Backbiting

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Specializes in Med surg,.

I have read many posts on here about back biting, cattiness, and bad mouthing nurses. How do you stop this. It is insane on the floor I work on. I hate, absolutely hate to hear a nurse tell me........."I hate following so and so because of blah blah blah. Or I hate giving report to so and so because she blah blah blah." It turns me off. We work in a hospital, it is a 24 hour operation, if things dont get done on one shift they are passed on. I have come in many times and had to finish the prior nurse's job. I never think badly of that nurse, I just think she was very busy and couldnt get to it. The things that really get to me are if someone does something wrong, why are you telling the whole floor and not the person that did it. Maybe the person in question didnt realize he/she did something wrong.

I was in the miliatary and then I worked at another job for many many years before becoming a nurse, and I think nursing is the most backbiting catty job I have ever done. In my previous job I was a supervisor, made a lot less but I 'm to the point that I wish I would still be doing that. AND it's not just the women, it is the men TOO!! At the next staff meeting I just want to say to everyone, FOR heaven sakes we are not in highschool please grow up and stop all this back biting. Its crazy. We are all here for the same thing............ To help our patients heal. If the person before you overlooked a Mag, hang it shut your mouth and do your job. If the person you're giving report to keeps asking questions, answer them and do your job, if the person before you missed a foley. empty the damn thing and do your job!!! Stop the damn complaining and back biting. We're all human, we all miss something, we all make mistakes. We all have discharges, we all have new admissions............We all have residents that keep writing and rewriting orders JUST DO YOUR JOB!!!

:nurse:Thanks for letting me vent. I feel better now.

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AMEN!

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Yes your last line says it all, just vent and feel better. I figure the nurses who are backbiting are also just venting and let it go at that. The thousand of times I've had nurses vent to me about a co-worker then at the end of shift I see them giggling and walking out the door together! Let them vent, let it go.

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I totally disagree with the previous post. Venting IS gossip. Nursing is an incredibly unprofessional "profession."

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Specializes in CCU MICU Rapid Response.

Snowboardergirl, If a frustrated nurse is not to vent...what is she to do then??? Choke her coworkers and tell off her patients?? C''mon. The OP has a valid point, and is entitled to vent. Ivanna:twocents:

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Specializes in ED.

Venting is a must! However, there's quite a difference between venting and talking behind someones back. Not having the guts and/or decency to talk with someone face to face, and instead turning around and badmouthing that person behind their back is not venting and shouldn't be disguised as such. At that point its petty and rude.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

I can agree and disagree with you. There are people I honestly HATE getting report from. This is not a secret. It is not because they forgot to hang the 1800 antibiotic once. It is because they forgot to hang it, scan the order to pharmacy, make sure the EKG was placed stat and that the doctor was called with results, that the patient has signed the consent for his 1930 surgery when I come on at 1900 everyday.

If you are that busy you cant meet the minimum requirements and standards of your job, you stay late until they are finished. Because I'm competent and get my work done does not mean you're allowed to dump whatever you didn't feel like doing on me when you have only had 2-3 patients all day and I have 5 starting.

Additionally, if someone makes a BIG mistake, I let people know about the mistake, we are allowed to learn from others mistakes so we are not destined to repeat them. I do not let them know who made the mistake, as that wouldn't benefit anyone, and I always tell the person that made it, so they too are aware.

Flame me if you want.

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Specializes in ED. ICU, PICU, infection prevention, aeromedical e.

If you don't like hearing the complaints, it is pretty easy to stop being a listener.

Ask the complainer what he/she has done to correct the problem. It points out that telling you doesn't help the other person grow.

Don't add to the complaint (not that you do, but even agreeing and looking like you are listening validates the complainer).

Compliment the person that they are complaining about during the rant. "oh, I have always found her to be so good about....." That usually stops the rant quickly.

I do have problems with other nurses at times. I try to bring it to there attention. But if I pointed out every little thing I didn't like, I would be murdered! lol. I choose my battles and try to let the small things go..... not that it always works.

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Specializes in Med surg,.

It's all fine and well to have complaints and acknowledge that someone has done something wrong. I'm talking about the type of person that constantly finds fault with his/her peers and does nothing but talk behind their back. I respect the person that has the balls to tell me my mistakes. I dont respect people that constantly find fault with others. That constantly goes to management for stupid petty things and constantly tells his/her peers how bad other employees are.

I can relate to getting poor reports and believe me the other day I came in, had 3 patients going places, none of the pre-op paperwork done and only two consents signed. And I started that day with 6 patients which is the usual ratio for day nurses on our floor.

My mantra is, if I dont have the balls to tell the person that did it, then keep my mouth shut. I'm not going to go whinning and belly aching, back biting about that nurse. I dont know the night she had or the night the 3-ll shift had. If its a habitual thing then I will say something to the face of the nurse and hopefully get somewhere. If it happens out of the blue I'm not going to go to my peers and say oh she was just horrible. et

We seem to have a couple nurses and cna's on our floor that go looking for things that are wrong. I pity the nurses that have give report to them. If those type would spend more time doing their job and less time looking for others errors, they would be much further ahead in the game. I wish I had the time to go looking for mistakes, but if I did have time I would be spending it doing something else. LOL Like actually taking time to sit with my patients and chat.

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Specializes in Med surg,.

I do have problems with other nurses at times. I try to bring it to there attention. But if I pointed out every little thing I didn't like, I would be murdered! lol. I choose my battles and try to let the small things go..... not that it always works.

I totally agree!!! LOL choose your battles wisely. I like your advise "what did you do' ect. I'm gonna use it next time.

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I too have read on these boards many times about the cattiness of nursing in general. I'm certain this type of behavior occurs in every hospital and on every unit but I will say with absolute certainty that I never hear it. Do you want to know why? Because never in my past have I ever given someone else the opportunity to talk about another coworker in my presence. I'm well respected and liked and everyone knows that I will not tolerate it. I sometimes find a few nurses or techs just working near me because they know that around me it is a work-only zone. An "island of sanity" as one of my fellow techs once said.

I'm not pointing fingers here (well maybe I am) but perhaps people are hearing the gossip because they themselves are or have dished it out in the past.

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What absolutely irritates me is when you work in a unit that has a staffing crisis, where everyone is stressed, yet the nurse after you expects you to get everything done perfectly! Sometimes I work without a nursing assistant, yet I hear the night shift always complains about this and that. You are so right! Helping eachother would reduce the stress by so much! You wouldnt be stressed at the end of your shift to remember everything. I know by the end of 12 hours.....I forget things! it is called being human.

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