Eating Their Young

Published

Hey everyone!

I'm curious- which nursing specialty do you think has more nurses that eat their young and is more likely to have a toxic work environment? And why?

Surrounded by high snow drifts here, too. Our "front door" is a hatch cover on the cabintop that slides open and two 2-foot high companionway doors that open outward. The snow has drifted to the top of those doors, and there was snow frozen on the hatch cover so it wouldn't slide. It has taken my DH all day to get the "front door" open so that we can take the dog ashore -- his first trip ashore since it started snowing at 8pm Friday.

It's supposed to be much warmer on Wednesday and Thursday -- hopefully that will allow us to get further south.

:bag: I guess I saw "boat" and thought . . . tropics. Bad assumption.

Still, living on a boat sounds good to me. The traveling part especially . . . I'm ready.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
:bag: I guess I saw "boat" and thought . . . tropics. Bad assumption.

Still, living on a boat sounds good to me. The traveling part especially . . . I'm ready.

It is pretty great! We just lingered too long too far north! (Although I understand that the snow goes pretty far south this time.). My cousins back home all think we're crazy!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
interesting video i found earlier.

Thanks.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
I find that the special snowflakes are the yummiest. They melt in your mouth.

But not in your hand. :p

All this food talk is making me hungry!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
interesting video i found earlier.

What an angry video, what a brittle, angry person.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
What an angry video, what a brittle, angry person.

I actually found the video empowering. She should be angry... There is nothing wrong with that.. and being critiqued for expressing her anger is in the same ill-guided judgment family of "don't be such a woman" or "don't be so emotional". I personally think that the reason we do see awful acts of hatred is in part, because our emotions are stigmatized. There's still very much a war on emotions... We're in the midst of it. Where do our emotions go when they can not manifest in healthy ways? Really dark places...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Family Medicine, Tele/Cardiac, Camp.

On the other hand, I absolutely love the following video to which I'm linking. Another poster posted it in a different thread maybe about a year ago. An experienced nurse dissects the hierarchy of health care and how it can contribute to the microcosm of shaming (which she is states is reflective of society as well).

I have mentioned in many other posts that true bullying, that is intentionally mean-spirited with the hope to hurt/intimidate/humiliate someone, should not be tolerated as it is abusive and can easily adversely affect patient care.

But nurses who are butthurt that they didn't get asked to lunch, or were reprimanded when they made a medication error, or someone didn't say hi to them, or they were fired whether it was for cause or just a bad fit, or someone answered their questions abruptly because they were up to their elbows in a code, or whatever are NOT being bullied. They most likely have encountered human nature. Someone might be giving them an answer they don't like. Or maybe that person is even abrasive and a bit of a tool. That still doesn't make it bullying.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
On the other hand, I absolutely love the following video to which I'm linking. Another poster posted it in a different thread maybe about a year ago. An experienced nurse dissects the hierarchy of health care and how it can contribute to the microcosm of shaming (which she is states is reflective of society as well).

I have mentioned in many other posts that true bullying, that is intentionally mean-spirited with the hope to hurt/intimidate/humiliate someone, should not be tolerated as it is abusive and can easily adversely affect patient care.

But nurses who are butthurt that they didn't get asked to lunch, or were reprimanded when they made a medication error, or someone didn't say hi to them, or they were fired whether it was for cause or just a bad fit, or someone answered their questions abruptly because they were up to their elbows in a code, or whatever are NOT being bullied. They most likely have encountered human nature. Someone might be giving them an answer they don't like. Or maybe that person is even abrasive and a bit of a tool. That still doesn't make it bullying.

The difficulty is with all of those special snowflakes who honestly believe that not being asked to lunch, being reprimanded for a legitimate reason, someone not saying hi to them, being fired for cause or having questions answered abruptly really IS bullying.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cath/EP lab, CCU, Cardiac stepdown.

The primary reason why I have an issue with the phrase "NETY" is because we are led to believe that this phenomenon is localized with nurses. The simple and pure answer is this: there are *******s in every single profession. This generalized statement that nurses like to bully new nurses is just mind boggling. Not all nurses are bullying, heck some of that bullying might be perceived as such but really isn't. If I talk to a new nurse about a mistake it is to make sure that they don't do it again. We are in a profession where mistakes can mean a difference in living or dying. But of course someone is going to think I was bullying.

Now in the instance in which we have that one nurse that's mean and nasty for no reason, yes we have a bully. But that's just a bully. Why are we generalizing this behavior with other nurses. I've worked in offices and banks before, and I've experienced more gossip/backstabbing/rude behavior there than I have in the hospital. My point is that there are bullies in every profession, to simply generalize that nurses find the newbies to be oh so appetizing is just an insult to nurses everywhere. Bottom line: bullies suck, but is not limited to nurses.

Although I hate the phrase NETY, I do oh so love posting in them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
The primary reason why I have an issue with the phrase "NETY" is because we are led to believe that this phenomenon is localized with nurses. The simple and pure answer is this: there are ******* in every single profession. This generalized statement that nurses like to bully new nurses is just mind boggling. Not all nurses are bullying, heck some of that bullying might be perceived as such but really isn't. If I talk to a new nurse about a mistake it is to make sure that they don't do it again. We are in a profession where mistakes can mean a difference in living or dying. But of course someone is going to think I was bullying.

Now in the instance in which we have that one nurse that's mean and nasty for no reason, yes we have a bully. But that's just a bully. Why are we generalizing this behavior with other nurses. I've worked in offices and banks before, and I've experienced more gossip/backstabbing/rude behavior there than I have in the hospital. My point is that there are bullies in every profession, to simply generalize that nurses find the newbies to be oh so appetizing is just an insult to nurses everywhere. Bottom line: bullies suck, but is not limited to nurses.

Although I hate the phrase NETY, I do oh so love posting in them.

Yes, bullying is not just among nurses, that's true. It's still a despicable behaviour, and in nursing? It's hypocrisy. You cannot be nice to a patient and then turn around and be an utter ***** to a coworker... that person is a hypocrite.. Yes.. the term might be overused AT TIMES... but even here people jump to the ASSUMPTION that a bullying claim is illegitimate, and doing that is a victim blaming, which is not cool (would you do that with a patient? probably not!). There is plenty of scholarship to back this crap up... I think bullying is repressed group behaviour.. and it might not be everywhere within nursing but it's significant enough that scholars are trying to figure out a way to fight it. If you are a nurse, and a bully, sad to say, but you are a hypocrite. You are negatively effecting the health of your coworkers (like a poison) and you should seek the help you so desperately need.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice.

So - where's the popcorn?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hello darkness my old friend...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion