Nurses: Oppression Can Stop With You

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines oppression as unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power. Due to its position on the social ladder combined with the sometimes unprofessional behaviors of its members, nursing is an oppressed occupation. According to Whitehead (2010), the position of nursing within the socioeconomic framework is one of a relatively oppressed group – not as low in the social scale as some, but certainly not in the upper professional tier.

Oppressed people tend to lash out at each other as the result of a strong sense of displaced anger along with an overall lack of group empowerment. Many nurses are truly upset at their superiors and 'the system,' but end up displacing the anger onto their much less-threatening coworkers and subordinates. In many healthcare facilities, administrative hierarchies promote and perpetuate oppressive conditions, such as inability to take uninterrupted breaks or meals, inadequate staffing ratios, limited supplies, and little recognition of nurses’ ability to think critically (Townsend, 2012). In other words, many hospital units and nursing home wings are home to toxic working environments where oppressed nurses behave rudely toward one another, engage in gossip, start rumors, and act like immature schoolyard bullies while management looks the other way.

Let's examine the crab mentality for a moment. Any person who has been in an area where fresh seafood is sold has likely noticed that crabs are left in open buckets. There is no need to place lids on the buckets because, when one crab climbs near the top of the container, the other crabs latch on and pull it back to the bottom. Hence, all of the crabs experience the same fate. If one single crab is in the bucket by itself, it will make it to the top, leverage its way out of the container, and escape to freedom because nothing holds it back. Although the lone crab almost always escapes, none ever get away if other crabs are at the bottom of the bucket. Crab mentality is also a powerful metaphor for human behavior, especially in oppressed groups such as nursing, where some of its members do everything in their power to latch on and keep others down.

However, oppression can stop with you. Power comes in numbers. Remember this saying: United we stand, divided we fall. It is time for nurses to stop lashing out at each other and start funneling the negative energies into more positive endeavors such as mentoring newer graduates, helping coworkers feel welcome, providing the best patient care possible with the constraints involved, and getting politically involved to help bring about beneficial changes.

The nursing profession in the United States has more than three million members, and is the largest healthcare occupation in the country. History shows us that oppressed groups can push for change if every individual in the group pulls together, supports one another, and organizes effectively. The Civil Rights movement of several generations ago is a prime example of oppressed people coming together. Oppression can stop with you, and empowerment can begin with you.