Do you speak up when one nurse is "dressing down" another?

[sistrmoon, BSN, RN]

During report, it came out that an error was made. Oncoming nurse loudly and harshly dresses down offgoing nurse about it. Everyone stands around uncomfortably but silently. Have you seen this happen and did you intervene?

[BahoRN]

I think it would depend on what's being said. If it was loud enough, I would step in to let them know to take it to another area. Additionally, if the offensive nurse was being a bully, demeaning, or belittling, I know I would definitely step in between them and diffuse the situation. However, attacking one nurse who is attacking another is not the way to handle these situations. Sometimes tact is all that is needed. In these types of cases, a word with the director about what you had witnessed is more than acceptable.

Just to note, I would do the same if it was a physician on the attack.

[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

We had a policy where if something like that happened, nurses in the immediate area stood behind the person being verbally attacked. Silently, everyone gathered behind them and stared down the attacker, whether that was a doc, another nurse, or a patient.

I saw this put into practice once when a doc started yelling at our charge nurse. It was incredibly effective. That doc slowed her roll when she had 5 nurses staring at her and more gathering by the second.

[Emergent, RN]

We had a policy where if something like that happened, nurses in the immediate area stood behind the person being verbally attacked. Silently, everyone gathered behind them and stared down the attacker, whether that was a doc, another nurse, or a patient.

I saw this put into practice once when a doc started yelling at our charge nurse. It was incredibly effective. That doc slowed her roll when she had 5 nurses staring at her and more gathering by the second.

Wow, AWESOME!

[MunoRN, RN]

I worked at a facility once where a "code strong" was called and all the nurses would stand behind the person being yelled at. At the facility I'm at now there are very few nurses who won't just step in immediately and tell the person yelling to shut up and go take a time out, whether it be a doctor, nurse, whomever. There seems to be cultural variations on how these situations are dealt with, personally I prefer the zero tolerance approach.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

Step in front of the nurse being yelled at. Literally, right between the 2 of them. "Not the time or the place. We can only go forward from here, you are being inappropriate, and you are making everyone uncomfortable".

Hopefully, this would be done by whomever is in charge of the unit.

[OCNRN63, RN]

I've done it a couple of times with doctors yelling at nurses. There is no place for verbal abuse in the workplace.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Yes...absolutely

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

Yes-no hesitation.