I kept on hearing from fellow classmates that superiors and fellow nurses bully their young. Not in terms of physical bullying, but psychological. I don't understand this at all. Could someone please emphasize or provide any examples? Also, what offers them the motive to bully? Were they insecure during your youth?
I also heard that the bullying in Nursing is far more abundant than any other profession. My professors have joked that I will most likely not be bullied because I am 6'5 265 lbs and they will be intimidated. But, I don't understand this. Could someone please provide some advice on how to avoid this bullying treatment from other nurses? My entire class was talking about it, yet I had no idea about bullying within the Nursing circle until two days ago.
Random question, do Physicians get bullied around? or is that nearly impossible since their on the top of the food chain?
Think back to 7th grade mean girls, it is exactly like that. Cliques and grown adults ganging up on each other. It is absolutely true. Not sure what makes nurses so mean an miserable but I can attest I see it happen every single day. Not just to new nurses, although they get it the worst, but also to floats and agency etc.
Not saying that this isn't somewhat true, but my bully was a guy.
Yes, sadly bullying is very common in nursing. I always wondered if the fact that nursing is a female predominally profession, has something to do with it....:sofahider
Yes, sadly bullying is very common in nursing. I always wondered if the fact that nursing is a female predominally profession, has something to do with it....:sofahider
Yes, I've wondered that myself. Before entering healthcare I was in the Air Force and worked with all guys. It was a great working environment. We were a team, we had a mission, and we got the job done. There was no talking about coworkers behind their backs, their was no blaming other shifts or coworkers for stuff, etc etc. We covered each other instead of throwing people under the bus. We were professional.
Starting as a CNA in a nursing home was a whole new world for me. Suddenly I was surrounded by all these gossipy, back-stabbing women (nurses and CNAs alike). Yikes. Professionalism was largely absent. It took a while to get adjusted, but I soon learned how to keep my head down, and just get my job done. Even ended up making friends and fitting in. But it sure was an adjustment. Why are women so mean to each other sometimes?
I think the "female factor" is definitely in play here. Historically women are horrible to one another. Men aren't wired that way. You can't defend against the passive-aggressive personality and you women do it quite well. It's some kind of competitive thing among women.
I find the more letters behind their name the more worthless the nurse and more aggressive the personality.
Specializes in Post Acute, Home, Inpatient, Hospice/Pall Care.
I am sure it must. I am still in school and we are bullied by our instructors, the program director said it's the old adage "nurses eat their young". I for one can say that I will NOT be that nurse, bullying is absolutely unacceptable in my eyes! Grrr!!!
I feel that management is the sole cause of it; for if there are bullies in management, then subordinates learn the "trade" as well and then practice it because it's obviously permissible.
There is a group of nurses in management at a dept in our hospital who've been there for 20+ years; the whole department has a bad reputation. People hired on in that department leave for other areas as soon as possible.
Awhile back, a new nurse employee made some unfavorable comments about a pt(not in front of the pt) to others during report time. Word of it got to the nurse manager which was then passed to the new nurse's manager. That manager told the new nurse's supervisors: "If you don't nip this in the bud, I will crawl so far up your ---, you won't see straight." Of course no one reported this manager's poor language/verbal abuse because of fear of retaliation. It sickens me that anyone is allowed to get away with that but it's rampant in our hospital.
Yes it does and not every nurse does it but I have been bullied and left jobs over it because management will not address it. Many times its a staff member in good with management and is coming from them as well. I have had positions where it did not happen or I nipped in the bud with that person by confronting them. I go to work to take care of people not play high school games. I hated high school anyway and some women never get past it .
One of my first days working in a LTC facility as an activities aide, I asked my mom ( who was the assistant DON) if it were a job requirement for a CNA to be a witch.
I could see the bullying happen when I was in nursing school, but those same nurses never bullied me. Or if they did I have learned how to ignore it. Maybe I project the you cant bully me persona or maybe its because Im not afraid to defend my actions when needed. But yes it can and does happen.
Specializes in LTC, Disease Management, smoking Cessati.
It absolutely is true, I've experienced it at almost every job I have worked, some are worse than others but it is always there... in some form or another...
I also heard that the bullying in Nursing is far more abundant than any other profession. My professors have joked that I will most likely not be bullied because I am 6'5 265 lbs and they will be intimidated.
Size/gerth won't scare them away. We had a male nurse who was bullied by the older female nurses and nurse managers at work because he didn't fit their perspective of what a good (male) floor nurse should look/act like. He was a bigger guy, lots of tattoos... In my humble opinion, a good nurse. They simply gave him heavy patient loads with minimal support... and wrote him up behind his back for the silliest things (such as talking to other willing listeners about his other part time job... something that other nurses on our floor do very often). He eventually had to take a leave of absence and then decided to turn in his two weeks notice.
In response to people saying they drove him out, they just said, "He was a good a nurse, but he wasn't perfect." In all honesty, there's no such thing as a PERFECT nurse. We all have our flaws. It's a shame it had to happen that way.
One of the day shift charge nurses with tons of years in was also deathly jealous of another younger, pretty nurse who worked nights and was married to a doctor (had nice clothes, drove a nice car, etc.). She would give the poor nurse the heaviest, most impossible patient assignments if she was charge the day shift before... You couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor girl. Luckily the young nurse has moved onto other nursing jobs at other hospitals, but it was a shame to see her have to deal with that sort of treatment.
Yes, bullying happens on the floor, particularly to people who they don't think "fit in." The other bullying I see is from the RN staff to the LVN's/CNA's/techs. It's too bad. Everything would run so much more smoothly if people cooperated with one another and learned to maximize the differences/diversity of the floor staff.
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GM2RN
1,850 Posts
Not saying that this isn't somewhat true, but my bully was a guy.