How To Spot a Workplace Bully, Part One - Page 2

My first and last job in nursing ended because of bullying. They say 25 percent of nurses leave nursing after their first job. I was one and there have been others who have left after me. There are more to come in the future because HR refuses to see the problem.

WOW! It seems to be getting worse for nurses in relation to bullying. But it really is more of us talking about it.

Bottom line it is very real and out of control. So fight or flight? Weigh options of which has priority for "you". Do you want to be the Martin Luther King and fight using HR and formal grievances. OR Is the job itself not worth the aggravation and make plans to more on?


Choice 1: Fight - well be prepared for reprecussions in the form of revenge by bullying leaders. Know that all, yes all, managers know the bullying staff. And they are bullies for allowing it. Especially if your manager is the bully you have to reach to the HR EEOC level or you are wasting your fight. It's got to be in that big way or your bullying problem will escalate faster than you know. The thing thatgets that bully in the long run is a negative personnel paper trail. Know it may not happen in your time there but it ALWAYS ALWAYS happens. So your piece of the fight helps the next victum and so on, and so on...! ("I may not get there with you...MLK)


Choice 2: Flight - Well who needs that aggravation especially if home life is not great. No one blames you get out! Do travel nursing if nothing is open in your field elsewhere. It's a great feeling to leave on your own terms. Keep your self-estem up to par. And realize work-life elsewhere is good! Just be smart about it. Don't leave in a huff. Plan it! Work other places per diem to test the waters at a new place. Stay part time and perdiem at more than one place versus full time at one place. It's wonderful you fly just below the sh_t politics and they are always glad to see you. The negative politics is mostly full time versus full time folks. And ALWAYS give a strong exit interview to HR. Again helping the paper trail that will be the bully's downfall in the long run. The same comments from different folks works slower but just as good as a petition or class action movement. Please contact the ANA and ask them to put it on their agenda for a national initiative. Go the website and email them. Report the hospital just in case they are planning to apply for a Magnet status. Nurses leaving because of poor treatment impacts greatly on jeopardizing that.


This is you feeling good about your career choice not the place you chose to work! Nursing is awesome !!! It'll take you whereever you want to go. So use it and find your comfort zone!!!!

I have been a nurse since 2003. During this time I have worked staff, per diem and travel nurse in over 30 hospitals. Granted a couple hospitals were a 1 time visit because the work environment was so bad I refused to take any more shifts there.
I have seen nurses bully'd and been bullied once or twice myself. I have also worked in many supportive places with no bullies allowed.
It is a gut wrenching experience to be in the cross hairs.
My examples of being bullied include a charge nurse that said she knew a fellow nurse was being mean to me and she was sorry for it, but her friendship with said bully was to important to her to do anything about it. At least I admire her honesty and told her so. The "mean" nurse would put pts in my ER rooms and not tell me or give me report. I would find out an hour later that I had a pt and nothing had been done. This taught me to keep a very vigilant eye on my rooms so I would not get any surprises. She also would not put the pt on the board so it looked like I didn't have a pt. Also taught me to be very vigilant.
She would hide my charts (paper charting) so I couldn't find them to keep up with charting. She would brag about putting foley caths in male pts without lubrication. Would brag about putting in 16 g IVs in pts just to hear them scream. She was allowed to go on like this for 3years and what finally got her fired was she accidently yelled out across the room that a pt had aids.
Soon after the charge nurse was asked to resign because she and several others were at a party and were playing charades, quess which ER frequent flyer i am.

It doesn't matter where you work, or what you're doing, pretty much every place has someone who is immune from disciplinary action.

This is so sad to see in this day and age of 'enlightenment'. I can't believe nothing was done! I'm also non-confrontational, but if you attack my child you're gonna get hurt! Your situation is a tough one and compounded by who and what his girlfriend is. Personally, I'd probably go somewhere else, but he and the administration would definitely get an earful on my way out! I believe everything happens for a reason and what doesn't kill us can only make us stronger. There just might be a better opportunity out there and in the end this jerk would be doing you a big favor! Hang in there! I'll be checking back to see how it's going for you.

Would it be possible for the RN that is being bullied by the male nurse to have a tape recorder, and audi--tape him the next time he confronts her? that way, she will have concrete proof of the bullying, and will have some ammunition when she reports him to HR and/or administration.
I ask this because I was bullied by an RN that was precepting me on a new floor I was moved to, due to health reasons. Once she yelled at me so loudly that staff 10 feet away heard her. When the time came for my 12- week evaluation, nothing I said about her was given any credit. I was just told "Well, she's precepted other staff and been successful"
BTW, I had 35 years nursing experience. I had worked with this nurse 15 years ago--she as a bully then, and remained one.
Maybe I should not speak ill of her---she was diagnosed with cancer 6 months later, and died within 5 months. But she made my shifts with her on that unit a living hell.