Help ...I'm not a team player

Nurses Career Support

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I have worked shift work for 6 years in a small rural hospital.

I recently had a terrible appraisal that focused primarily on the negative me in my interpersonal professional staff relationship category. There were only a few passable mediocre one liners about my general performance.

I am a nervous, sensitive, caring person and I love nursing. Most of the team are lovely people and I do enjoy working with them.Yet there is a lot of bitchiness and unprofessional behaviour on our ward. The staff have a tendency to sit around backstabbing and gossiping when we're not busy. Sometimes the air is thick with unfriendliness and some mornings staff have turned their backs and refuse to reply to a cherry good morning.

I am still evolving at work from being bullied in the past by a couple of my colleagues. I get mixed messages from these people. I feel sometimes so threatened by these women. I become nervous around them.

My appraisal also accuses me of isolating myself from my colleagues and that the success of my duty depended on whom I was working with, wether I was having a good day or bad day and how much I participate. Participation is an interesting word when there are only three nurses per shift and two perfer to work together thereby declining your help. So I find myself excluded and am often in the sluice room or restocking and doing compulsory equipment checks during patient care. I also volunteer for the heaviest patient load or willingly do jobs some won't touch to try to get along with my colleagues. I don't mind been busy and am not resentful doing these duties but find it makes no difference.

It said I wasn’t a team player and that my nervousness has an unsettling effect on the team and affected patient care. In my defence because I regularly recieve feed back from appreciative patients, I was surprised by this comment.

I am feeling mixed up and downhearted. I don't think I could change the way my boss feels about me even if I were the perfect nurse. I realise I am powerless to change the way people feel about me though I know I can change the way I feel about myself....but it's not easy. I am trying to improve by being more positive, not complain and focus more on my work than worrying what they will cook up next to railroad me out.

I am not rich. Well paid jobs in rural towns are rare as hens teeth. I would like to stay and overcome these problems.

Are rural hospitals toxic enviroment for some new comers to the area? Why are some nurses who care for people be so nasty to their colleagues? Why are some team members unable to help themselves to scrutinise, convey and misconstrue every word and action you say and do and run with it to the boss?. Is this just small town rural hospital phenomenon or simply just 'WELCOME TO NURSING' ?

I would appreciate any tips or advice from anyone who has worked in a small town hospital and have overcome similar problems.

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Specializes in ER.

You may do better in a lower stress environment, not acute care.

What really concerns me is the lies on your evaluation. If your coworkers are not supportive it just increases the stress and takes away your most important learning tools.

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Specializes in ICU,PCU.

Typical rural nursing (i am sure some would disagree),I work in a community hospital, and most of the people I work with knew each other since first grade. I was the new kid in town once and i know how it feels. they are watchin every move i make, they always keep me in place whenever i question procedures which i believe not within the policies and procedures of the hospital(I should know better than question these nurses who have 15 to 20 years of service to the hospital but thanks to evidence based practice, things have change a lot in my small hospital) My first year was rough, but I never gave up!. In our hospital we do have costumer service workshops, and I thought, if i apply the things i've learned to our unit, not only to my patients but with my co workers as well, things will change. Everytime i come to work, I smile, greet my co workers and of course the grumpiest nurse will get more smiles and hellos from me, and when I am done with my work i always ask my fellow nurses and NAs if they needed my help. Key word is "extra mile" I am willing to do the extra mile and help my co workers, or some will say "bump up the light". It worked for me and hopefully this will work for you to.

Now we have a lot of new nurses in our hospital and I always stress to them, being a new nurse is tough, but they have our support now, the old nurses. We will guide them,help gain experience but please, when its their time to be the "old nurses" please don't eat their young.

If these will not work for you, Im thinking, you are not the problem, its them, your boss and some of your co workers ganging up on you. , ask for a transfer to other units, if not, explore your options with other hospitals. Dont let them burn you out, get out of that unit. (after of course exhausting all your options).

About the backstabbing, whining and complaining... did i say, Welcome to Nursing...;)

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I have to agree, it is rural nursing, small town mentality, clannish people that do things their way because "it's always been that way." Alot of "big fish in a small pond." In my case, circumstances were such, due to my husband's career transfer, that we moved 1/2 way across the country to a larger area. I got a job at a (relatively) large hospital, and it's been the best thing ever. I was so nervous due to my past bad experience, but I am one of many nurses who has relocated, from all over the US. The people I work with are consistently polite, helpful, and caring. I had the some of the same problems, at my old job, according to my boss- not a team player, "so & so said such & such"- yada yada- with no evidence ever-- funny they love me here. I feel so appreciated, and it's a very friendly work environment. Rural hospitals tend to tolerate more lazy people, performance problems, allow people to harbor bad attitudes, etc. I hope someday you can find a job in a bigger hospital where you'll be appreciated for who you are.:penguin:

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I work in a large pediatric clinic.... with staff sounds similar to your story. Bosses hiring friends and family and it is one big party. If you are an outsider, work is left for you as they book out their schedule time. I never leave my schedule time as I am finishing up their work and mine. You can't complain to the manager as she is the sister in law. This whole place is to 'familiar' with friends.

I go do my job. I'm not there to make friends. If I do in the interim then that is great. But my focous in on my patients. I know my job record is shining and I know they say lies, that just shows how insecure and unprofessional they all are. I'm holding out for now.. but I don't see me staying there for long.

sad to say there are alot of places like this, extremely clicky and down right rude to other co workers. I just hope that "one" of those workers will read these posts and change their tune... we are here for the benefit of health to our clients...not gossiping bout whose husband is sleeping with who

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Specializes in Critical Care: Cardiac, VAD, Transplant.

This type of thing worries me. I have worked in retail for too many years before I decided that I needed to go to school and get a 'real' job. I was hoping that I would be entering into a more professional environment that wasn't tolerant of the gossip and backstabbing that happens in other environments. I am not comfortable around gossips and usually avoid those that do it as a form of entertainment. This, unfortunately, has led me to be labeled as 'not a team player' in other environments while achieving excellent reviews for my work. Please tell me that this is a rare occurrence in the nursing field!?

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
this type of thing worries me. i have worked in retail for too many years before i decided that i needed to go to school and get a 'real' job. i was hoping that i would be entering into a more professional environment that wasn't tolerant of the gossip and backstabbing that happens in other environments. i am not comfortable around gossips and usually avoid those that do it as a form of entertainment. this, unfortunately, has led me to be labeled as 'not a team player' in other environments while achieving excellent reviews for my work. please tell me that this is a rare occurrence in the nursing field!?

i think that gossip, backstabbing and cliqueishness are human things rather than belonging to any one job environment. my stepdaughter is complaining about that very thing at her school, my husband about his coworkers, my neighbor about her colleagues at the nsa, my mother about the other ladies in her church circle, my best friend about the fellow volunteers at the pet shelter, her husband about his physician colleagues . . . you catch my drift.

that said, if you've been at the same job for two years (your post didn't say) and people still have that negative image of you, move on. it won't change. once people make up their minds about you, you almost have to go away and come back for them to change their minds. at any rate, going away will put you in a new environment where you can meet new people and remake yourself.

ruby (thinking about taking my own advice!)

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In my experience it has nothing to do with rural nursing - this happens everywhere and in all manner of jobs.

I work in a rural environment and was welcomed when I graduated. I find that the gossip comes from, as someone mentioned, not being busy and then sitting around gossiping. The change regarding that needs to come from each individual nurse and also from management. That can be hard when no one else sees a problem.

Did you mention the gossip and clan-ish behavior to the person doing your evaluation?

Is there another area in your hospital you could transfer to that would give you a new start, so to speak?

I do truly feel for you - it is hard to be a team player when the team has backstabbers and pot-stirrers.

steph

steph

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Specializes in OR.

You are in a toxic situation and you need to get out before these evil coworkers destroy your love for your job. I know what you mean about wanting to stay and tough it out but sometimes, it's not worth your sanity and health to do so. I would try to transfer or quit. Life is too short to be the scapegoat for a bunch of unprofessional, maladjusted harpies. They've probably been like this for years and you're not going to change them.

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The saddest part of all this is I am a very upbeat person and love being a nurse in which I have been for 13years. I am currently looking for a lawyer due to the gossip and rumors which have been made against me. They are so bad that it could cost me my license. It has gotten so bad that I fear the hostility in the building so have not been to work in 2 days. And I think the worst part almost is that the DON and ADON are feeding into it and not helping me out at all. But once again hopefully god will get me through it

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Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, LTC.

I worked in a Rural Hospital as an "outsider". (I moved to the area from a different area of the same state) I worked nightshift. Some of the nurses on nights were also "transplants" to the area so we got along. However... The other shifts were all nurses that lived in that area for their whole lives. (And their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc) I did notice that most were friendly, atleast polite and I did not have any problems b/c of it. But only the other "transplants" were interested in becoming friends outside of work. I had a good experience working in a Rural hospital. Im not sure if I woud have if I had been on another shift, though. Overall, I did notice transplants were treated a bit differently. I noticed that everyone had to make it known that I was not raised in the area.

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Specializes in Too many to list.

I agree, you are in a toxic environment, and staying there is not your best option. Stevie's idea of moving to another part of the hospital if possible is a good one, since there seem to be few facilities in your area. You will probably need to speak to the director of nursing to accomplish this. Bring your evaluation with you. The evaluation is how your manager sees you, and it is probably not going to change no matter what you do. Tell the director this, because it is not a changeable situation. These nurses have intimidated you, and they are enjoying it. Keeping you with these people is not allowing you to function at your full potential. If you have an educational instructor at the hospital, try to speak with her also to develop a viable plan to transition to a new unit, and have her monitor how you are doing there. I am sure that they would much rather move you than lose a nurse.

I am angry on your behalf. This type of bullying (because that is what it is) is very subtle, but damaging.

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