Disgruntled with my BSN

It sounds like you need to develop some interpersonal skills to help you successfully negotiate the politics of the workplace. It's not just enough to know the facts and to be enthusiastic -- you have to know how to establish productive work relationships with people. Only after you have established that positive relationship will you be in a position to have much influence.

How to develop those political skills? My recommendation is to keep a low profile for a while and focus on being helpful -- rather than being a leader. By being helpful to people, you earn their trust, respect, and affection. As they come to see you in a more positive way, they will be more receptive to your ideas.

I'd also suggest finding a mentor -- someone who is politically successful in your workplace. A good mentor can give you some constructive feedback on how you are perceived by others as well as some helpful tips on earning the respect and support of your coworkers. It doesn't matter how much formal education the mentor has -- you are looking for someone who can help you learn political skills -- not nursing theory and research.

Thanks for the reply--I have alot to consider. I thought being enthusiastic and helpful was a plus.

It can be a plus ... but sometimes people don't interpret our behavior the way we intend it. You may intend to appear "enthusiastic" while other people view it as "pushy" or "know-it-all" or overly confident. What you think is "being helpful" may be perceived as being trying to push other people around. etc. etc. etc.

From what your supervisor said, it sounds like you are not being perceived in the positive way you would like other people to view you. That may be the root cause of some of your problems.

Good luck.

I found myself in much the same situation as you are experiencing when I worked at a local community hospital. I don't think it is the fact that you have a BSN that is the problem. I think it is the overall feeling of the nursing community that you are working in. Change jobs. When I went to work in a large tertiary center that hired only BSNs, the atmosphere was much different than what you are describing. They wanted their RNs to participate in all kinds of different activities, make a difference and to be a part of the changes going on. We were part of committees, encouraged to get national certifications and attend conventions and a number of us held positions in national nursing associations and were encouraged to bring what we were learning to the workplace. I think you need to look for that kind of facility as well.

As for the interviewer who was an educator with the same credentials as you and commented, "don't think you are getting my job!!", I would just chalk that up to rude, unprofessional behavior. Not everyone learned their lessons when they were in school or practices them now that they are out of school. That's a choice they have to live with. You will see this kind of behavior in many mediocre practitioners because it is much harder to do things the right and ethical way and they just don't want to put out the energy to do things the right way. It's very sad because they make not only themselves, but the profession look bad.

If there is anything I've learned in all the years I've been working, it's this. . .finding a good place to work is really about working with a group of nice people. No interview can predict that you are going to end up working with nice people. That's because you never get to interact with the actual people you'll be working with at job interviews in the first place. It's the personalities of the people you work closely with each day that often make or break a job for us. It's not as common as we would think that a really good group of people that we can get along with comes together as a great team that we can enjoy working with. So, when it does happen, enjoy the ride. Until then, you just keep hope that it will happen.

Good luck, Chica Bella813. A new work environment may be a good step for you. Take the lessons learned from your recent experiences and use them to succeed in the next. Also, be sure to assess the culture of the workplace before you accept a job there. Sometimes, the culture of a workplace is the most important consideration of all -- yet so few people assess that as they are job hunting.

If you have the flexibility to change jobs, seek a culture that fits your personality well -- but understand that there will be politics (and the need for interpersonal skills) everywhere. Even great places to work have at least a little interpersonal tension and politics to navigate.