Disappointed in nursing

Dogen · Jun 8, 2015

Before this thread goes much further, and since the word 'bully' did come up on page one, let's be clear on what bullying truly is. This article is a great start on that topic - Bully/Jerk -- It's Not the SameÃ‚*|Ã‚*Claire Wapole
Essentially, we really need to stop using that word for smaller, less significant actions.

While my post above might not suggest it, I'm totally in support of this idea. There is bullying in nursing (and in healthcare in general). The AACN, the Joint Commission, and 20 years of research supports this position. There are also simply not nice people who happen to be nurses. I'm not concerned about the latter, and trying to paint anyone we don't like as part of the problem makes the problem more difficult to tackle. Aggression in nursing is already ambiguous without making the edges even harder to see.

Anecdote time! Okay, so as I've said, I was a tele tech some years ago at a facility that still used paper charts. I tended to float around and just do whatever was necessary (half nice, half poor college student looking for hours), so I was down on the PCU helping out the unit coordinator. I was sitting at her desk, watching her teles while she broke down some charts. A lot of people, including the CNAs, broke down charts if they had time after their patient discharged, but they were backed up. Anyway, she finishes, says she's going to run to the bathroom and leaves. Right about then Nurse A walks in and asks where the chart for Patient A is,* which I happen to know was broken down because Patient A was supposed to have discharged, but apparently hadn't. Oops.

So, I say, "Oh, we were told they'd discharged, so it was broken down. Do you want me to pull it out of the stack (going to records) for you?" She says, "Who broke down my chart?" in a tone I'll describe as unfriendly. Being the nice guy I am, I dither. "It sounds like it was a miscommunication, but I can have it put back together in just a sec... do you want me to do that?" So she screams. In my face. "YOU ARE NOT BEING A TEAM PLAYER.+ WHO BROKE DOWN MY F****** CHART?" I should point out that she's about 5'3, and I'm 6'2, so when my SNS kicked in and I stood up (fight or flight, ya know) I had suddenly changed the dynamics of that situation. She took a step back, and I said, "Listen, it was a mistake, and I'm trying to help you. If I have to pick between disappointing you and having the back of the rest of the staff, I'm going to disappoint you every day of the week." So she pushed over the stack of broken down charts onto the floor and stormed out of the nurse's station. And filed an incident report that took about two weeks to clear up, claiming I'd threatened her. Luckily, she'd been so loud that pretty much everyone on the floor knew what happened.

Interestingly, according to the research she's unusual in that she was very open in her aggression, rather than being covert. But it left a strong memory.

* These clever names are, in fact, totally fictitious.

+ This is my favorite line from this story. Back in the tele room on ICU it became our go-to phrase when someone wouldn't do something we wanted them to do. Won't watch 60 monitors so I can go home early? You're not being a team player.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Jun 8, 2015

I think you meant "catty." Caddy is that guy who carries the clubs on the golf course.
Got any citations?

We all knew OP meant catty.Typo correction from a CNA is not necessary.

"Dr. Berry from the University of Cincinnati and the Robert Wood foundation have published a great deal " citation enough.

As a CNA , do you have any useful comments for the OP?

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Jun 8, 2015

I've been a med/surg nurse for three years and I can't believe how caddy and back stabbing nursing can be. I know all about nurses eating their young but this is about mentoring and support then back stabbing. Makes me want to use my degree to do something else:(.

You have 3 years in a position where you have noted these behaviors.

It's time to take your nursing experience elsewhere. NOT to give up on the profession.

Three years as an RN opens MANY doors for you.

Mavrick, BSN, RN · Jun 9, 2015

We all knew OP meant catty.Typo correction from a CNA is not necessary.
"Dr. Berry from the University of Cincinnati and the Robert Wood foundation have published a great deal " citation enough.
As a CNA , do you have any useful comments for the OP?

This was certainly uncalled for.

FlyingScot, RN · Jun 9, 2015

There is bullying in nursing (and in healthcare in general). There are also simply not nice people who happen to be nurses. I'm not concerned about the latter, and trying to paint anyone we don't like as part of the problem makes the problem more difficult to tackle. Aggression in nursing is already ambiguous without making the edges even harder to see.

THIS!!! I've been saying this over and over but you said it much more eloquently than I have ever managed to do.

Leedeedee · Jun 9, 2015

Got to say, there's juvenile high school behavior in all types of workplaces. The worst place I ever worked for it was in the financial sector, where the staff have the reputation of being tough, efficient gogetters, working long hours. Yeah right. It was mainly staffed by very silly little boys, who did as little work as possible, who were always drunk on Friday afternoons, and kept a tight clique to cover for each other and agree to blame the new girl whenever someone in the clique messed up.

The problem isn't nursing as a career, it's that individual workplaces just get taken over sometimes. Time to move on to greater things in nursing, don't let them take your career from you. DLTBGYD!

PS0812 · Jun 17, 2015

Yes, nurses can be brutal to each other. Have you considered taking your skills to something like medical case management for an insurance company? Insurance companies look to nurses to provide guidance on claims involving bodily injury. The job is autonomous and can be highly rewarding. The hours are (usually) Monday - Friday. You could use your skills in this area without all of the cattiness.

GenericUnicorn · Jun 27, 2015

I think a big part of it has to do with the sheer amount of stress med/surg nurses are under that contributes to the behavior seen. Many nights you're just trying to keep your head above water that the option to push something off on another RN (like a new admission) becomes a survival tactic, not necessarily a personal bias towards someone. I'm by no means excusing the behavior, just trying to rationalize why perfectly polite, civil human beings outside the hospital can turn gremlin once on the floor.