Do Nurses Still Eat Their Young?

When will we learn that if we keep abusing young nurses, they'll keep leaving and we'll be stuck here taking care of our patients. Till we retire and there's no one left to take care of us.

Here's one website of many that discuss it.

AARN Discussion Forum: General Discussion: Nurses who eat their young:"In response to Nurses eating their young. Unfortunately this issue is universal. I trained and worked in the Canadian system for many years. I now live and work in Australia. The same issues arise downunder. What are the characteristics of a nurse? Is it something learned by the level of education? I know many well educated nurses who have graduated from university programs many have the same identified traits you have described. I know it is easy to blame increased work loads and staff constraints or lack of education. Mentoring, respecting,supporting and valuing each other irregardless of work or educational experience are the beginnings of finding a resolution. Whether you are a graduate from a 2 yr or 4 yr program then becomes irrelevant."
http://www.nurses.ab.ca/discus/messages/1/30.html?1017629135

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.4nursing.com

Many senior RNs on our floor prey on new RNs and I am personally a victim of such. I am a NOC nurse and she is an AM nurse (AM nurses on our floor are dreaded by all RNs whether they are regular staff on our floor or floaters). She seems to be always busy with something other than caring for her patients (she is unfortunately our Union Rep) which is why I most of the time end up staying longer than I should and end up doing more than I should. My shift ends at 845 am while hers starts at 700 am, we overlap over here. At 9AM on a Saturday morning, I am still acquiring a signature from my Pt's family member with regards to obtaining medical information from their MD's office, per request of AM RN. This is after she questioned my practices as an RN in front of my Pt's family among a whole lot of other things. No new RN on our floor wants to work with her. If only we could pick and choose.

It is and forever will be a problem. I am a traveler, am currently in a CCU/CVICU that is 'orienting' several new grads to the units. Just recently after 3 nights off, I learned that a new grad, fresh off orientation, was given a fresh CABG, regardless of her protest, the same night, another new grad, also fresh off orientation, was given a new Balloon Pump, again regardless of her protest of 'I've never had orientation on one, or a class on balloon pumps.' She was told 'You're the best we have, so you have to take it.'
Needless to say, the whole unit was up in arms, by the way, the Supervisor of both units is new, and approved all of the above. The next time I saw the 2 'victims', I strongly advised them to learn quickly to say no, also, that if they accecpt an assignment that they know they are not qualified, or ready for, that it goes against the Nurse Practice Act as well. It is a shame when nurses are bullied into taking assignments either too many pts, or ones that they don't need.
I have stood up myself, pissed supervisors off, but refused
to take 20 medical pts, with 1 LPN, did not clock in, or take report until another RN was present. It was the floor supervisor, Report started that night @ 1940. I will do it again, not only does it put my license on the line, but it puts patients at risk, something Administrators and Supervisors seem too easily to forget.....
Just my 2 cents......

sunnyRN

That is just plain insane.

And you're absolutely right, if one of those patients goes bad, the nurse has no recourse because they were not trained to handle that type of patient in the first place.

One of the more experienced nurses on the unit should have given up a less critical patient and taken the one the new grad couldn't handle.

Seem like new grads are constantly bullied into things because the don't realize they can say no.

Not a good situation for either them or their patients.

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.nursefriendly.com