Bullying in the workplace

[nmred]

I was on the internet the other day, just checking my professional websites, and stumbled onto an article on the ASPAN website about Bullying in the workplace. Anyone else seen this? It's an article about how JAHCO will be mandating a violence in the workplace protocol. The organization must have a policy in place that ID's proper conduct and what steps will be taken to modify inappropriate behavior. All employees must sign the form.

It's about time! In the last three years I gone through three jobs because of hostile work environments. And I've been in the field 2o+ years.

The problem I have with this is you can't put it into practice. Some hospitals aren't JAHCO certified, so they don't follow policies and standards anyway. There are others who don't follow any standards when they are JAHCO certified. So what's the point?

It is estimated 48% of the medical field would be unemployed!

Any thoughts?

[gigiNaz]

Hi everyone. I am new to the forums, but not the site itself.

This particular subject interested me for several reasons, but the most pressing issue I have is sabotage using a patient.

I am currently working evening shift at an LTCF. I just started about a month ago.

At HS, I remove nitro patches from 2 residents. I have found not one, but two patches on a resident simultaneously. Now, the only explanations are, 1. I failed to remove the patch the previous night, or 2. the nurse that put it on purposely applied both of them. One is signed and dated the other is not.

I know for a fact that I remove them every single night. This nurse also has a vendetta out for the weekend staff and the night nurse (another story). Everytime I call a doctor and get new orders, she tries finding a way to prove it was unwarranted. I just say, "Well call the doctor and discuss it with him/her."

I just go about my business, document, and report off at the end of my shift. My concern is for the resident's safety.

It is dangerous and unethical to say the least.

I want to ensure the safety of all under my care, but have the added burden of discussing this with my DON.

How do I accomplish this without seeming to accuse anyone?

Thanks,

Gigi

[time4meRN]

My gosh, I'm soooo sick of JACHO, I think if we want to control medical costs we should look their direction first. Seems they come up with issues just so they can keep jobs and make themselves look like they really help. Most of us in the feild know they just get in the way. Red tape ...... red tape and more red tape.

[readytoretire]

It is ironic that I found this blog while researching a utilization project for my MSN degree. I too, have lost two jobs because of my standing up to bully's in the workplace. I am probably one of those professional targets for bullies, I am well educated, quite and very compliant with requests or demands from my employers. I am proposing an RU project to resolve workplace bullying, as I believe it is directly related to attrition of nurses from our profession and may well support the nursing shortage. I would encourage everyone who works for an employer that does not have an antibully policy in place to request permission to do a research utilization project to explore the incidence of bullying. These can be done through surveys such as NAQ (Negative Acts Questionaire) and STSS-w (Silencing the Self Workplace Survey) questionaires that directly measure such activities. Research supports that bullying exist, but little research is being done to measure responses from the industry to resolve the problem.

Many of us will have to work into our elder years to be able to retire. I personally will have to work for another 12-15 years, maybe longer. I don't want to change professions again!

[catfish1]

Hind sight is 20/20. I quit a hospital job, my first, not as an RN though, because of 2 nurses who were bullies. My preceptor dumped me after 4 weeks orientation and told the manager there was a disconnect then proceeded to ignore me. 6 weeks in and 2 days before being on my own I quit because of the hostile attitudes. How could I defend myself? I'm the new nurse and would only be treated worse if I were to complain to the manager. My preceptor, by the way, was 1 year out of school and everyone loved her. I wish now that I had dealt with these nurses one on one instead of allowing them to intimidate me into quiting a job I waited so long to get. The more I think about it, the madder I get. Lesson learned the hard way.

[readytoretire]

I would consult with my DON, after I reviewed the chart for changes in the orders. I would also document the writing on the one patch and that the other is not signed. If you have a good working relationship with the nurse that signed the patch, I would consult with her and ask what she found when she placed the patch on the patient. Is there a PRN order for an additional patch for chest pain exascerbation? My best advice is to do a thorough chart check, and use very neutral language when talking to anyone, ie, non-blaming. Perhaps the strenght being applied is 1/2 the strength ordered, thus requiring two patches rather than one.