BellaOnline Forums Career Nursing Eating Your Young...

Hi, everyone. As nurses, we are often accused of "eating our young". So, I want to hear your stories about nurses who are uncaring towards new grads. I am also interested in the experiences you had as a new nurse...good or bad! Thanks. Bethany Derricott, BSN, RN Nurse-In-Training Bella Online

I've been a nurse for over 10 years. I went back to school,later in life and got by degree. I was lucky enough to be employeed at a hospital with a great support system for new grads. I know that was unusual, compared to some of the stories I have heard. What I have noticed lately, are new grads with a bad attitude. Don't take this the wrong way, self confidence is a good thing, but thinking that you know everything, just out of school, can be dangerous. Nursing school is not the real world and experience goes along way with dealing with extremely ill pts., their family and with doctors. Preceptors need to guide new nurses with patience, and understanding. New nurses need to understand that not everything is taught in school. I happen to love to precept nursing students and new grads. Compassion is not taught in school and that is one thing that is often missing with new nurses. Not because they don't care but because they don't care, but because they don't have the life experiences that older nurses have.

That's an interesting point - in previous decades youngsters were taught to respect their elders but in modern generations many youngsters are taught that elders are no-nothing imbeciles. A lot of the cartoons like the Simpsons and such show adults as being incompetent and the kids being the ones who know everything. Kids are raised to question elders - which on one hand is a good thing but on the other hand can have them not realize how much there is to learn.

How do you find a balance so that new nurses are not petrified of making a mistake, but so they have a healthy awareness of how much they still do not know?

New nurses need to be petrified of making a mistake. Mistakes can be lethal, and that heavy responsibility needs to be in the front of their minds at all times. The worst kind of new nurse (or old nurse, for that matter) is the one who is cocky and over confident.

Many of the things we must do are painful, and we must always remember that as well.

All that being said, the only way a new grad will ever be a good nurse is on-the-job training. Nursing school turns out weak, generic med/surg nurses at best. So new grads need to find the best nurse they can and learn everything they can from them. BUT, and this is a biggy, always be grateful for the time a seasoned nurse spends with you. Some of us do enjoy mentoring a new grad, most of us don't.

There is a good reason for that. We all know what weak nurses new grads are, but the new grad probably doesn't. ALL hospital nurses are overworked. The hospitals have been short staffed for so long they think it's the way things are supposed to be. We have more patients than we can handle. But a good nurse has learned to prioritize and run a little faster and get it all done by end of shift. If you're assigned to mentor a new grad, you probably don't have a lighter assignment, just a ball and chain around your ankle who will slow you down. That's the main reason I always wanted to scream when assigned a new nurse to work with.

You still have the patients, families, doctors, lab, radiology, respiratory, physical therapy, and the secretary riding your butt, AND a ball and chain around your ankle.

That's why we eat our young....everyone is chomping at the bit to eat us.

The interested thing is that,alot of new nurses don't have that fear of making a mistake. That in and of itself is frightening. A large majority of them don't care their own malpractice insurance, trusting that the hospital will cover them. That's sad, because they don't understand that if they get caught in a courtroom situation, they could lose everything. I talk very upfront to new nurses. I encourage them to do at least 1 year on a med/surg floor. These are the nurses that get down and dirty. They learn how to develop and use their "nurse's gut". New nurses need to learn that it's on these units that the backbone of nursing is taught and where you can decide if you want to pick a speciality. Nursing is going through some trying times right now. It will be interesting to see, what happens.

Great point, MariRN! I have noticed lately how some nursing students have poor attitudes. However, I have noticed this in young people overall...not just nursing students. I was speaking with a colleague a few days ago. This particular colleague was one of my nursing instructors (many moons ago). She has almost 30 years of teaching experience. She commented how students today are often disrespectful and is annoyed when students call nursing instructors by their first names. I believe some of this is just generational..."times they are a changin!" I do agree that having a "know-it-all" attitude is very dangerous in nursing. You mentioned having a good support system as a new grad. What resources were available to you? Bethany Derricott, BSN, RN Nurse Editior-In-Training Bella Online

I agree wholeheartedly, Mari.

That's interesting, I wouldn't have thought anything of calling someone by their first name. To me that is normal - it seems stilted to call someone by their last name. I wonder if that is a generational thing?

Helen, interesting perspective. However, I disagree. I have always been a preceptor/mentor to nursing students and new nurses. I have never considered them to be balls and chains around my ankle. It is through teaching that you learn. The difference between nurses and new grads is that as a nurse you have the skills and knowledge to be able to multi-task, they don't. Stressing new grads out with inappropriate and unprofessional behavior does not serve anyone, and causes us to lose nurses. Of course, I am not saying to be a total "softy," but some behaviors by nursing mentors is just outrageously cruel! We were all new nurses at one time and remember how tough it was. I feel we need to keep this in mind when working with new grads. Bethany Derricott, BSN, RN Nurse-In-Training Bella Online

Lisa, it is definitely a generational thing. Most other professions do not do this. Historical, the nursing profession was VERY strict with everything. It was often said that nursing students were literally stripped of their identity when entering nursing school. One NEVER called an instructor or doctor by his/her first name. Now, this has changed. I frequently laugh at myself because I try to be more new age, but I cringe when a student calls me by my first name (especially without my permission). One argument is that it is a sign of respect (ie., respecting those who have gone before you...so to speak). Others seem to use it to maintain power. Who knows! The new generations seem to be much less tolerant of traditional behaviors and it will be interesting to see how the face of nursing shifts over the next few decades. Bethany Derricott, BSN, RN Nurse Editor-In-Training Bella Online