Anyone Else Experience Mobbing?

[WeakAnkles]

Hi~

I have been at my new job for over a year now and have become the victim of mobbing by my peers in the ICU where I work.

I have tried every approach with this but nothing has helped my situation. I am going to have to leave this job for it to end.

It has caused me to become depressed, anxious at times, and I have gained weight.

I have also seen mobbing occur at other units where I have worked. I am wondering how prevalent this is now among nurses.

[Chaya, ASN, RN]

In these situations I have initially blamed my personal weaknesses for allowing co-workers to treat me this way-until I have seen them mobbing others as well. Then I get angry, realizing that it is NOT me, but the mobbers" who are in the wrong.

I acknowledge that a strong individual can overcome "mobbing" directed against them. Kudos to those with that kind of inner reserve who are capable of "gutting it out"; I am envious because I am not cut from that cloth. But I tend to look beyond and wonder what it is in a given work environment that allows and even fosters this kind of behavior in the first place. More importantly, how can this type of environment be changed, or prevented from developing in the first place.

[Chaya, ASN, RN]

I will say this for myself, I AM a strong person. I have fought the good fight for over a year. But, you can not beat the mob, or ignore them either. I wish I knew what "the survival networks" mentioned above were because I have found none.

Do not let my "Weakankles" sign-on ID fool you. The only thing weak about me is my ankles, and my back.

One technique I read about was being promoted as a solution to kids being bullied in schools. It was recommended that witnesses to a bullying episode gather round the victem in support as a show of strength against the bully or bullies and a message to the perpetrators that their behavior was being witnessed and not ignored.

I haven't read any follow-up info and don't know if this is something that has been used in reality or if so, if it has proven effective.

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

No, in nursing it's more likely that they don't like someone for some reason, maybe they just don't like the color of their eyes.

Or they are "too good" at their job, and someone is jealous..I've seen very smart, competent nurses basically run out of a place because they made some of the other ones look bad. Nurses can be territorial. Although, I agree with what the other poster said too-I've seen residents and med students get tortured in the OR because the attending surgeon has a hair across his butt for whatever reason(he's going to miss his golf/tennis/racquetball game, his wife is mad at him, his mistress is mad at him etc). It's not always the incompentent ones in that case either. I think all of healthcare is full of maladjusted people because the culture condoned it for a long time. It is changeable, though.

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

One technique I read about was being promoted as a solution to kids being bullied in schools. It was recommended that witnesses to a bullying episode gather round the victem in support as a show of strength against the bully or bullies and a message to the perpetrators that their behavior was being witnessed and not ignored.

I haven't read any follow-up info and don't know if this is something that has been used in reality or if so, if it has proven effective.

A doctor had a go at me a few weeks ago, and 2 of my fellow nurses(male) were standing in back of me should I need them. Ha, it was pretty sweet in retrospect-like they were my protectors. Didn't end up needing them, I handled the situation. But it was good to know they were there!

[ebear, BSN, RN]

TiredMD,

No, I don't believe that it's the same in nursing; often, quite the opposite is true. New people may have many more years experience and with higher credentials than their co-workers. The others nurses may feel threatened by this fact. In my case, once my former co-workers found that I had over 25 yrs. O.R. experience and had been certified in O.R. nursing for 20 of those 25 yrs., the mobbing started. I had only been at the facility for 3 weeks. They knew they could not shoot me a line of BS regarding O.R. standards and procedures, I suppose, so they made my life hell!

[IMustBeCrazy]

Actually Im fairly tough also. believe it or not. But really a lot of that biting goes around me to elsewhere. And I agree there are a lot of coworkers who really dont want to cross my path outside in real life.

But I no longer defend the weak. By defending the weak you are doing them a disservice. You always defend them, how will they grow and learn to defend themselves.

I am quite good at defending myself and I also can easily leave work at work. But I expect those that are wizened and experienced to show good leadership and be a good example by stepping in when things get ridiculous and simply say "no". That is the definition of being a well-functioning team. There is no "I" in team.

The easy way out is to do nothing. That coworker is obviously already overwhelmed, what does that teach that person about integrity and backing their coworkers in the future? Some may say doing nothing is therapeutic or teaches a lesson, I say it's BS and cowardly.

The fastest way for evil to prevail is for good people to do NOTHING.

[CHATSDALE]

first job after nursing graduation [second career] i was like 10 years older than the experienced nurses..there were two on the evening shift an rn and a lpn who were good friends and bullies from their first breath

they prided themselves on whom they could make quit or react to their tauts

i survived with less injuries because one of the rns gave up and quit and another lpn requested a transfer to another floor

after that the head nurse could see that she was losing too many people d/t the games these two were playing

finally ones husband got transferred and the other quit when she looked around and she was all alone

if you see this going on, give some support to one being bullied..invite them into conversations, give assistance, ACCEPT ASSISTANCE, sometimes we can do things better alone but part of our jobs is to create nurses

[Ms Kylee]

Oh yeah... I've seen one nurse go after all of those who were not BSN's (she thinks those without a BSN are "beneath" her.) Her favorite targets seem to be the NA's though. She pulled crap on me twice. I let her get away with it once before I put her in her place. Fortunately, I don't have to work with her that often.

[Nurse_RaRa]

Hi weak,

I agree with the others - just find a better place. Easier said than done if you have a family or ties to the area. I moved and I love the new place/hospital. All the staff are not like that at all. I know you wrote first in February but all of need to see this learn how to never let it happen in OUR corner of the world. thanks for writing.

PS. all my fellow nursing students promised ourselves to never propagate the "Nurses eat their young" idea. We all were new and inexperienced once. Being encouraging and supportive of new grads/new people is the only way to make you and your employer very happy.

[bmh-lpn]

I have seen this in Nursing as well as in other jobs and professions. I have experienced before. Best to get out.

boneta

[Nurseynurseyme]

Consider selective hearing then. I only hear what I want. Like when all 7 of my children wanted money or cars or whatever. I didnt hear a thing. Works wondrously.

But by failing to empower the alledged mobsters. In other words you dont give them the opportunity to mobber you. You dont give them an opening to attack you.

At work, I dont talk about beliefs, I dont talk about coworkers, I dont talk about anything, well maybe I do talk about Golf. I go to work. I turn a deaf ear to gossip and hearsay. Thus I dont open myself to mobbery Thats my humour.

I work, I go to the club, I go home. Then I go golfing, life is simple. Kind of reminds me of GWB, very simple.

I'm afraid your advice to ignore it and it will go away does not work.

I was mobbed as a new nurse and I didn't know what was going on. This represents a change in career to me and I was pretty focused upon not making a mistake and in my own world. I figured out later that my supervisor and two preceptors conspired to rout me.

I had no idea what was going on, so I couldn't be said to be trying to fight it. Still, the Dept head let me go but wouldn't show me any of her supposed evidence, she just made vague comments. I was just blindsided; there was one preceptor who had submitted preceptor reports that said I was doing great, but they did not evidently support the agenda and so were disregarded.

So, in my case, ignoring it did not make it go away. I did not fight back.

Now, looking back, I would document incidents I had witnessed and amass my own evidence until I could transfer away from that poisonous unit.

Since then, that Department head was asked to resign and is gone, but I work at another facility where I am supported and told what a great job I'm doing.

I think refusing to participate might work in minor skirmishes, but if it's a major concerted effort, you must take steps to defend yourself, and you must get away from that environment as soon as humanly possible for your own good.

[Nurseynurseyme]

Hi weak,

I agree with the others - just find a better place. Easier said than done if you have a family or ties to the area. I moved and I love the new place/hospital. All the staff are not like that at all. I know you wrote first in February but all of need to see this learn how to never let it happen in OUR corner of the world. thanks for writing.

PS. all my fellow nursing students promised ourselves to never propagate the "Nurses eat their young" idea. We all were new and inexperienced once. Being encouraging and supportive of new grads/new people is the only way to make you and your employer very happy.

I think it's a good idea for nursing students to talk about this issue and to make a pact to be kind to novice nurses and support those who will be paying for your social security when you retire (grin) BUT sometimes units are so highly politicized that people you went to school with are not brave enough to stand up and defend you.

Nurses from my class, in an effort to not trust the wrong nurse with their questions and insecurity, have decided to ask the bulk of their questions to each other, rather than an existing floor nurse. This way they are assured that it won't be gossiped about that they don't know what they are doing or things of that nature.

There are grads from our class all over that facility in all shifts. So they keep their insecurities "in the family".

I think that is a good tactic! Thought I'd spread it around...