Staff nurses and their bad attitudes

[ShellyRSRN]

Hi everyone. I have been a nurse a little over a year. My first hospital RN job had me commuting 60 miles one way, 3 times a week because I was determined to get the coveted hospital experience. I loved the hospital, the people, the unit and the hours but the commute was exhausting and the salary was less to be desired. After I hit the one year mark, I began to apply to hospitals closer to home. I was hired as a staff RN at a community hospital (similar to my first hospital) that was 20 minutes away and a significant salary increase.

I work full time nights and my co-workers are pleasant enough. My problem starts once the day shift rolls around. Keep in mind, my first RN job was a day position so I understand the dynamics of the shift. These nurses are the most rude and arrogant women I have dealt with. When giving report, they sigh and roll their eyes at you. They purposely question the most minuet information to try to trip you up. They love to write people up and they flat out gossip about you. I always leave in a bad mood because the last 30 minutes of my shift is just hell. It's been 2 months. The manager says, "Don't take it personally, that's how they are." It's my understanding that this type of attitude is the norm at the hospital. I want to stick it out as I am getting married and buying a house next fall. In addition to the great pay, I do not want to job hop as it will reflect negatively once I begin to look for a mortgage.

Any advice or suggestions on how to deal with this? At least for the next year.

[Forever Sunshine, ASN, RN]

I feel with a couple nurses I get the eye rolling also. It bothered me the first 2x but I blew it off very quickly.

Whatever. The report is the report whether they like it or not. You didn't decide what went on during the shift. It just happened.

[Santa,RN]

Grrr- this kind of behavior makes me batty!

My advice- kill them with kindness. Before you even start your report, grab a few pieces of Halloween size candy out of your locker. Yes, you are going to get a bag just for these occassions

When you sit down to report, give the nurse a few pieces. Like candy to a baby!

Then you are going to lie to them if you have to and say something about one of their patients from last week saying what a nice nurse they had been to them. How you appreciate that they did the dressing change, passed a med, whatever you can muster up.

Any kind of sarcastic responses only fuel their fire. They know they are being nasty, and if they have the implied support of their nurse manager (another thing that makes me nuts is the acceptance of lateral violence in nursing units), they have no reason to make changes in their behavior. Kind of like High School, isn't it? Don't fall prey to it!

I have worked days and nights, and both have their good and bad habits and both shifts think their way is the right way. In reality, there is good and bad with both shifts. I primarily worked days, but at least once every few months, I would pick up a night shift to 'keep in touch', so to speak. It endeared me to the night shift and made me more tolerant of their different habits.

Try going into report with a spring in your step, a smile for everyone, IGNORE the bad behavior and set a good example. I know, it is really difficult, and it won't make it go away overnight, but I swear, the kindness thing really works! But letting it eat at you only hurts you and encourages their bad behavior.

Hope this helps! Good luck with your house hunting!

[1dyclsr2rtrmnt]

That eye rolling thing gets me, too.

I had a nurse manager who did that. She would do it in front of people, behind people's backs, in meetings, etc.

Once, a co-worker copied a picture of a guy out of a medical dictionary.....the diagnosis of his problem was "oculogenic crisis". She posted it on the bulletin board....but the picture didn't stay there long. We knew who jerked it down. It was so funny.

Anyway....tell them they might need to see a physician for those oculogenic crises they're having....their eyeballs might become fixed and they could end up looking like that forever. lol...j/k

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Somehow, you have obtained a reputation with the dayshift that they feel warrants that behavior. I certainly dont agree with it, but they are belittling you for some reason,albeit large or small. Management will not help you, they are useless in these kinds of situations.

Approach the day nurse you feel could enlighten you, then listen closely to what is said..

Good Luck,, it is probably fixable!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

any kind of sarcastic responses only fuel their fire. they know they are being nasty, and if they have the implied support of their nurse manager (another thing that makes me nuts is the acceptance of lateral violence in nursing units), they have no reason to make changes in their behavior. kind of like high school, isn't it? don't fall prey to it!

i have worked days and nights, and both have their good and bad habits and both shifts think their way is the right way. in reality, there is good and bad with both shifts. i primarily worked days, but at least once every few months, i would pick up a night shift to 'keep in touch', so to speak. it endeared me to the night shift and made me more tolerant of their different habits.

try going into report with a spring in your step, a smile for everyone, ignore the bad behavior and set a good example. i know, it is really difficult, and it won't make it go away overnight, but i swear, the kindness thing really works! but letting it eat at you only hurts you and encourages their bad behavior.

hope this helps! good luck with your house hunting!

this is a great post, and i agree with most of it. however not all bullies recognize themselves as bullies, and not all nasty people realize they're being nasty. some of them are just carrying around an overload of pain or anger from their own personal tragedies or circumstances and may have no clue how they're coming across. what they need is kindness from their co-workers. i'm not saying you should let them disrespect you, but if it's possible for you, be nice. and then take them aside (one at a time) and tell them they may not realize it, but they're rolling their eyes at you and is there something you're not picking up on because if there is, you'd like to understand it so you don't keep making the same mistake.

if they know they're being nasty, the approach still works because at least you've called them out on the behavior.

before someone tells me that they don't care how miserable those nurses are in their personal lives, they ought not to bring it into work, i agree. they ought not to. but bullies -- just like the op and everyone else who has posted on the subject -- are human. and sometimes human beings cannot shut off their emotions -- negative or positive -- the minute they clock in.

i've worked with a lot of truly unpleasant people, and often it seems they're just people having a crisis in their lives that they can't leave outside when they come to work. and i've worked with a few folks who are just plain nasty. i know there have been times when i seemed to have a target painted on my back -- usually when i was having problems at home that i wasn't coping with very well -- and times when i've been the unpleasant nurse. a very dear friend once told me (about work) that we "elicit the responses we get," and that if i'm being "mistreated" by "everyone" at work, then i ought to take a look at my own behavior. she was right.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Perhaps as a group the night shift can go to a taped or written report, and then days can ask whatever questions they need to afterwards.

[Angel41908]

Wow, The whole time I read this It felt like you were talking about the same floor I work on. Honestly its sad that this is the type of environment that us nurses must be placed in, we should be working together, not bringing each other down. When I first started two years ago, I dreaded 7 am because I had to give report to "those types of nurses" Sometimes I would be giving report and they would just look at the computer screen and not even look at me while I told them what was going on with the patient throughout the night. Then they would ask pointless irrelavent questions about the patients and just give an attitude through the whole report. Its sad that this is what you have to deal with, but I know for me after a year report started getting easier and I just pretty much ignored the arrogance, and now I usually don't have a problem giving report. Also, a bunch of us co-workers would go to breakfast after report to just vent on the dreaded last 30 minutes of our shift! Hope Things Get Better! :hrnsmlys:

[bsyrn, ASN, RN]

Enjoy your shift and just grin and bear the last 30 minutes. I use to work with people like that and found if you don't respond to the poor behavior, it usually goes away...it's no fun if they don't get a reaction. Be happy you found a job you like .

[heron, ASN, RN]

That eye rolling thing gets me, too.

I had a nurse manager who did that. She would do it in front of people, behind people's backs, in meetings, etc.

Once, a co-worker copied a picture of a guy out of a medical dictionary.....the diagnosis of his problem was "oculogenic crisis". She posted it on the bulletin board....but the picture didn't stay there long. We knew who jerked it down. It was so funny.

Anyway....tell them they might need to see a physician for those oculogenic crises they're having....their eyeballs might become fixed and they could end up looking like that forever. lol...j/k

It's oculogyric crisis ... "oculo" = eyes ... "gyric" = rotating/gyrating.

Having seen one, you're right ... the image is PERFECT ... and hilarious

[1dyclsr2rtrmnt]

It's oculogyric crisis ... "oculo" = eyes ... "gyric" = rotating/gyrating.

Having seen one, you're right ... the image is PERFECT ... and hilarious

Oh, ok, sorry for the misspelling.

But you get my point! It was very funny.

All that eye rolling.....I really hate it when I see people do that eye rolling thing.

Such a put down, but it really does reflect upon the one DOING it more than the intended target.

[ShellyRSRN]

Wow, thank you everyone for the responses! Believe it or not, I am not usually one to take things like this personally. I guess the combo of being new (and feeling vulnerable)/ the attitudes/ and the write ups (I was never written up until I came to this hospital) was overwhelming. I appreciate all the different views and will approach things differently. Thanks again!

[gettingbsn2msn, MSN, RN]

I am a traveler and it is like this everywhere. I even had one nurse that turned her back to me while I gave report so I was talking to her back the entire time. She was the height of nastiness. This is why I am growing to hate nursing.