adventures in disaster

eating our young

I always hated that statement. In Nursing it is a well known fact that old nurses hate to train nursing students, I don't know why really. I have some theories: maybe the older nurses are tired, maybe they don't feel all that confident in their own skills and don't want to try to explain why they do the things they do, maybe it's too much extra responsibility.
I like nursing students. I like their enthusiasm and curiousity. They are so far away from burn out to be almost cute.I think mentoring new grads keeps old nurses alive.
But I hate trying to explain why I react the way I do.Much of what I do is instinctual. With experience comes the knowledge of possibilities.New nurses can't see into the future yet. They are lucky to grasp the present, It is impossible to tell a new nurse you are doing this thing because you have this niggling sensation that all is not quite right.You have no real science to back you up, just that feeling that experience tells you to act on. So nursing students feel frustrated and the older nurses feel grumpy and misunderstood. Then the back biting starts and it gets ugly. I think on the whole we can as nurses get way too defensive. We need to maintain our confidence and try to be patient.
It is hard and uncomfortable to remember it wasn't all that long ago you couldn't see into the future either.


Oh Real Madrid! How badly you let me down. You lost to Arsenal for goodness sake.
I really thought you had turned yourselves around. Poor Liverpool , there was never a chance was there? The Champions league is a hell of a litmus test for some of these clubs.


Off to bed..work in the morning..dreaded work. I must create a mantra..I love my job, I love my job....

posted by adventures in disaster @ 9:51 PM