Nurse Bullying. Have you experienced it?

SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN · Feb 21, 2018

WOW Katie I'm sorry

Workitinurfava, BSN, RN · Feb 21, 2018

Sometimes people are just jealous and it can spill over in-to bullying. This can happen in any work setting. It may be more common in settings where it is female dominated. Most men don't care what nail polish I am wearing. Question, was the nail polish in season? If you are wearing summer nail polish in the winter, you are asking for it, I am just kidding. :roflmao: Know when to say something and when to brush it off. Don't let what people think of your nail polish stress you out.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 21, 2018

I totally understand that telling them their earrings are too long can be seen as advice, but honestly, if the nurse wants to risk getting them pulled out, then thats the nurses prerogative.

Here's the thing -- many hospitals have a dress code specifying how big your earrings can be. When you work in that institution, you agree to abide by their dress code. If your earrings are in violation of the dress code, the nurse was doing you a favor by pointing that out BEFORE you get written up for it. In my institution, they cannot be larger than a quarter, cannot dangle past your ear lobe and cannot be hoops (because someone got their ear ripped when their stethescope got tangled up in their hoop earrings and they were rushing to listen for breath sounds in a code). You may think the dress code is dumb, but it is the dress code and you can be placed on a performance plan or start on the disciplinary process for dress code violations.

If you don't appreciate the comments on social media, stay off social media. No one is forcing you to participate.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 21, 2018

I understand that they may not have power, but some people can still feel bullied by these comments. Especially when they're public and others can see them. It can be viewed as embarrassing for these online nurse bloggers as well. Either way, its negative and unneeded. People need to stop being keyboard bullies.

And perhaps others feel that YOU are the "keyboard bully" for telling them what they can and cannot say on social media from the privacy of their homes.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 21, 2018

Sometimes people are just jealous and it can spill over in-to bullying. This can happen in any work setting. It may be more common in settings where it is female dominated. Most men don't care what nail polish I am wearing. Question, was the nail polish in season? If you are wearing summer nail polish in the winter, you are asking for it, I am just kidding. Know when to say something and when to brush it off. Don't let what people think of your nail polish stress you out.

Psssst! Your misogyny is showing.

My husband has been a nurse for 30 years, and is currently working in transport. Most of his colleagues are EMTs and paramedics, the majority of them male. Prior to nursing, he worked in the oil fields, on a tug boat, in construction and was a pilot in the Air Force. According to him, nursing is a whole lot LESS toxic, "catty", bullying, etc. than those male dominated professions.

The question about nail polish may pertain, once again, to the dress code. Ours says nail polish can be clear only.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 21, 2018

So, recently I have noticed on Facebook sites a lot of nurses actually bullying fellow nurses on social media.
Things I have seen nurses bully about:
-nurses who were really put together for a shift
-nurses who had polished nails
-nurses with tattoos
In fact, on my Instagram handle, I was actually bullied once because a girl thought I wore too much makeup for a shift in the ER. With all this bullying I see on social media, it makes me wonder whether this also occurs in the work setting?
Do any of you guys have any input on nurse bullying? Have you ever experienced it? If so, what was it regarding?
On one my favorites scrub brands Facebook, a nurse literally bashed another nurse and stated "I would NEVER want you as my nurse" and this was all said because the nurse in the photo had her nails painted.
Why do people go out of their way to be rude to others? And if its ok with their hospital policy to have painted nails and tattoos showing, then why do so many others care??
Let me know what you guys think.
xox

I think you're spending too much time worrying about being bullied. It has been my observation that the folks who are most worried about being bullied are most often the ones who exhibit bullying behavior.

Most hospitals aren't OK with obvious nail polish. Many aren't OK with tattoos. And too much make-up is regarded by many as looking unprofessional. (That's also part of the dress code for some hospitals -- make up should "look natural and not be obvious.") But you have the ability to choose not to look at facebook or to worry about what others say.

There is real bullying in nursing, but it's extremely rare. Much less prevalent than in construction or mining or the GM plant. Sniping about make-up and nail polish is not bullying. Bullying is taking the front end loader to tip over the Porta-Potty when you know someone is inside it, locking someone in the staff bathroom at work, stealing or destroying someone's tools over and over, erasing them from the schedule and then writing them up for not showing up to work, telling your boss that you're having an affair with her husband when they know it isn't true, waiting for them in the parking lot after work to beat them up or slash their tires, asking your felon of a boyfriend to beat them up or slash their tires, etc. There are many interactions you'll have in your life that aren't pleasant, but aren't bullying. Save your ire for the real bullies.

hebparke · Feb 22, 2018

I love that a good amount of people on here don't consider some of these things bullying.

While your snarking on someone at the nurses nurses station that is considered "lateral violence" which can affect patient safety and strain working relationships. I've seen nurses fired over facebook posts criticizing other nurses they work with because it makes for a hostile work environment.

This is the world we live in now and it's quite tragic that we can't all get alone and leave drama at the door.

Emergent, RN · Feb 22, 2018

If someone doesn't like what they see on social media, they're not REQUIRED to comment on it. They can always keep their comments to themselves, but they fail to do so because they find it necessary to post their negativity on other peoples pictures and/or pages. It's unnecessary and rude. Tattoos are also apart of 2018, they should get used to them. Nurses do not need to be wholesome and there is no such thing as a picture perfect nurse.

Then, YOU should get used to incivility and boorish behavior since that's also part of 2018.

MinneNurse, BSN, RN · Feb 22, 2018

I sometimes wonder if the comments about appearance come from a place of insecurity?

I wear my hair down a lot at work because I have dermatitis and sometimes wearing ponytails or buns all day starts to really hurt my scalp. I have had a few co-workers make comments in the past about nurses wearing their hair down and how they do not approve, but I was never singled out. I deal with less bodily fluids on my unit and most of my patients are independent and ambulatory and don't need assistance with personal cares so it has never been an issue wearing my hair down. I've also noticed some nurses who don't wear makeup make comments about nurses who do in a negative manner, which I think really isn't their place. I wear makeup for several reasons, one being I have a very uneven complexion with a lot of acne scars. Whatever the reasons though, it is everyones personal choice to wear or not wear makeup, do hair or not, etc. We should all support and empower one another to feel comfortable!

allnurses Guide · Feb 22, 2018

Regardless of what it is called in the dictionary, both are examples of other nurses being rude.

But being rude is not the same thing as bullying!

Mmbaut · Feb 22, 2018

Just last week we finally realized a CNA was being bullied by fellow CNAs and nurses. A letter was written about her demanding the DON take action against this new CNA. They were refusing to help her with her patients & then would be mad at her for being behind.

The most recent problem was that leftover vomit was on the floor, semi cleaned up. The patient was cleaned and taken care of, & it was reported to housekeeping. The letter written using words like "neglect", which can lead to a loss of her license.

We had to sit down and really figure out what the root problem was. Experienced CNAs and nurses didn't like working with her, because she was brand new and still figuring out her own flow. It's not that she was "lazy" or "not a team player", she just was learning how to balance her responsibilities as a CNA, and be apart of the team.

It's a shame that they were unwilling to pickup her slack and teach her. We've all been there, whether brand new, or at a new job.

AnonymousNurse45 · Feb 22, 2018

I am glad I saw this topic, as something has been on my mind lately. I have been working in a medium sized hospital with a diverse work force. I have been ( and I don't want to use word "victimized") annoyed by the conduct of a male employee, who is half my age and was born here in the US (unlike this OP). The conduct is a melding of misogyny with chauvinism, and fits definition of a microagression at a workplace very nicely. I basically have 2 choices: ignore or confront it. I came up with an idea of creating mock survey.

Example:

Circle: Yes or No

I bullied clumsy Sergey who did not speak English back in the middle school, and it made me feel like a bigger person, and I wish to recreate this feeling.

YES NO

Do you suffer from misogyny or any other conditions not listed above?

YES NO

I hope you get the idea...

How do you feel about confronting the issue in the format of the "mock survey" to help me get my point across (with the point being "buzz off", grow up, get used to globalization) ?