Are You Being Bullied in the Classroom

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Hi guys

I had a situation in class yesterday where i was the victim of bullying by a number of other students. Briefly, they were making fun of my level of class participation. It was not in fun - it was nasty!

I have a class presentation due next week and am considering making class bullying my subject. The tutor has been advised.

So, all you students and new graduates out there, I'm doing a survey on whether you've been bullied in class and, if so, how did you deal with it?

I'm hoping that I can get my message accross to these people without having to involve the Institute and without confrontation.

I would appreciate your input. Thanks.

Specializes in ICU;CCU;Telemetry;L&D;Hospice;ER/Trauma;.

To Miss Arron:

The incidents mentioned spanned over about 15 years, and encompassed three diff. hospitals...

The current one is the incident mentioned regarding the chaplain and the lab person...

Yes...you are right...it is so toxic that even rats run away!

I stayed, and am staying because of the divorce I am now in...if I leave the job I am at, the opposing attny. gets to take more pot shots about me leaving a job to "decrease my income"....and then not pay my ex the spousal support he thinks he deserves...(not kidding you!) The rat bastard hasn't worked in five years....but believes he deserves support (vive la equality!!)...and until the State of Illinois and other interested parties get their heads out of their collective sand traps, I will have to stay put....it would be just one more thing to delay an already overdue divorce...

I get my strength from God....plain and simple....and I look to the fact that I am very proud of my nursing career...that I survived some horrendus times, and that I raised two beautiful children who are good functional people in society....( I did somethin' right!)

Thank you for your support and concern...

As soon as that ink is dry on the decree, I AM OUTTA HERE!!

The traveler nurses have already been knockin' on the door....and believe me, I will be negotiating my fees....heheheheh!

Thanks again...

ICU20

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Look up on the internet "horizontal violence". We had a guest lecturer come to talk about this just a few days ago. It happens in all fields, and nursing is one of them. It's sad that it's already happening while still in nursing school. These same folks will likely carry on this same behavior into their jobs after graduation.

The lecturer was doing her MSN research on this topic. It's where there is a work environment of harassment, abuse, emotional abuse, bullying, bellitling, etc. You get the picture, it sounds like this is happening to you. I applaud you for being proactive in addressing this in front of your class. The instructors ought to be the ones who put a stop to it.

It's never happened in our class, but I had a friend who experienced it a few years ago in this same school. A clique decided they didn't like her because she asked a lot of questions in class, which interfered with their right to get out of class early, lol. It was hard for her and she's a perfectly nice woman as well as a great nurse now.

The hospital where I do my clinicals is trying to do something about this by labelling these personalities as "low performers" on their eval's. If they refuse to change, it is supposed to end up with them being fired at some point. We'll see, with the nursing shortage who knows if admin. will back it up. Of course, they don't take into account nurse turnover and nurses not wanting to work on floors that have this kinds of toxic environment.

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Specializes in PCU/Hospice/Oncology.

Im currently being the victim of bullying in my nursing school =/

Theres this group of now 4 girls (6 prior to this term but two failed out) The rest of the class is very friendly with me, however these 4 girls are not. They constantly belittle the teachers behind thier back, and other students. Last term when they started bullying me, it was because they had gone to the AP to complain about a test they did poorly on. They did this behind our instructors back.

Of course our instructor caught wind of it, and during post conference the next day, she called them out on it, and made us all talk about the test. One by one the girls called her a bad teacher, ect. I stood up and reminded them that they signed an agreement stating that if they had a problem with a test or the instructor that there was a chain of command, and that started with HER, not the AP. I also reminded them that if they cant follow procedure in school, how can they in a future job as a nurse. I also reminded them that she gave us an outline, from which I can go back to the test and look at question for question the material SHE DID provide us with that was on the test. =/ One of the main girls in the click sucked her teeth at me and said, "Aww hell no."

I felt bad because I didnt mean to make her upset, I was just pointing out some very simple facts. I went to apologize to her after class and she actually gave me "the hand" and ignored me. She to this day along with her click has ignored me. Mind you, this woman is in her late 20's with kids.

They now all sit in the back of the class this term, and during clinical at breakfast and lunch they sit across the cafeteria from the rest of us. They always point at us and have that "we are trash talking you people" look on thier faces. Sigh.. they even do this in class. And yes, every single time I answer a question or such in class they suck thier teeth.

Just the other day we had an emergency outside my classroom. The office actually called ME in to do an assessment while i was in lecture. I went across campus, lthe ady was "dizzy" so they wanted me to take a manual BP. Turned out she was tachy, chest pain ect (classic heart attack Sx), and then went into a full tonic clonic seizure for 2 minutes.. (yes I timed it as I was desperatly trying to protect her from hitting her head. She was well over 250lb and i was on the phone with FR when she started siezing... ) Fire rescue showed up after she had gone post ictal.(Sp)

Anyways, I got back to class and a witness (a fellow classmate) told the teacher all about it in great detail and made me sound like a hero. I am shy when it comes to things like that because to me, the lady just needed help, and I knew what needed to be done. I dont think I deserved to get praised just for being able to react in an emergency when everyone else in the office was frozen with panic =/. So I turned beat red and sunk in my chair. The teacher was very impressed and commended me, and what do I hear from the back of the class? "white boy showing off again"

Takes alot to not let the bullies get to me, but I go to class every day and smile because I know im there to become a Nurse, not to worry about childish behavior. Ive come to wonder if they are just mean to me because I am a good student and actually care about my patients enough to learn everything I can to help keep them alive.

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Why are doing bullying in the classroom? Why don't you do bullying in the workplace. It seems more pertinent to the curriculum, will give your classmates valuable advice they will need, lastly, it will seem less like you are whining and will serve the same and better purposes than focusing on bullying in the classroom.

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

NO. I go to school with grown adults! I am sorry a few immature children slipped in your class.

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WOW......How sad all those "Bullying" posts were....I'm going to nursing school in the fall,and those post's just confirmed one of my fears...........I can't believe ADULTS can be so cruel..........

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Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.

No matter WHO is doing the bullying, whether it be in the classroom or on the job, they need to be thrown out by their Buster Browns. These kind of people have NO business in Healthcare, and it infuriates me to NO end that they are allowed to get away with this kind of behavior! :angryfire

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Specializes in Geriatrics, MS, ICU.

Hi there,

I also had some students try and bully me when I attended Nursing School. I have the appearance of what my friends like to say "A quiet, sweet person"...Until I open my mouth. I love people but I also have no problem telling someone where to go and giving them the directions when they look stunned by my retort! I will stand up to anyone and very rarely back down from someone trying to challenge me...Especially when they are being rude or nasty. Bring it on!

During class/clinical one day a small group of them tried that crap with me. Every time I went to speak one of them kept bantering me...challenging me...you know being REALLY-REALLY immature and rude! I finally turned around and looked at her...I never said a word...I just stared at her. She started to get so nervous...She finally yelled out directly in my face WHAT! I said without skipping a beat..."Oh, I am truly sorry. I was just stunned by your immaturity...I have never seen someone behave so childish. I do apologize for making you feel uncomfortable. I would NEVER purposely try and make someone feel uncomfortable and I would NEVER purposely be so RUDE"!

She never spoke to me again or bothered me again. She also failed out of nursing school...As a matter of fact she was kicked out for cheating and plagerism.

I just think these people have such small/pea sized brains they become over-run with jealousy. They can't have what someone else has so they try and make the person feel bad for being smart, or pretty, or having nice things. It is really pathetic...I cannot stand anyone who bully's...I don't understand why they think they can do this...What makes them so Superior. What a bunch of putz's....That is why I always use Small Words when addressing them...

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Specializes in PCU/Hospice/Oncology.

Its sad to hear that this kind of thing is SO universal in the field. I think there should be a psych test you have to pass before you are allowed to enter a nursing program. That would really help out to tell between the people who are mentally able to take care of patients responsibly and those that would be endangering their patients. Bullying people dont just stop after school. They do this at work, and might even have this attitude with thier patients!

To say that bullying is because of envy only is being narrow in our DX of the issue. I think alot of it has to do with poor outward attitudes about life, people, and relationships. I think the world is a bubbly happy place filled with beauty. I take this with everything I do. I am always smiling and have fun. This enables me to make friends easily and I get farther in life then I would have being pessimistic. The people who bully, especially the ones in my class seem to be the type that think the world OWES them something. That you can toss people aside and its your way or no way. Thats the very same attitude that will keep them at the bottom of the ladder at the work place. No one wants to promote someone who writes people off, is judgemental or irrational. They will see, things come back and you reap what you sow.

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Sorry, thedreamer, I don't see the correlation. I don't know what causes bullying behavior, but I know plenty of content jerks and loads of kind malcontents.

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Specializes in ICU;CCU;Telemetry;L&D;Hospice;ER/Trauma;.

Thedreamer,

You can take care of me ANYDAY!

What a fine nurse you are....(you are already there, in your heart and soul....your brain just needs some time to catch up!)

If only there were more of your kind of attitude out there, and none of what you and I both have had to endure...

Bless you!

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Specializes in PCU/Hospice/Oncology.

*blush* :loveya:

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