Anyone Else Experience Mobbing?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hi~

I have been at my new job for over a year now and have become the victim of mobbing by my peers in the ICU where I work.

I have tried every approach with this but nothing has helped my situation. I am going to have to leave this job for it to end.

It has caused me to become depressed, anxious at times, and I have gained weight.

I have also seen mobbing occur at other units where I have worked. I am wondering how prevalent this is now among nurses.

Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Medsurge.

Hazing/Mobbing gives me the willies. I am so grateful for not having been hazed/mobbed. Some tweaking, yes but never mobbed/hazed. Professionalism people! Give me dignity over a beafy paycheck any day!

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it's happened to me. i was in a position to totally separate myself from others in department. i stopped having lunch with them, going to christmas parties, having the monthly birthday cake, and the total separation has worked. now the bullies wonder what i up too...i will speak to them, but only say "hello" if they do first, but i do not communicate with them at all. if the building was on fire, i would not inform them. this has worked for me. not everyone can do the above. i was told by a psychologist that it is ok to cut people out of your live if they drain you.

now i see another nurse in my department going through the same thing

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
it's happened to me. i was in a position to totally separate myself from others in department. i stopped having lunch with them, going to christmas parties, having the monthly birthday cake, and the total separation has worked. now the bullies wonder what i up too...i will speak to them, but only say "hello" if they do first, but i do not communicate with them at all. if the building was on fire, i would not inform them. this has worked for me. not everyone can do the above. i was told by a psychologist that it is ok to cut people out of your live if they drain you.

now i see another nurse in my department going through the same thing

how sad. human beings are inexplicable at times. i'm glad you found something that makes your situation bearable, but your post made me so sad. :o

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Specializes in CCU,ICU,ER retired.

About 5 yrs ago I had to leave my position from a hospital I had planned to retire from its ICU. It was bought out by a big hospital chain and they closed my little haven. I was transferred to the big hosptal ICU. I hated it. The staff there did mobbing as well. But I was experienced enough I just didn't care. I knew what they were doing and stayed above it.

One night the charge nurse walked up to me and asked me if I liked her. I told her the truth and I told her no. I knew she and her cronies didn't care for me and when I was off work i didn't hang with people like her that she was childish and petty and I really had better things to do than with her and her "Peeps" and I had plenty of friends that I knew loved me and I for them. For half of the crew I was their new best friend. You know the "uncool" people The ones I did enjoy being with. As soon as I could I transferred out of there Those "cool" people all left within 6 months and I went back.

Any way I hate bullies and have most of my life. I know its hard not to care about what others think of you. But think about this; If you were not working would you hang out with people like that and in the end do they sign you check? If no is your answere then you are on your way to just not giving a hoot at anything they say or do.

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Specializes in Flight, ER, Transport, ICU/Critical Care.

i am certain that it happens in other workplaces/occupations.

but, when it occurs in nursing - it is different.

this is a tough job. we do not have to be so tough on each other. but...it happens.

i think the difference in nursing and other workplaces is this:

the stakes are higher. we (nurses) are responsible for human life.

sure, there are bullies/abusers/mobbers at your bank, insurance office, school and even at church. society has let it happen and little is done to stop it. as bad as it is in other workplaces - it is worse in an environment that holds itself to being made up of compassionate healers.

think it over.

never participate. never just "go along".

commit to stopping it when you see.

call it what it is.

help hold the offender accountable.

we play the way we practice.

practice safe!

;)

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i have witnessed this several times but was usually too new to job or too far down on the totem pole to do much intervention

it is a sad situation

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Peds/O.R./Legal/cardiology.

The nurses in that O.R. poisoned every surgeon there against me (the supv. told me). A lot of the docs went to the supv. to tell her they didn't want me in their rooms! I never EVEN MET most of them! It was impossible! A regular closed witches coven!!!

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
The nurses in that O.R. poisoned every surgeon there against me (the supv. told me). A lot of the docs went to the supv. to tell her they didn't want me in their rooms! I never EVEN MET most of them! It was impossible! A regular closed witches coven!!!

I've heard that ORs tend to be brutal and dysfunctional type places, is this accurate? A friend of mine had very strange experiences when she trained to OR, she said they are all nuts, but that's hear say, although I've heard that before.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Peds/O.R./Legal/cardiology.

Uhhh...I don't know if they're "all nuts" hahahaha!! But, yes, it is a very difficult place to work. One has to have a thick skin to work in the O.R. not only due to arrogant, screaming surgeons, but bossy territorial co-workers. Not for the faint of heart or timid. The O.R. is probably the only area of the hospital where being called a b**ch is a true compliment! :lol2:

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
Uhhh...I don't know if they're "all nuts" hahahaha!! But, yes, it is a very difficult place to work. One has to have a thick skin to work in the O.R. not only due to arrogant, screaming surgeons, but bossy territorial co-workers. Not for the faint of heart or timid. The O.R. is probably the only area of the hospital where being called a b**ch is a true compliment! :lol2:

Sounds just as she described it. She's thick skinned and has worked in many different areas of nursing. She always ends up bored and fed up so changes depts.

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Specializes in ICU,PCU,ER, TELE,SNIFF, STEP DOWN PCT.

I have seen it at the hosp I am with, not pretty had it happen to me.

Too tired to fight want to just finish RN school and get out personally.

I am sorry to hear this is going on with you, best bet, leave while you can before they pull something to "make" you leave other then your free will.

Saw what mobbing did to a co worker and so not pretty, and still saddened of the outcome they had on this person.

HUG

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Specializes in ER.

It happened to me personally once, and I have seen it in about 50% of the workplaces I been in. Now when I do a job interview I ask specifically about supportiveness of staff to new people.

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