Bullying - What is it?

MedChica · Jul 30, 2014

(1) A nurse grabbing a sheet from her orientee's hands, stating in a raised voice that "its too sloppy, give it to me" so that she can fold it herself over a patient.

Could be perceived as 'bullyish'. I would have a problem with this. I'd have a deep problem with anyone snatching things from me while yelling at me. That situation would not end well.

(2) A nurse not letting her orientee go to lunch or cover their orientee's lunch because the orientee had to catch up on documentation, even though the nurse had taken lunch herself.

I tend to work for long periods. I also like to complete my work BEFORE breaks. That's just how I work. I don't understand the word 'let', though. I'm an adult.

(3) A nurse loudly commanding their orientee in the nurses station to finish their documentation before doing anything else because they don't want to get out late.

I don't see an issue with this. This is a time-management reminder.

(4) A nurse asking another nurse "why did you needlestick yourself?" after an accidental needlestick that requires the nurse to go to occ health.

I don't see an issue with that. I would've asked that...while laughing and cracking a joke.

(5) A nurse asking another nurse during ICU hand-off why they didn't obtain an order to replete their patients potassium of 3.8.

We all understand how hard a shift can be. BUT, coming from a facility where we have a new RN who throws work off on LVNs, I surely don't see an issue with asking the nurse about these things during report.

Uh, why didn't they follow up? Why didn't they finish THEIR work?

Heck, I've made a special trip to work to find this lazy hag & inquire about admits and why the hell she didn't complete them - why the hell she didn't order and obtain a urine spec for a pt with increasing agitation, among other things - because I ended up having to complete them and these pt's aren't even assigned to me! (I was trying to help out my coworker, who was angry as well, and she went home early so I had to complete it.)

The RN couldn't even adequately explain why she didn't carry out these tasks. Just stammering throughout. I don't know why; I didn't yell at her. I just asked questions.

...but who knows? Some of these instances are just 'business as usual', to me. Maybe they aren't. My last shift, we had an orientee when I came in. I listened to report, rounded to the cart and suddenly asked the orientee, "Are you with...me, today?"

She shook her head. Other nurse stated that she wasn't. I was like, "Oh, THANK GOD.... I am not in the mood." I couldn't even conceal it. The nurse, the other nurse and my coworker's eyes bucked open and they laughed as if to say, "I can't believe you just said that!"

Well, I did. I meant it, too! They think the same when they see an orientee

I turned the orientee with a smile, "It's nothing against you. Not that I wouldn't slap on a happy face and help you to the best of my ability. I'd never leave you hangin' but, girl? Girl... you know how it is. Or, maybe you don't...whatever. Regardless, I am just not in the mood for new people. I am not here for the 'new people', tah-day!"

Was that rude? I don't know, anymore. I've dealt with a lot in nursing & and I spoke about some things in my thread. I've had to assert myself to the nth with other nurses and other aides. I've seen a disliked nurse getting her car keyed. I've seen mobbing behavior in nursing. I've been basically cowed by administrators telling me to lie to state examiners and such. I did lie but I quit soon after. I don't know. I was never a shrinking violet but I am presently, quite honestly, far more plain-spoken and less caring with my words than when I began in nursing 2 years ago. *shrug*

Goodness knows what I'll be like in 10 years, if I even last that long in bedside.

I'm probably bound for bully-hood, myself. In my opinion, that's the eventuality of spending too many working hours in theseLord of the Flies nursing environments. LOL

RNdynamic · Jul 30, 2014

LIke I said in a previous post
"Also on this note is doesn't matter how long you've been doing something there's plenty of new/newer nurses I would trust with my life over a older nurse. For example in my other profession (paramedic) there's theses 'veterans' who've been doing it "longer than I've been alive" who I've seen in action and wouldn't trust with my dogs life. Meanwhile there's these newbies fresh out of school who sure maybe can't intubate as well or get an IV as quickly but I would trust them with my or anyones life over the 'veterans'.
You can kinda suck at something for 20 years but be good enough to fly under the radar and not get fired."

I tend to agree with the above. There are A LOT of bad nurses out there who have been in one position for a long time. I don't respect experienced nurses any more than I do new nurses.

RNdynamic · Jul 30, 2014

(1) A nurse grabbing a sheet from her orientee's hands, stating in a raised voice that "its too sloppy, give it to me" so that she can fold it herself over a patient.

This happened to me; I found it to be hostile and audacious. Grabbing stuff out of another person's hands instead of asking is not kosher and in my perspective, violates someone's basic sense of personal space and the normal courtesy that everyone deserves.

(2) A nurse not letting her orientee go to lunch or cover their orientee's lunch because the orientee had to catch up on documentation, even though the nurse had taken lunch herself.

This was a situation of a preceptor flat out telling the orientee "you can't go to lunch until documentation is finished because (quote) I don't want to get out late."

(3) A nurse loudly commanding their orientee in the nurses station to finish their documentation before doing anything else because they don't want to get out late.

Same as above.

(4) A nurse asking another nurse "why did you needlestick yourself?" after an accidental needlestick that requires the nurse to go to occ health.

In this situation, the nurse came up to the preceptor to tell her what happened. The nurse said that the bed covers hit her hand and the needle nicked skin. The preceptor glared, appeared very annoyed, saying "why would you do that?" in a tone suggesting it was done purposely. The nurse was not a new nurse; just new to the unit and had been giving injections a long time. It was the end of orientation and I believe the preceptor was annoyed that she had to get off her duff and start helping out because the orientee had to go to occ health. Did you know needlesticks are dramatically underreported? Stuff like this might be why.

(5) A nurse asking another nurse during ICU hand-off why they didn't obtain an order to replete their patients potassium of 3.8.

3.8 is a normal potassium with the potential to become low. To me, this sounded like the nurse wanted the patient gift wrapped for her. It was not the nurse's work to obtain orders for potassium. If the doctor wanted, they should have ordered it. If you think that 3.8 is a low potassium worth repleting, then you can replete it. If I don't think it needs repleting, that doesn't mean I didn't do my job.