Eaten Alive in the ED

Emergent, RN · Jul 8, 2016

Wow! It sounds extremely toxic! Sometimes a department becomes dominated be a clique of bullies, and is irredeemable. Frankly, from your description, this sounds like such a snakepit.

emtpbill, ASN, RN, EMT-P · Jul 8, 2016

If someone leaned over my shoulder while I was sticking a patient my next comment would have been " how bout I put a 14 gauge in your forehead vein"!

AutumnApple · Jul 8, 2016

Am I reading this right? They were this way with you from the second you came through the door? No disagreements or incidents that acted as a catalyst to you being targeted like this?

What disturbs me is, they have forgotten their place. I dealt with my fair share of 'naaaah naa, we are the in crowd and you aaare noooot' types. They are easily to manage. Ignoring is like garlic, a little goes a long way. Ignore it, be indifferent to joining said 'in crowd' and they are powerless.

But they are taking their desire to rub your face in it to an extreme. The event where they didn't help the travel nurse was simply unacceptable. They placed their desire to make another 'you are not one of us' displays ahead of that patient's needs and safety.

I say they have forgotten their place because it seems they've forgotten they are nurses.

You are in a situation where patient and Co worker safety is being compromised in favor of social maneuvering. I wouldn't take this lightly.

Document, file incident reports and yes......at the risk of upsetting the 'in crowd' make someone of authority aware of how far they are taking things.

I understand the fear of being ostracized by 'the in crowd' is hard to get past but, they already are so what do you have to lose? If you at least make administration aware, you can maybe avoid a major incident where someone is hurt because of their social grandstanding. And something will eventually happen, because they have forgotten they are nurses.

Wile E Coyote, ASN, RN · Jul 8, 2016

I'd guess that nearly all of us have encountered a toxic person or two. A few strong personalities can set the culture of the whole unit, be it for the positive OR the negative. Either you're being tested to see how you handle being pushed, or that's just the overall culture. If the place is rotten from the top down, any concerns you bring to your manager will paint YOU as weak or a complainer. What I would do is give careful 'push back' not by meeting negativity with negativity, but push back nonetheless. Ignore what you can, but absolutely speak up for yourself when necessary (use facts, be dispassionate, etc.). Expect the heat on you to be turned up initially, but keep at it a month or so then reassess. Find and employ allies (maybe the manager is actually a good resource).

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2016

If a nurse repeatedly criticized me for not being able to start an IV, I'd probably respond, "No, I couldn't start it. Do you want to make yourself useful and help me?"

Marisette, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2016

This souds like a toxic work place. I would suggest you start looking for another employer if possible. I think Toxic work areas are created from the top down so I don't know if going to management is going to work here. Sometimes the leadership in the area is weak, and coworkers with long term employment set the rules of conduct for an area. There may be poor communication between management and employees, few meetings and discussion regarding the expectations within the department. Everyone does their own thing without respect for others.

Other times there is the opposite effect in regards to management being too aggressive and setting an atmosphere of competition in the work enviroment. There tends to be a fear of punishment or "write ups" in the department. Coworkers may be critical and not pitch in to help. Either way, it's a no win situation. I hope you find a better enviroment to work in.

amzyRN · Jul 9, 2016

I second the idea of finding another job. I can understand one or two people being rude and unhelpful, but to have most of your coworkers like that is alarming. It is not the norm. In my ER, you have help when you need it and not snide comments like that.

Buyer beware, BSN · Jul 9, 2016

Wow! It sounds extremely toxic! Sometimes a department becomes dominated be a clique of bullies, and is irredeemable. Frankly, from your description, this sounds like such a snakepit.

OP: May I ask, what city do you work in?

Let me preface this by saying that I am by nature a friendly, considerate, helpful person. But this kind of overt surly lord of the flies behavior is not really that unusual in some areas of the country; especially inner cities.

I've seen it and experienced it before and have reacted to it by being the strongest most competent practitioner of the knife and gun club that I could be.

In other words, if you're going to treat me like anything other than a valued colleague, stand clear, I don't need your help. In fact, skip the pecking order routine all together.

I believe the expression is: no man is an island; but to have to kow- tow to a bunch of suckas is beyond the pale. The hospital expression "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger" is true. In your case I do understand the human need to be accepted. That's normal. But some people play on that need to exert undue dominating negative influence. Shame on them.

To this day, if someone wants to help me in a tough situation, that's great. But I also afford them the option to go jump in a lake if necessary. Why? Because the school of hard-knocks is the best instructor yet and has trained me well. Amen.

DawnJ · Jul 10, 2016

If a nurse repeatedly criticized me for not being able to start an IV, I'd probably respond, "No, I couldn't start it. Do you want to make yourself useful and help me?"

I can hear the response...."No, you need to learn how to do it"

gonzo1, ASN, RN · Jul 10, 2016

Occasionally you will come across a place like this. I have. If you don't want to go looking for another job try to ignore the click and go about your business. What I have discovered is that nurses come and nurses go. I don't know how long you have worked here but if it's a level 1 trauma center it is probably a pretty big place with a pretty big turnover.

It won't be long before some of these nurses leave by going to new places or new units. One way to combat this is to make sure that you welcome every new nurse to the unit and are helpful to them. Eventually you will have a ton of new friends. Also, as new people start the "crew" will find another target to harass. Can you work on different days when these jerks don't work?

And I have seen lots of places do this to travel nurses.

Buyer beware, BSN · Jul 10, 2016

If a nurse repeatedly criticized me for not being able to start an IV, I'd probably respond, "No, I couldn't start it. Do you want to make yourself useful and help me?"

And the responce to that question will always be a tacit "No not really" as they go skipping by.

There's two things I would like to have done to help ameliorate this situation:

1. Retroactively give that nurse a big fat "F" in Collegiality 101 or,

2. Make them even take Collegeality 101.

I can hear it now: "what's the answer to question 6?"

When a fellow nurse is having a hard time starting an IV on an obese, edematous, IV substance abuser and asks for your help in doing so you respond:

A. No can do, too busy playing "Candy Crush."

B. Sorry, I'm a dedicated trauma nurse.

C. I'd gladly help you Tuesday for a hamberger

today.

D. This is my first job and although we talked about

IV Insertion in nursing school, I've never really

done one. Only on the dummies. But I'm good

with care plans if that would help.

E. Any lame passive-aggressive responce

here___________.