Nurse-on-Nurse Hostility Remains an Issue

Debra Savage, RN, MSN, BSN, CNO, at Sacred Heart Hospital in Chicago, IL suggests some ways of her own to help address the issue of nurse-to-nurse hostility, and "nurses eating their young."

"Selecting preceptors with the best attitudes and training them to understand generational differences as well as how to be an effective preceptor are crucial to preventing this problem," says Savage. "Nurse managers and educators need to keep an eye on new staff and meet with them regularly to make sure they are experiencing support and teamwork throughout their first year,"

All the women agree this is a common issue in today's healthcare settings, and that nurses need to do something to change this.

"We, as nurses, must be there for one another whether we are just starting or nearing retirement not only for the best interest of our patients, but also for increasing our own satisfaction and effectiveness in the workplace. We cannot afford to turn new nurses off to our profession or cause them excess stress from lack of camaraderie to want to leave the bedside early," says Savage.

"I am an advocate for my patients when I promote good collegiality and teach good nursing practice," says Hodgkins. "It is the responsibility of the older nurses to stop eating the young and change the culture of nursing today."