horizontal violence towards grads

[disappointed]

I have just started a grad progamme and I am so disappointed at the abuse, sarcasm and absolute failure of those in charge to help in the transition from student to nurse. When you speak up about the lack of support you are targeted specifically with bad allocations that are not to your skill level. Is this normal? I understand there is a shortage of nurses which causes burnout, but if this abuse continues then new grads will do their grad year and then leave, which puts additional burdens on exisiting nurses. Do others have similar experiences? Is there a way to cope with this abuse? I was so excited when I gained my Bachelor of Nursing Sciences, now I'm just disappointed. As a newly qualified RN on a graduate programme, I have expressed my concern with the lack of assistance to guide with the transition from student to nurse. Because of doing this I have been given bad allocations, not fitting with skills mix, and have been treated with contempt from those in charge. When asking for help I have been told straight out no, its not my patient, I have already done my work I'm not helping, and You should stay later and do the work (what about 24/7 nursing). This is my second career and I expected a lot more maturity from people who are responsible for peoples lives. What is going on??

[talaxandra]

I've just realised that the pointedness of my initial post may not have been evident, so let me state - I am one of those nurse who Tutly has characterised as old-school, difficult, and disgruntled because of limited career choices. This is, needless to say, not how I would describe myself).

And I continue to maintain that we're not the problem, that blaming individuals or groups is counterproductive, and that GraceOz always knows what she's talking about :)

I find it ironic that Tutly's managed to not only blame one segment of the nursing community for the problem, and in the next posted argued that we ought to stop being harsha nd critical and instead be loyal and supportive of one another.

I agree that the problem in insidious, that it's often systemic, and that perpetrators are not only skilled but also ignored by admin. Grace and I have offered constructive suggestions for change - anyone else?

[ANN2WATER]

wow....

Couldn't help but "eavesdrop" on your posts from the other side of the world....

I'm in the US, and, in some places, the problem is the same. As some of the readers stated, however, it is NOT universally true, though it seems that way when you're in the midst of it.

I sure hope it gets better for the new nurse. It's hard enough to get over the shock of real life nursing, without real life b****es to contend with....

Ann, in Maryland, USA

( no longer new, but remember it well...)

[ceridwyn]

Hello Ann, from Maryland, Evesdrop anyday!!

Yes there is horizontal violence. Its human nature. The nursing profession is not "full of it" more so than any other profession.

It stinks when it happens to you, especially when you are new to it.

There is all sorts of practice in place to try and stop it.

But I also think they should start teaching or mentioning how us 'the majority' need to deal with these people.

Our behaviour needs to change. Don't get angry, find someone else to help.

There must be someone you confide in.

Then as I stated before give them the elbow. Thank them for all their assistance. Tell them you think they are wonderful preceptors to new grads. "Have you done the course for preceptorship?" Will refer them on to management for their terrific guidance and professionalism and the way this has transferred on to your nursing care to the patient. Tell them you admire the way they care for their patients and other staff at the same time. Just marvellous. Bit naughty I know. They don't usually bit back, coz they know everything you said is a go at them and all is true. They have been nasty and unco-0operative.

While their mouths are still open walk away head held high. Don't let them beat you from this profession. Human beings are human beings. Always trying to upset your rights.

We have a couple on our hospital. One of them was so embarrassed that she follows me around and now bothers me with what she can do next to help!!!

The other one hardly talks, but does co-operate when I need a check or can't find something. So as far as I am concerned, case sorted.

Change your behaviour. Don't get mad, patients suffer. Just get even later.

[ceridwyn]

By the way as an EX enrolled nurse for about 25 years before getting the degree,and being treated like muck from all sorts of trained and different countries overhere RN's.

I can tell you, hospital trained, university trained. From this country or that. Nurses are Nurses. Don't fall into the trap of grouping. Theres one bad apple in every lot. And that goes for every profession as well. C

[talaxandra]

... hospital trained, university trained. From this country or that. Nurses are Nurses. Don't fall into the trap of grouping. Theres one bad apple in every lot. And that goes for every profession as well. C

Couldn't have said it better myself :)

[Husband]

Yes there is horizontal violence. Its human nature. The nursing profession is not "full of it" more so than any other profession.

I disagree that it is human nature. I think that it is part of the culture of nursing, which is not the culture of most other professions and many nurses don't show the respect and empathy towards each other that they show to their patients.

I agree with Grace Oz that bullying in the workplace is illegal. Tutly's reply, however, is spot on, especially about loyalty and problems reporting a bully.

As the husband of a nurse and someone who works in another industry, I think that the only conflict resolution skill nurses are encouraged to have is how to make a written harassment claim. I recognise that there are pressures in nursing but it's not the only profession with pressures. I work in a company with over 10,000 people in Australia and the company has few claims lodged despite complying with the same legislation and putting up the same posters about bullying. Even massive retrenchments didn't achieve the low morale of nurses.

My wife had an unsubstantiated false claim lodged against her by a bully after she approached Peer Support in HR with other nurses to complain about the nurse's behaviour. Peer Support advised a cohort bully in management and my wife was then targeted. Because she was well liked and the matter became gossip, other nurses started to approach her with their own horror stories of being bullied or being accused of bullying. Management and HR at the hospital encourage claims and will do nothing about concerns unless the victim puts something in writing. Problem is, bullies are lodging false claims against their victims in pre-emptive strikes, any trivial incident is seen as harassment, accusations and gossip fly back and forth and you could cut the tension with a scalpel. The dumbest harassment claim I heard of was when a cleaner (PSA?) went to Causality after receiving a very minor injury. A nurse lodged a harassment claim against him because he a joke about having to get fully undressed asking if was to be an internal examination. The nurse claimed that he was being "lecherous" when the poor old guy was probably just nervous.

[simisar]

It's sobering to know that the office politics and corporate bullying that goes on at the office have their variant in the nursign workplace. I feel for the original postee on this topic, and I do hope you are able to move to a different hospital soon. All I can say is see if you can talk to someone there about your problems who is sympathetic, and hang in there.

-Sim.

[synkitty]

I am 6 months into my grad position and although I am not facing the bullying that you obviously have Disapointed, I have been having a few problems myself. My post-grad placement has been in a tiny little town, where there is only ever one RN and one EN at most per shift. I was originally promised mentoring of 2 months at least to find my feet, but only received three weeks. I have since been thrown in the deep end 'running' a whole hospital with the support of an enrolled nurse for 8hrs at a time, which includes inpatients, nursing home and any outpatients who present to the hospital. I have adjusted and I am actually enjoying the experience and the responsibility I have been given, although I am scared to death about not being able to cope (so far I have been lucky and anything that is above my experience, I have been able to access support from other people). But I have found that too often it feels like post-grads are supposed to have the skills and knowledge that nurses who have been working for years do and asking questions is a big no-no.

Bullying, I have noticed is prevalent in the system and I really don't think it is going to stop until the buearacracy is taken away from management and someone with some real knowledge of the current health situation (not including the cost) is put into a position of power and nurses start having some more power over their situation.

[Farkinott, RN]

With horizontal violence/bullying in the workplace being endemic it is distressing when you see RNs who are a few years into the job start the same abuse/insidious undermining of brand new RNs and nursing students. These people think that they are inherently superior (bu**ered if I know why).

You can find evidence of it when nursing staff deal with people who are the most powerless such as domestic staff. I find it unbelievable the way some nurses treat domestic staff just because part of their role is to run errands for nursing staff. When I am dealing with a new OSO (operational services officer) I always introduce myself with a handshake and let them know what will be expected of them in the unit I work. I feel embarressed and angry when one of my so called colleagues will call out from the other side of the room "OSO!, OSO!" to get their attention. That they haven't bothered to learn the new team members name reveals a lot about their personality. EVERYONE is part of the team and deserves respect. We should be nurturing our new grads and being nicer to all of those we work with!