I would like to share with you my difficulties with dealing with gossip in the workplace. I live and work in a rural hospital. The hospital has about 100 beds or so. Most of the nursing staff know each other or are can identify each other easily.
I work in the OT. My roles include scrubbing, anaesthetics and recovery room. I also work casual shifts on the surgical ward, medical ward, ICU and ED. So I am fairly well known and have been with this hospital for about 8 years.
I have some very close nursing friends and also have a wide network of friends outside the hospital, as my wonderful husband and I are involved with the arts. We have an artshop in the main street, curate and open visual art shows, and promote music concerts at the conservatorium of music.
I am currently doing postgraduate studies in anaesthesia. I am the only nurse to do a certificate in this field for about 10 years. The anaesthesiologist of the hospital has been very excited that a nurse is interested in anaesthetics and therefore has been giving me a lot of journal articles to read, has helped organise clinical placements for me to get experience in city hospitals and always been generally encouraging and helpful.
A gossipy, lonely person that I work with has been harassing me with comments that this doctor and I have an inappropriate relationship...implying that we are having an affair. For example, silly comments like "Oh, I know what you two are doing in the anaesthetic bay together!" (while we are putting in an epidural), This started about a year ago. Because the comments were half said jokingly and totally ludicris (this doctor is 30 years older than me, also married, has 5 grown up kids and grandchildren). So, I decided to just ignore the comments and think she would let up But she hasn't..
So now it has come to light that these comments have resulted in full scale gossip across the facility and even to some people in the community. No joke, the situation is way out of hand!! I am upset that the nursing culture of this hospital is attacking the integrity of my marriage, my professional studies, and potentially ruining a great friendship I have with this doctor.
I have organised a meeting with the Director of Nursing on Monday to discuss the situation of poor nursing behaviour and attitudes in this hospital. I have a plan, and am on a mission to implement positive changes to improve the nursing culture of this hospital. I am trying to channel my anger wisely.
