The nurse on staff can be the most efficient nurse possible but never fulfill the needs of his or her patient. Many times people have experienced coldness from their nurse that leaves a sour feeling with them. That feeling may affect the patient for a long term. Maybe the patient will decide because of that experience that they will never go back. Where does that leave the patient now?

There maybe many reasons for the nurse’s behavior.

• Burnout
• Lack of Training
• Work Overload
• Trouble at home
• Distractions

A Smile May Make a Difference

Whatever the reason is for the nurse’s lack of sensitivity to their patient, a solution to the problem must be found. Patients are not numbers and they deserve consideration. Patients desire quality care and a smile. We want to feel that we are important to you and that we made the right decision by coming to your facility.

Nurses play such an important role in our medical experience that we tend to remember them. Your bedside manner could make all the difference. Patients tend to be more open about their problems if they feel they have made a friend of their nurse. Even if that friendship only last the length of the patients visit.

If patients have become just another number it may be time to ask “why”. Burnout happens often because of the workload a nurse is expected to manage on a day to day basis. Do not be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Stopping to take a moment to get to know your patient may make all the difference. It may inspire you on the job as well as make your patient feel comfortable in an already stressed induced situation.

An online program is usually the most affordable path to becoming a RN. If you don’t have any direct experience with online learning, however, you may be wary of non-traditional nursing programs. Before making up your mind read these five common myths about online nursing programs and find out what real-life online nursing students think about them.

Myth #1: Online LPN to RN Nursing Programs Have Low Academic Standards.

There’s no point in saving money on an online program if the academic quality is below standard. After all, you want the best education your money can buy. But are online programs really lacking in the academic department?

“I transferred to an online program from a traditional program because the commute was taking too much time,” says Amira, a RN practicing in Colorado. “I was pleasantly surprised by the high standard. It was just as challenging as the traditional program. The course is self-paced in that you can log on whenever you want, but you have be really disciplined and do a bit every day to avoid falling behind. With the videos and audio downloads as well as reading text, I learned a lot.”

Myth #2: Online LPN to RN Programs Are Impersonal.

Some people imagine that online nursing programs lack the social interaction of traditional ones. Is it true?

Angelo, an LPN from Iowa, says no. “If anything, I got more personal attention from my instructors,” he reports. “I didn’t have to stand in line to talk to them at their office, I just emailed whenever I had questions or posted on the forums. I also voice chatted with my classmates, some of whom I still keep in touch with. It felt like a real community.”

Myth #3: Online LPN to RN Programs Are Only If You’re In a Rush.

You’ve probably heard about accelerated online programs, but it’s a mistake to assume that every online nursing program is accelerated. The beauty of online learning is that it can take as long as you like.

Madison began an online LPN to RN program 4 years ago. She runs her own small business and has two children, so her schedule fluctuates depending on the time of the year. “I love being able to tailor my course load,” she says. “It’s really convenient.”

Myth #4: Online LPN-to-RN Program Credits Are Not Transferable.

You might be worried about committing to an online program. What will happen if you change your mind? Simple – you’ll just transfer your credits to another institution.

“As long as a school is accredited, there’s no difference between online and traditional when it comes to credits,” says Chantel, an LPN who hopes to find a job in the ICU ward once she graduates. “I actually transferred some credits from traditional to online, but it would have been just as easy going the other way. It’s the accreditation that matters, not the medium of learning.”

Myth #5: Online LPN to RN Programs Look Shady On Your Resume.

Are you concerned that potential employers won’t think highly of your degree? This isn’t the 1980s. Online programs are widely accepted, and employers won’t bat an eye. If this is a concern, feel free to call potential employers in your area and ask them, or just read what Kay has to say:

“I graduated at the same time as several of my friends, and none of us had trouble finding jobs,” says Kay, who now works in a public health center. “Online or traditional program, who cares these days? It’s what you do with it that matters.”

Still Have Doubts?

Most online programs will be happy to put you in touch with former students, or you can ask around on online nursing forums. You’ll find that online LPN to RN programs are fast becoming the norm. And it’s no wonder: flexible schedules, no commute, no waiting lines, and affordable tuition…what more could you ask for? Request information about LPN to RN programs and find out for yourself!

Think you might be a good home tutor? Consider some of these helpful tips:

•    Select the subject you want to teach.
•    Decide whether you want to teach grade school students or high school students.
•    Decide whether you want to teach in your own home, or if you wish to go to the student’s house for teaching. Many parents will be very skeptical about their children going to your home at first.
•    Fix an hourly rate for the service you are going to offer. If you don’t know how much to charge, do a little research online or consult experienced tutors.
•    If your students have a knack of reading, you can suggest to them about consulting online books for free.
•    Finally: Do some advertising. Distribute flyers or send emails to the people you know, and mention that you are starting up a home tutoring business.

Home tutoring can be a rewarding way of earning extra money, or even creating your own career. As with any new job or enterprise, the reward will always be based on just how much effort you are willing to put into it.

Just a few days ago, in an article for the Huffington Post, Dr Quentin Young wrote, “Our present arrangements, dominated as they are by the for-profit insurers, result in about $400 billion annually being wasted on useless paperwork and bureaucracy.” Those excess administrative costs, he says, are a burden on the medical profession, the public and the economy.

The solution? Dr Young suggests that replacing private insurers with a “streamlined, nonprofit single-payer financing mechanism” would result in enough savings to cover every uninsured person and eliminate co-pays, deductibles and caps. Patients would be able to choose their doctor and hospital.

“We could also reap savings from bulk purchasing, negotiated fees and rational capital improvement planning,” Dr Young continues. “From the standpoint of health economics, it’s a no brainer.”

No brainer for some, perhaps, but the debate rages on. According to Dr Young, Republicans are committed to “enhancing the profit margins of the insurance and drug monopolies.” But he says Democrats are not offering a fully acceptable solution to the problem, either. President Obama’s 10-year, $1 trillion health care bill proposal does not provide a universal plan, comprehensive coverage or affordable care for every American.

Worse Than Seeing Sausage Made

Wendie A. Howland, RN, MN, CRRN, CCM, CNLCP, recently worked as a Coordinator for Revenue Integrity.  “My job was to get money from insurance carriers whose minions were charged with not giving it to us,” she says. “I spent forty hours per week writing appeals after collecting evidence to document that the care we gave this patient or that had, in fact, met their published criteria for reimbursement….and more often than not, despite our meeting every single criterion, the claim would be denied.”

A typical final letter from an insurance carrier, Howland says, would state tersely, “This ends the appeals process. There are no further appeals allowed on this claim.”

This process frustrates Howland, a dedicated nurse who has worked in various health insurance settings for over 15 years. “They are prosecutor, jury, and judge, and not a damn thing anyone can do about it,” she says. “I have had them tell blatant lies to my face (and refuse to put them in writing), accuse my medical director of lying, and you wouldn’t believe what all else. It’s worse than seeing sausage made.”

Let’s Get This Done

According to Kent Klein, Voice of America‘s Washington correspondent, Democrats may be on the verge of forging ahead with health care reform legislation, with or without Republican agreement.

The 30 million people who would receive health insurance coverage through the Democratic plan cannot wait, President Obama is quoted as saying. “It is time for us to come together.  It is time for us to act.  It is time for those of us in Washington to live up to our responsibilities to the American people and to future generations,” the President stated at the health care summit. “So let’s get this done.”

The Biggest Nursing Issue

While Democrats and Republicans debate, ordinary people continue to struggle with existing health care system problems.

“If our health care system is so screwed by our health insurance system, we all suffer,” says nurse Howland. “People don’t get the care they need, not because the care itself is so expensive, but because paying for it via that massive insurance gestalt makes it so.”

The Harvard study mentioned at the beginning of this article, “Health Insurance and Mortality in U.S. Adults,” analyzed data from national CDC surveys and showed that there are more deaths associated with lack of health insurance than with common killers such as kidney disease. The rise in deaths is probably related to increasing numbers of uninsured Americans, a failing medical safety net for the disadvantaged, and a decreased quality of care for the uninsured. The data also indicates that one American dies every 12 minutes because of lack of health insurance.

Lead study author Dr. Andrew Wilper, who teaches at the University of Washington Medical School, said, “We doctors have many new ways to prevent deaths from hypertension, diabetes and heart disease–but only if patients can get into our offices and afford their medications.”

Until a drastic transformation occurs, doctors and nurses will continue to witness the dire effects of an inadequate health care system. “We let the insurance industry pull the wool over all those eyes saying that if it weren’t for them, care would go to hell,” says nurse Howland. “That is a huge lie. I see people suffer for it all the time. And that, to me, is the biggest nursing issue there is.”

Have an opinion on health care reform? Share it in the comments.

Online nursing school or traditional campus? – Students today have choices, and one major choice a student is faced with when looking to get an education is whether or not to attend a campus based school, or whether or not online nursing school is the right choice. Both have advantages and disadvantages, and in the end, it really is a decision the student will have to make before entering any type of program. If a campus based education style is what a student has in mind, one of the first things a student should do is visit the school, and even talk to other students that are on campus. Online nursing schools are gaining a lot of popularity, and for many, the advantages of an online nursing school are just too many to pass up.

How many students are accepted into the program – As any nursing student will attest, it can be very difficult to get into many nursing schools. Because of class sizes and school limits, most schools are often full and actually have waiting lists for students. Many students find that despite being prepared and have “life” ready to be put on hold for the program, they will often not even get in on their first few attempts. Online nursing schools are typically much less formal, and may rarely meet maximum class sizes. The reason is that the nature of online nursing programs allows for a higher student / teacher ratio, therefore class sizes can be substantially more.

Calculate the costs of the entire program – Knowing the tuition rate is only the beginning of determining what kind of costs might be involved. Other costs, such as books, labs fees, and application fees, should also be considered. More costs that many do not take into account are travel time, time spent away from work, fuel costs to and from school, and meals while at school. Of course, online nursing programs do not require fuel and meal costs, and also do not require the student to miss work.

Making the right decision starts with educating yourself about school – It only makes sense that when preparing to enter adult education; one should first begin by learning about the process. Prospective students should talk to several schools, and get to know their programs and processes. Being fully informed is the key to a professional education that will lead to a fruitful career.

Here are some advantages to getting a nursing education online:

1. Convenience – What better way to get an education than right in your own home? Simply log in to your “virtual classroom”, get your assignments, and then turn them in right from your home computer. Students will interact with instructors and other students from their online classroom, just as if they were sitting together in a real classroom.
2. Save time – Imagine how much time would be saved if a student could add up the time they spend getting ready for class each day, and then driving through rush hour traffic to get to school. When going to nursing school online, students can sit at their computer any time they like. This can take hours off of each week, when compared to driving to a campus based school.
3. Keep your job – Many students face a tough challenge when considering whether or not to go back to school. If they choose to go to school, they may have to leave their job, because of conflicts between work and class hours. This is a major deterrent for most working adults, and one that has turned many prospective college students away in the past. Online nursing classes allow students to maintain their current job, all while getting an education: Sometimes even at an accelerated rate.
4. Set your own schedule – Online nursing programs allow students to set their own schedule. Does your family want you to spend the day at the zoo with them? No problem at all. Students attending school online can do their coursework on the schedule that is most convenient for them. This is a tremendous relief for active adults with social and employment obligations. Students can spend their day working, come home and spend evenings with family, and then fit in coursework whenever the time is best for them.
Take a look at just a few of the schools offering online nursing programs. Request your FREE information today!

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5. Clinicals in a familiar setting – One major advantage that students in online nursing classes are learning is that when it comes time to do clinicals, they get to do them in a familiar place. Many nursing students of campus based programs have to drive a long distance to school. This also means that many of their clinicals will be the same distance away. When taking online nursing classes, students are often happy to find that schools will make every effort to set up clinical rotations at institutions near the student’s residence. This not only helps save the student time and money of driving, it also means that there is a very good chance the student is quite familiar with the facility. Often times, students are even employed in the same facility, and doing clinical rotations means they can do them with the peers they have come to know and trust.
6. Save money – Tuition at many schools are substantially lower for online nursing programs, when compared to traditional on-campus classes. The reason is that schools can actually take in many more students via their online programs. Also, traditional class sizes are limited by the number of students compared to the number of instructors. This causes an increased expense to colleges trying to employ enough instructors to cover the student count. This is also the reason many schools have to limit the number of students they can accept into campus classes, but has a substantially lower effect when it comes to online nursing programs.Students not only save money on tuition, but can also save a great deal of money in other areas. Since courses are done online, the costs for materials are much less. There is less paper needed and many schools even offer online versions of text books. Students also save a lot of money in gasoline, auto maintenance costs, and even things such as foods. When all of this is added up, it translates into savings that stay right in the student’s pocket.

Schools are seeing huge numbers in the amount of students taking nursing classes online. The advantages of online nursing programs is not only attracting young adults, but also working class adults that have long thought going back to school was not even an option. Not only are students seeing the advantages, employers are also enjoying them. Hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, research facilities, and any place else that employs nurses will benefit by not losing experienced workers while they go to school. They get to keep all of that on the job training, plus new education and knowledge, right in their own institution.

Numerous schools are now offering nursing programs online. You can request free information, without obligation, and make a decision about your educational and career future.

Nurses are guided by a determination to constantly improve and settling for anything less than excellence is just simply not something they are willing to do. If we analyze the career and education of almost any nurse, we can see the proof of their determination by the never-ending education that they undergo and their constant struggle to improve all aspects of care they provide for their patients.

Why choose a BSN degree?

As part of the ongoing dedication to education most nurses have, a BSN degree will almost certainly be part of the process. While some may choose to pause at the Licensed RN level with only a 2 year degree, others choose to go the extra mile and gain a BSN. Knowing that a BSN degree will entitle them to higher wages, more advancement opportunities, and a solid foundation to which they can choose a specialization, those that decide to get their BSN may choose this 3-4 year degree as an early step in their career. The BSN degree is available to students that have chosen to become nurses of the future, as well as current nurses holding an LPN, ADN, or those holding only a license as a registered nurse.

There are many reasons for obtaining a BSN degree and a few of those reasons are:

Opportunities for advancement – Administrative positions and nurse specializations will almost certainly require a BSN degree.

Higher salaries – Nurses holding a BSN degree have proven their dedication and with the sacrifices they have undergone will come the rewards of receiving better pay and benefits.

More places of employment – Many hospitals and medical centers strive to employ a high ratio of nurses holding a BSN degree. It not only increases their images and reputations, it also promises a higher quality of care to their patients.

Opportunity for specialization – Nurses with a desire to specialize in an area of expertise, such as pediatrics, surgical, emergency medicine, geriatrics, or even forensics, will find that holding a BSN degree will drastically reduce the challenges they face in receiving training in their chosen path.

Foundation for higher learning – Since nurses will almost always seek to further their education, a graduate degree is something that most will certainly want to obtain. Having a BSN degree will place a nurse in a position of greater demand to those schools offering programs such as the MSN or PhD in nursing.

Options for taking a BSN degree

Whether you are just beginning to enter into nursing education or are already a nurse looking to advance, there is a program option waiting. Schools offering a BSN degree in just 3 years, the LPN to BSN online, and the RN to BSN online are all available to those with success on their mind. Nurses thinking of obtaining a BSN degree can choose to take their nursing education completely online, and without the hassle of setting aside time from their family and jobs in order to attend a campus based school.

Some of the schools offering a BSN degree online are:

• Indiana State University LPN to BSN or RN to BSN
• University of Phoenix RN to BSN
• Capella University RN to BSN Completion
• Kaplan University RN to BSN
• Though not a school, The College Network can help students find a school for the BSN degree

Opportunities are available for nurses with a dedication to improving their training, patient care, and advancing their education. With so many online options available for the BSN degree, it is no longer an issue of putting a career or life on hold for an education.

Is a home health care job for you? Working in a client’s home is very different from working in a hospital, nursing home or ambulatory surgical center. Although the basic bedside care services you provide may be identical, the context in which you provide these services is unique.

Work Independently

Many home health care nurses are hired and placed in clients’ homes by agencies. For example, Pam Malone is an LPN who works for HealthCare Plus, an Ohio agency that places nurses in temporary positions and has 65 LPNs on staff. During an interview conducted by Business First, Malone said that providing home care relieves her from “dickering with other nurses and hospital administrators.”

Whether you choose to work for an agency or advertise your home health care services to private clients, working in a home is often quieter and less combative. You may be responsible for supervising home health aides, or you may work collaboratively with one or two other nurses. However, on the whole, you will enjoy a level of independence and autonomy rarely experienced by LPNs in hospital settings.

On the other hand, if you thrive on excitement, the relatively subdued atmosphere of a home setting may give you cabin fever. A second LPN interview by Business First admitted, “I’ve never enjoyed home care. It’s way too boring for me,” adding that she prefers the excitement of the Intensive Care Unit.

Earn More Money

Malone, the LPN quoted above, said that she works 60 to 70 hours a week. She provides care for a woman who is unable to speak and cannot eat without assistance. Even though Malone has to purchase private health insurance, she stated that she still makes more money than she would in a hospital.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the hourly mean wage for LPNs who work in home health care is $19.91 and the annual mean wage is $41,410. However, pay scales vary widely between states: an LPN living in Connecticut, the top paying state for this occupation, can expect to take home nearly $52,000 each year.

Although home health care in general can be a more lucrative choice than working in a hospital or long term care facility, you will need to factor in all the variables to decide if it’s really your best bet. Weigh the salary against the cost of insurance (if not provided by your employer), transportation and other incidental costs.

Get to Know Your Patients

Home health care gives you the chance to really get to know your patients. You are with them for long periods of time, sometimes day and night. You can develop rich and rewarding relationships with your patients, and some LPNs report that the increased intimacy in home health care is a prime motivating factor.

You may also enjoy working with a wide range of health care issues. Home health care LPNs care for patients with every type of ailment, from cancer to diabetes. Although home health care calls to mind an older age group, you may find yourself caring for sick children, athletes recovering from sports injuries, or expectant mothers who are experiencing complications.

Although home health care is a unique setting for nursing, many of your actual duties will be familiar to you if you’ve worked in any other settings. You will provide basic bedside care to your patients, such as taking vital signs, giving injections, monitoring catheters, applying dressings, and giving alcohol rubs or massages. You will help your patients to be comfortable by assisting them with bathing, dressing, and personal hygiene. In certain states, LPNs may also administer prescribed medicines or start intravenous fluids as part of the home health care services provided.

Home health care is not for every nurse, but if you’re entering the profession of nursing you should be aware of this growing field of nursing. If you have the skills and disposition to provide home health care, you may find this an interesting and pleasant way to start off your nursing career or make a mid-career job switch.

The College Network

 

LPN to ADN

LPN to RN

LPN to ASN

RN to BSN

Licensed Practical Nurses have more opportunities today than ever before. Along with those opportunities comes a wide range of salary offerings. Finding those jobs, or even getting placement in them, is a challenge that faces an LPN. With so many options available today, an LPN may simply need some guidance into where to look for a higher salary.

Opportunities for LPNs to increase their pay

The pay scale for an LPN varies widely, depending on factors, such as:

• Urban over rural areas
• Size of the institution
• Number of hours worked
• Availability of overtime
• Private entity or Municipality
• Local competition
• Costs of living in the area
• Further your education

Here are some tips on how an LPN can increase their pay and perhaps make their job much more desirable.

Seek employment in large establishments – in almost every instance, the size of the entity is a direct reflection on the amount of base salary offered. In many cases, salaries can be as much as 20% more at a larger facility, and along with the higher wage comes better benefits and greater opportunities for tuition reimbursement for pursuing an RN license.

Always seek full time employment – It is not uncommon for an LPN to be working 2 part-time jobs, thinking that “2 jobs are better than 1”. This is far from the truth. We all know that overtime is almost always available for an LPN that truly wants it. So, let’s do some number crunching.

An LPN working 2 part-time jobs could easily put in 50 hours per week. If they are making an average of $15.00 per hour, then that translates into $750.00 weekly income.

An LPN working 50 hours per week at just 1 full time job at the same wage of $15.00 per hour would make $825 per week. (40 hours at $15 and 10 hours at $22.50) That is $75.00, or 10% more per week, just by being considered full time. And, that number increases exponentially as pay rate increases. A full time nurse making $20 per hour would make an astounding 20% more income than a part time nurse making the same amount per hour.

Aside from a much better weekly income as a full time LPN, there are a good many other advantages. Paid sick time, insurance benefits, paid vacations, tuition reimbursements, and opportunities for advancement coincide with being considered full time.

Work in areas where cost of living are higher, but live in area that is lower – The majority of LPNs we spoke with said that they live in either a small community or even a rural area. However, they also said that they work in small towns or even private practices in the area. When we asked those that work in small towns or cities, many said they drive an average of 30 minutes to work.

In almost every case, those same LPNs stated that there was a large city or metropolis within 1 hour driving distance. When we began to calculate the numbers, we found the cost of living could be as high as 30% higher in the urban area. Along with that, income levels were also as much as 28% higher. This means that an LPN living outside of a metro area could make as much as 28% more income, at the sacrifice of driving only 30 minutes further to work than they currently do.

Private or Municiple? – An LPN can almost always find work any place where patients are treated. In some rare instances an LPN could make substantial money at a private practice, such as a family physician’s office or clinic. However, the majority of the highest paid LPNs make their salary working for government funded medical establishments, like hospitals and nursing homes. Also, travel jobs and home health care also sometimes top the pay scales.

One place that many people fail to think about is employment in the nation’s penal system. We found that LPNs working in places such as prisons and jails often times made nearly as much as average registered nurses in the area. Aside from the great pay at these places, most offer some of the best benefits and pension plans. And, despite the mere thought of working in such a place, most are very well kept and offer a very professional environment. These are jobs that are absolutely worth checking into.

Seek more education – good many LPNs dreamed of becoming a registered nurse at one time. There is no need for that dream to end. With the technology available today, an LPN can go back to school and become an RN without ever going to a classroom. The LPN to RN online program is available for those with the desire to become what they once dreamed of. Not only will a graduate step away with a great feeling of accomplishment, they will also put themselves into a position of solving their financial hardships. The program can be taken as a LPN to RN, or students can choose to obtain a degree from it by attending the LPN to ASN or ADN. For the really ambitious, students can continue on and even obtain a BSN.

An RN can earn an average of $60,000 per year, even without specialty training: A figure that surely makes the extra 1 year of school worthwhile. Also, with so many financing options and since federal funding and grants are available, LPNs wanting to advance to a registered nursing no longer have an excuse. The LPN to RN online takes the burden off of going back to school, and is already improving the lives of many Licensed Practical Nurses.

Tired of working for sub-par pay and low level working conditions? Take action now and utilize some simple steps to increase your pay as an LPN or even go back to school and become a nurse through the LPN to RN online.

You can mentor a nurse beyond orientation and procedural training, and abolish figurative filial cannibalism (nurses eating their young) one nurse at a time; there is no benefit to that behavior.

In years past nurses experienced a psychological rite of passage as they meekly entered the world of work with fear and trepidation, knowing any mistakes might buy them a metaphorical rap on the knuckles. However, has nursing really changed? “New” is not limited to recent nursing school graduates anymore; new also includes veteran nurses who are fresh additions to any established organization.

Nursing is demanding, and though we complain, we love what we do. We rely on each other in crises, so we want assurance that our coworker’s skills are top notch, a reasonable expectation. Do we give new nurses adequate time to adapt to their new surroundings, rules, and culture? If the ‘newbie’ does not fit the personality of the dominant pride (of lions and lionesses), the older nurses may throw the new nurse to the wolves, chanting “Sink or Swim … Trial by Fire!” Do we give them an honest chance to function at the level we expect of them?

If we take a moment to consider causality, we may view a side of nursing that does not focus on nursing skills, critical thinking, or competency. Nurses form bonds and associations in the workplace that spill over into their personal lives. We meet for dinner, shop together, and visit each other’s homes. We are one of those groups that do not leave our professions at work; we bring our coworkers (and our jobs) home with us. For nurses, social networks are more than dinner and a movie; they supply the peer support component that keeps us from burning out.

Are some nurses leaving professionalism behind to make social networking a priority? Does this social connection contribute to an arbitrary and harsh review of the new nurse attempting integration? Will nurses continue to watch generations pass along verbal abuses of coworkers in the name of “paying dues,” or hear coworkers justify themselves with, “When you’ve been a nurse as long as I have …”

Whether it has to do with culture, social engagement, personal preference, or old habits, some nurses continue to promote throwing a newbie into the midst of chaos while expecting her to swim out of the mire relatively unscathed. Can you find a nurse that will admit to treating a new nurse poorly? Probably not, but I’ve seen new folks suffer ill-treatment by nurses who infuse the orientation process with sporadic whip-cracking and feel justified in so doing.

The mention of nurses eating their young makes many nurses bristle and quickly deny that the unkind treatment of a new nurse exists today. I have recently mentioned my observations to an ER director who stiffened and said, “Not in my ER. That does not happen. It used to, but it doesn’t anymore.” If we do not recognize and acknowledge the problem, how can we solve it?

The few bad apples (or bad barrels that infect good apples) catch our attention. Most nurses are kind and caring, and take great pride in nurturing and guiding new nurses into a place of confidence and proficiency. Preceptors revel in leading nurses toward excellence as patient advocates, caregivers, and teachers. I have mentored many medics and nurses, hoping to spare them the pain of that maddening and outdated cracking whip still found in some nurse’s lockers. So what do we do about the old-school nurses who continue to badger novices?

Speak to them privately, and if that does not work, take your concerns up the chain of command in a productive and professional (not emotional) manner. If you do not feel comfortable utilizing your employer’s process for conflict resolution, approach the situation from another angle, but please do not tolerate bad behavior from ‘otherwise good people’.

You can encourage and guide the neophyte nurse without taking sides against the older nurse; cheer her on and praise her accomplishments. Give her your home phone number for after-hours support. Nurture, teach, advise, guide, and coach as her mentor if you are not her preceptor. With your guidance, the new nurse will learn that most nurses are kind, caring, and interested in her success. Promote professionalism and be an advocate for the new nurse, and for yourselves, because most nurses don’t eat their young. We need to put a stop to those who do.