[mattsmom81]

WOMEN/NURSES...NATURAL BORN KILLERS..????

Well, maybe a little something to that...females have evolved to a verrry special kind of 'predatory behavior' for sure...and we can be sneaky and conniving....LOL.....

I do believe, as I've seen several other posters point out, that we have to look in the mirror and start there...if we see someone being predatory to a coworker, stand with them and do not let the poor behavior go unnoticed. I could never walk away from this bully behavior, and I have been known to get myself in trouble because of my mouth and attitude about things like this....LOL!.

Hospitals in particular are dysfunctional environments...with a pecking order established...docs and administrators peck nurses, seems like EVERY department pecks nurses some days...LOL! I guess the young eating could be seen as a 'violence in the workplace' issue and probably should. There is no place in our profession for demeaning and bullying behavior and it should never be tolerated. We may not be able to stop all the the bad behaviors, but we can offer support and refuse to ignore it....

I have heard some young nurses whine about 'nurses eating their young' when the problem I observed was mostly their own.....so that is where I'm coming from if some of my posts seem unsympathetic...I do know the difference though and real abuse should NEVER be tolerated.

Young/new nurses: find the good folks on your unit and stick to 'em like glue...we're out there! Don't let the turkeys get ya down.

[CindyCCRN]

...I sure agree with the majority opinion that MANY nurses are very unkind and often vicious with other nurses - particularly the new or innocent as they are easy prey for these vultures... These desperate and needy same nurses do enjoy many other types of food to try and feed the BIG holes in their soul... Rather, than focusing internally and reading journals, further educating theirselves, or striving for personal accomplishment or gratification, they tend to focus externally on everyone else and find great pleasure and empowerment in belittling others, and finding others' weaknesses and faults... I have often observed how they tend to feel/grow proportionately bigger as they desperately try to shrink/wipe out others... then, they attempt to gather support for their disease/games by seeking the support/approval of the other "unit sickos"... it makes me sick - always has and always will... Having learned how to survive in such an atmosphere, I and a couple others will always defend/protect the new nurses until they can fly well alone....

.....I could go on forever and cite plenty of examples - personal and other... but, enough said...

........ Today is the day to reach out and lend a helping hand.....

[lever5]

Furball.

I worked in Troy last year. Up on the hill, strange hospital, would not let me have a computer sign on that lasted more than 3 days. And then there always seemed to be a lag of a day before they would give me a new one. Either they would forget when I asked them or there would not be anyone there who knew how to do it.

[Bedellia]

I agree with post #7...uncRN...I have been an RN for >25 yrs. I had been employed by the same hosptial since graduation...never worked with anyone like the nurse I had to work with for my past 5yrs there...I ended up resigning! After one week on this new unit, for me, she made it perfectly clear that I wasn't welcomed...she had wanted someone else hired but I had been chosen by the boss...she has always been a "wanna be"...but her treatment of certain individuals has caused tension among the entire staff...you can cut the tension with a knife when she shows up on the unit! No one has done anything about her...she had been at the hospital a few more years than I...constantly putting down staff...snide remarks in ear shot range for certain individuals, etc. Many staff still go home and cry after many years of working with this nurse...she is a peer not a boss but finally received some control after becoming the time scheduler for the boss...conveniently lost request notes, always took control from others that were in charge for the day, etc. Not a caring, warm person towards many of her peers, only a chosen few! I resigned after >25 yrs. at this facility...supervisor didn't care how she treated others. I know I didn't deserve this type of treatment or disrespect and neither do my former co-workers! My mental health and physical well-being were more important than this daily ritual of hers. I had never dealt with her prior to going to this unit, or anyone quite like her over those 25 years, but was told by many peers that she considered me a threat to her security on this unit ...so it was a personality issue on her part. The first week after I resigned I felt physically and emotionally better than I had for those last 5 years of hell she had put me through! It had been a wonderful place to work all those years but not great enough for me to stay and worry all night long about the next day to come. I miss all the patients and my friends (co-workers) dearly and I know they understand and are on my side, knowing it wasn't worth it any more for me. Nurses do eat their old! When I was hired for that position I was forewarned about her...wasn't sure what this statement meant at the time but figured it out after one week working with her...this was a quote from someone in management who knew this nurse for many years..."remember you don't have to take them home the people you work with!" Apparently, this nurse had tried to eat this person up many times over the years! I wish I had know what was coming when I had transferred...I would have gladly taken the lay-off! Am still considering legal action!

[Bedellia]

I agree with post #7...uncRN...I have been an RN for >25 yrs. I had been employed by the same hosptial since graduation...never worked with anyone like the nurse I had to work with for my past 5yrs there...I ended up resigning! After one week on this new unit, for me, she made it perfectly clear that I wasn't welcomed...she had wanted someone else hired but I had been chosen by the boss...she has always been a "wanna be"...but her treatment of certain individuals has caused tension among the entire staff...you can cut the tension with a knife when she shows up on the unit! No one has done anything about her...she had been at the hospital a few more years than I...constantly putting down staff...snide remarks in ear shot range for certain individuals, etc. Many staff still go home and cry after many years of working with this nurse...she is a peer not a boss but finally received some control after becoming the time scheduler for the boss...conveniently lost request notes, always took control from others that were in charge for the day, etc. Not a caring, warm person towards many of her peers, only a chosen few! I resigned after >25 yrs. at this facility...supervisor didn't care how she treated others. I know I didn't deserve this type of treatment or disrespect and neither do my former co-workers! My mental health and physical well-being were more important than this daily ritual of hers. I had never dealt with her prior to going to this unit, or anyone quite like her over those 25 years, but was told by many peers that she considered me a threat to her security on this unit ...so it was a personality issue on her part. The first week after I resigned I felt physically and emotionally better than I had for those last 5 years of hell she had put me through! It had been a wonderful place to work all those years but not great enough for me to stay and worry all night long about the next day to come. I miss all the patients and my friends (co-workers) dearly and I know they understand and are on my side, knowing it wasn't worth it any more for me. Nurses do eat their old! When I was hired for that position I was forewarned about her...wasn't sure what this statement meant at the time but figured it out after one week working with her...this was a quote from someone in management who knew this nurse for many years..."remember you don't have to take them home the people you work with!" Apparently, this nurse had tried to eat this person up many times over the years! I wish I had know what was coming when I had transferred...I would have gladly taken the lay-off! Am still considering legal action!

[mattsmom81]

Bedellia, these sociopathic nurses are deadly when they worm their way into management roles....I got unlucky enough to run into one...vicious and evil is a good description. She was able to orchestrate a peer review committee attack on me which resulted in a report to my BON...thankfully an astute investigator saw it for what it was and threw it out...but how nervewracking this was for me.

These types deserve civil suits for 'intentional infliction of emotional distress' and I hope to see more of these types of cases, where one person willfully spoils an environment of work for others, and bullies and mobs.

[Y2KRN]

I have been a nurse for only two years and I have seen nurse eating, at the places I have been. It is awful, and we do have to take responsibility for it. I have been in the healthcare field since I got out of high school and things have not changed in the way of nurse eating, since the eighties. There are many insecure nurses out there!! Embrace the young! We will need them to care for us!

Perhaps in other professions these things happen. However, in other professions are they dealing with peoples lives? Nurses need to stick together! As said before doctor's support their own, firefighters support their own, police officer's support their own. We need to work as a team, to survive. Just my two cents.

Y2KRN

[lisadavis]

IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN. I have read this whole thread and most of it is nothing but whining! "how awful she is to me" that mean ole nurse made me cry" etc. etc. etc. GROW A BACKBONE! STAND UP FOR YOURSELF! This problem is not unique to nursing. It exists every where two or more humans work together. Scientists try to beat out each others discoveries, and if anyone truly believes that all doctors stick together you ARE living in a dream land ,lawyers, oh God lets not even get started on lawyers. Every job every where you will find the good, the bad, and the ugly. No one can "make you" feel a certain way....you do it to yourself by how you respond to what a person does or says. A person that belittles another has the problem. We notice it a lot in nursing because we are in nursing!! DUH!!!!!! every job has politics etc.... play their game or set out to make your own game the choice is always yours. TEACH BY EXAMPLE. new grads need to realize they DO NOT know all there is to know and seasoned (please don't say old) nurses need to realize new grads do know some things that is how they got to graduate in the first place. And if any of you need to see true back stabbing, bellittleing etc., go to law school. WOW!!!

[mario_ragucci]

Originally posted by CindyCCRN
...I sure agree with the majority opinion that MANY nurses are very unkind and often vicious with other nurses - particularly the new or innocent as they are easy prey for these vultures...

NOT VULTURES...because a vulture will come in only after a kill, or a death. Vulture Nurses would get along with other vulture nurse and not fight each other :-( I don't believe a vulture will eat it's young. These nurses are considered true preditors, like an eagle, or falcon, but I'm not sure if they kill their young to ensure survival

I enjoyed reading your post :-)

[shodobe]

I have been in the OR for 25yrs and when we get nurses in for training or just the student, I can tell pretty much after a week who wants to learn and who wants to be cottled. I will bend over backwards to help the ones who want to be OR nurses and asked the others why they are there. There is always the "deer in the headlights" syndrome and we all know( other OR nurses) how difficult this area can be, but there is something in the way new people react to situations. I always give the newbies the benefit and will help in every aspect to get them trained. I like these programs "popping up" all over to train new OR nurses in a few months. This is out of desperation to get more staff into an area that is in terrible need. If you go into this type of program, just remember that you won't feel comfortable for quite awhile and hang in there no matter what people do to you. I do wish "older" nurses wouldn't take out their frustrations on new impressionable grads. We are all in this together (shortage) and need one another. Mike