Graduate nurses have many stressors on their first day of work, and when it’s your turn to start your nursing career, you’ll quickly see that the act of balancing patients, medications, and medications as a new nurse is just one part of the job. You’ll also be juggling interpersonal relationships with staff, which means working with respiratory therapists, doctors, and senior nurses-a sometimes difficult feat. Ask any of the graduate nurses that you know and you’ll likely hear at least a few of them warning you of the older nursing staff. “Be careful,” they’ll say, “nurses eat their young.”

 

Where the Phrase Came From

If you haven’t experienced it first hand, the phrase “nurses eat their young” refers to hazing, purposefully difficult communication, or even bullying of new nurses. This act of hazing isn’t unique to nurses necessarily, but it’s definitely a reality many new nurses struggle with, especially during their first year as an RN. It may be the refusal to answer questions or the downright aggression from one nurse to another, but it’s never welcome. This hazing exists on top of an already very stressful environment…no wonder that new nurses are often found distraught in the clean utility room.

 

Understanding Your Senior Nurse’s Stressors

 

If you’re a graduate nurse experiencing hazing or torment from senior nurses, know that you are capable of doing something to put a stop it it. First remember that your fellow nurses are very stressed. Training a new nurse, or even answering the questions of a new nurse can seem like a daunting task when you’ve already got plenty of patients needing treatment, doctors to keep happy, and family members to console. On top of that, these senior nurses likely went through hazing of sorts too and, unfortunately, sometimes they are tempted to perpetuate the same bad behavior when it’s their turn to be on top.

 

Our advice? Stay compassionate. Remember that senior nurses are often given the toughest assignments, and that they’re often charge nurses on top of having a full patient load. You their acerbic behavior as a chance to politely stand up for yourself, or to look up the answer to a question before you ask someone for help. They want to teach you self-reliance, an excellent skill, but they may not be very kind about it.

 

Graduate Nurses Don’t Stay “Green” Forever

Soon, you’ll learn coping skills, you’ll no longer need to run to the clean utility room to cry because you’re at a loss for what to do next. Well, you still might once in a while, but with a greater knowledge of nursing practice and a strong will to stand up for yourself, you won’t do it nearly as often. Remember, you’ll be a “green” nurse for just a short time, soon you’ll have new nurses working under you as well. When stress is high and you’ve got someone begging you for help, find the kindest way to teach nursing skills and independence without resorting to “Eating your young.”