue, and just about left nursing entirely. There is seriel mobbing going on, and it appears that HR is pretty powerless to stop it. So your pollyanna attitude just isn’t helping matters one bit. If 20% of newbies are leaving largely due to this problem, wouldn’t it be better to address it than pretend it doesn’t exist?

]]> By: Anastasia http://scrubsmag.com/nurses-eat-their-young/#comment-8024 Anastasia Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:59:12 +0000 http://scrubsmag.com/?p=6146#comment-8024 I find nurses, especially older ones, to be nasty and seem to get a "perverted" pleasure out of eating their younger nurses. It sickens me! If they are frustrated, they should keep it to themselves. I find nurses, especially older ones, to be nasty and seem to get a “perverted” pleasure out of eating their younger nurses. It sickens me! If they are frustrated, they should keep it to themselves.

]]> By: steve r http://scrubsmag.com/nurses-eat-their-young/#comment-7800 steve r Thu, 11 Nov 2010 16:45:29 +0000 http://scrubsmag.com/?p=6146#comment-7800 it seems like most of these nurses want to blame the hospital for thier lack of compassion because they are always short handed.bullcrap!! my mother was treated with such arrogance and coldness by most of the nurses and doctors before she passed away. when she was on her death bed, there was a nurse to be found anywhere in her final hours. if you have compassion and kindness in your heart as being part of your nature and not something learned,then you are a few steps above the rest. if this is not already in you and you cannot deal with sick patients,then get the hell out ! because you can't handle it and we as patients,familys and friends don't want you there for fear of neglect. will the day ever come when all nurses will poses this god given compassion and always hold true to it ? i have little hope."they just don't give a damm" plain and simple.for those who live in my area,stay awya from palisade general hospital in north bergen.nj,you may never come home again ! it seems like most of these nurses want to blame the hospital for thier lack of compassion because they are always short handed.bullcrap!! my mother was treated with such arrogance and coldness by most of the nurses and doctors before she passed away. when she was on her death bed, there was a nurse to be found anywhere in her final hours. if you have compassion and kindness in your heart as being part of your nature and not something learned,then you are a few steps above the rest. if this is not already in you and you cannot deal with sick patients,then get the hell out ! because you can’t handle it and we as patients,familys and friends don’t want you there for fear of neglect. will the day ever come when all nurses will poses this god given compassion and always hold true to it ? i have little hope.”they just don’t give a damm” plain and simple.for those who live in my area,stay awya from palisade general hospital in north bergen.nj,you may never come home again !

]]> By: Diana http://scrubsmag.com/nurses-eat-their-young/#comment-5166 Diana Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:46:26 +0000 http://scrubsmag.com/?p=6146#comment-5166 I AGREE! I am a brand newgraduate working in Toronto. Don't get me wrong, I have had a few wonderful nurses help guide me during the way, yet sadly the majority of them will eat you alive. I have thought about quiting mulitple times due to my low self esteem that these older nurses caused me. I do not understand this at all, the new grads will be taking over their jobs, they need to respect us and treat us better! I AGREE! I am a brand newgraduate working in Toronto. Don’t get me wrong, I have had a few wonderful nurses help guide me during the way, yet sadly the majority of them will eat you alive. I have thought about quiting mulitple times due to my low self esteem that these older nurses caused me. I do not understand this at all, the new grads will be taking over their jobs, they need to respect us and treat us better!

]]> By: Lisa http://scrubsmag.com/nurses-eat-their-young/#comment-4874 Lisa Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:32:49 +0000 http://scrubsmag.com/?p=6146#comment-4874 I am a new nurse in a large metro Atlanta hospital. Interestingly, I am also 47 years old! I have found that there ARE a few nurses that view the new grad nurse as a way to validate their own deficiencies~ By picking apart every detail of my work, I suppose they make themselves feel less inadequate. Indeed it does seem that the few who “eat their young” are the same ones who are not viewed in a positive manner by patients and other nurses. It really takes a bullying mentality to demean a new grad who is trying very hard, and usually smiling through the pain! I LOVE nursing! It is not the patients that make me feel less confident- it is the few “old” nurses who have forgotten what it was like to be trying so hard to learn and be a valuable part of the team. Thanks for the article! Lisa Green, RN I am a new nurse in a large metro Atlanta hospital. Interestingly, I am also 47 years old!
I have found that there ARE a few nurses that view the new grad nurse as a way to validate their own deficiencies~ By picking apart every detail of my work, I suppose they make themselves feel less inadequate. Indeed it does seem that the few who “eat their young” are the same ones who are not viewed in a positive manner by patients and other nurses. It really takes a bullying mentality to demean a new grad who is trying very hard, and usually smiling through the pain!
I LOVE nursing! It is not the patients that make me feel less confident- it is the few “old” nurses who have forgotten what it was like to be trying so hard to learn and be a valuable part of the team.
Thanks for the article!

Lisa Green, RN

]]> By: Tiffany http://scrubsmag.com/nurses-eat-their-young/#comment-4407 Tiffany Fri, 11 Jun 2010 05:30:23 +0000 http://scrubsmag.com/?p=6146#comment-4407 I have been a nurse for a little over a year now. I started in a Skilled Nursing Facility due to a lack of hospitals willing to train new nurses. It was a very nasty environment. The more experienced nurses were verbally abusive when I asked questions or needed help, or they would just point out the Policy and Procedure manual that has no table of contents or particular order. They would talk about me behind my back and sometimes even ask me questions like "How did you even become a nurse?" It took me six months to finally find a hospital job, and it is the same way where I work now, except for the fact that I am not the new unexperienced nurse that I was. Sadly, nurses do eat their young. I will not be like them, I will teach new nurses with skill and compassion. I do still have days when I wished I would have chosen another career path, but I am here now, and I will do the best I can. Hopefully it will get better when the old nasty nurses retire. I have been a nurse for a little over a year now. I started in a Skilled Nursing Facility due to a lack of hospitals willing to train new nurses. It was a very nasty environment. The more experienced nurses were verbally abusive when I asked questions or needed help, or they would just point out the Policy and Procedure manual that has no table of contents or particular order. They would talk about me behind my back and sometimes even ask me questions like “How did you even become a nurse?” It took me six months to finally find a hospital job, and it is the same way where I work now, except for the fact that I am not the new unexperienced nurse that I was. Sadly, nurses do eat their young. I will not be like them, I will teach new nurses with skill and compassion. I do still have days when I wished I would have chosen another career path, but I am here now, and I will do the best I can. Hopefully it will get better when the old nasty nurses retire.

]]> By: Deborah Jones http://scrubsmag.com/nurses-eat-their-young/#comment-4301 Deborah Jones Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:49:37 +0000 http://scrubsmag.com/?p=6146#comment-4301 Lady if you think nurses eat their young is a myth you are out of touch or brain dead. Not only do they eat their young but anyone else that isn't a bully like them. Lady if you think nurses eat their young is a myth you are out of touch or brain dead. Not only do they eat their young but anyone else that isn’t a bully like them.

]]> By: Allen http://scrubsmag.com/nurses-eat-their-young/#comment-3490 Allen Sat, 08 May 2010 23:38:25 +0000 http://scrubsmag.com/?p=6146#comment-3490 Too true. The mind set stems from, "if i had to go through it, you do to." Plus, (i'm a former helicopter pilot) the med error, mistake, whatever is blamed on the nurse and there is this "fear" of making a mistake. if one happens the fingers start pointing at everyone else. Mistakes happen, near misses happen but because there is no one with balls in the nursing system, nurses perpetuate an aura of fear within our practice. If i make a near miss, i tell everyone. Because if i've done it, others have or will. Best to learn from each other vs blame each other Too true. The mind set stems from, “if i had to go through it, you do to.” Plus, (i’m a former helicopter pilot) the med error, mistake, whatever is blamed on the nurse and there is this “fear” of making a mistake. if one happens the fingers start pointing at everyone else. Mistakes happen, near misses happen but because there is no one with balls in the nursing system, nurses perpetuate an aura of fear within our practice. If i make a near miss, i tell everyone. Because if i’ve done it, others have or will. Best to learn from each other vs blame each other

]]> By: Melinda M http://scrubsmag.com/nurses-eat-their-young/#comment-3034 Melinda M Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:29:11 +0000 http://scrubsmag.com/?p=6146#comment-3034 Sad to say it still is happening. I am one of the 20% that has quit due to being bullied & harrassed on the job, by other nurses and manager. I have a few friends who have seen what I been through and thought about becoming a nurse and been scared off from my experience. Absoluted worst nightmare of my life, and I am a women in my 40's. Now I know why there is a nursing shortage. I really feel for all the patients who do need caring and compassion, good luck in find a good nurse, they run all the good ones off it seems. Sad to say it still is happening. I am one of the 20% that has quit due to being bullied & harrassed on the job, by other nurses and manager. I have a few friends who have seen what I been through and thought about becoming a nurse and been scared off from my experience. Absoluted worst nightmare of my life, and I am a women in my 40′s. Now I know why there is a nursing shortage. I really feel for all the patients who do need caring and compassion, good luck in find a good nurse, they run all the good ones off it seems.

]]> By: Paul Millard, RN, CEN http://scrubsmag.com/nurses-eat-their-young/#comment-2744 Paul Millard, RN, CEN Fri, 23 Apr 2010 01:16:19 +0000 http://scrubsmag.com/?p=6146#comment-2744 Once heard a resident test a drunk for lucidity. He asked "Why do helicopters eat their young?" There followed a long rambling story about national security, the viet nam war, etc, etc. Then he said something I'll never forget. "Besides, there more tender when they're young." Whenever I hear that terrible phrase about nurses, or witness it, I think of that statement. Once heard a resident test a drunk for lucidity. He asked “Why do helicopters eat their young?” There followed a long rambling story about national security, the viet nam war, etc, etc. Then he said something I’ll never forget. “Besides, there more tender when they’re young.” Whenever I hear that terrible phrase about nurses, or witness it, I think of that statement.

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