Eating our young and more...

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I am attempting to put together some of the scary situations I have experienced in my nursing career. Not the patient scary things but the nurse on nurse issues. The drama, the back stabbing, the blame game. I have a list of them including a nurse manager fabricating a med error (determined unfounded by the state because I had excellent documentation) in order to be able to fire me the day after I refused to increase my patient load when I was running my butt off (1 doctor had just completely re-written all the orders on like 3 of my patients, while several nurses sat reading magazines at the nurses station.) I have been blacklisted from school nurse jobs after I brought documentation to the superintendent that having a teacher's aide suction and tube feed a student is basically practicing nursing without a license (I was informed about a week later that my contract would not be renewed) and most recently I reported an issue to the state (about injury to a patient when someone else didn't do their job) and when the state investigator came the incident had somehow been blamed on me (0nce again my documentation saved me when I had the email I had sent to my supervisor about the incident and she confirmed that the other person had dropped the ball).

So I guess what I am saying is has anyone else had issues? Back stabbing, scapegoating, or just down-right unprofessional treatment? I am to the point where I don't want to be a nurse because I am afraid I can't trust anyone to be honest and professional. What does everyone or anyone think?

Specializes in ER.

Ok, just put two and two together. I figured out what NETY means! :up:

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Specializes in PICU.

Then I'm not understanding the focus on nurses eating their young, especially with you having 15 years of experience. That puts you in the experienced category, not new nurse category so is there something I'm missing? Is this a new problem or 15 years of problems? Neither can be attributed to a burst of accusing nurses as eating their young. A specific unit or hospital?

Even if you perceive it to be true, that is your perception and a generalization that can be as hurtful to nursing as people starting threads on it. It's throwing everyone deemed older or experienced (both categories that you now say you fall into) as the same. I'm not saying don't stand up for yourself but that's not what this thread is about.

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Bad behavior, backstabbing NETY (

If a facility has a no fault /reprecussion statement for nurses who report what they should, then that needs to be upheld. It starts at the top and works its way down. Directors and managers need to have no tolerance for patient abuses, for activities that could cause patient harm.

On a slightly different note, if a manager hires a nurse to work specific shifts, GET IT IN WRITING. Otherwise, unfortunetely, one doesn't have a leg to stand on. And usually (not always, but usually) if you are in an probationary period (which in most facilities is the only time that a nurse is usually not covered by the union) know that a manager can let you go for any reason they would like to--or no reason at all.

Nurses become engrained in a negitive culture because the unit powers that be are not changing the culture. As other nurses, we do not have the authority to do a thing about any nurse displaying bad behavior.

All in all, I think there are 2 different subjects here--nurses who are not professional in conduct, vs, reportable events that are mandated that we report and the backlash from that.

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Specializes in PICU.

So that nurse in your situation was not appropriate to teach. Either for you or maybe for anyone. Maybe she was sick of new or younger nurses saying that the older nurses were eating them up. Can you imagine hearing that over and over when you are trying to teach? Not trying to be argumentative here, really. You had a bad experience. But playing Devil's Advocate. Did this situation, a bad orientation, turn into a generalization that the older nurses eat their young? Or can you look at it or other situations as individual incidences?

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

If your OP is really on the money, then it was probably in your best interest to lose the job. After all, do you really want to work in that environment, and would you ever really trust management?

However, if this happens over and over, then you might want to look at yourself and your behavior.

Many (if not most) states are right to work. This means that they can fire you, or change your work schedule and there is very little that you can do about it. As far as verbal promises about wet hours by the old manager, unless a contract for the hours were written, the new manager ( or old one) can change those at any time, to accommodate the jobs needs. I suspect that any other senior staff that did not get special treatment, with regards to a set schedule, probably were not happy.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
What ever happened to holding others accountable?

Ever seen the "silence kills" video at work? Everyone only worries about their business without challenging anyone else and well, silence kills patients, ideas, communication, etc.

I HOLD people accountable.

My point is, there's a huge difference in delivery of holding people accountable, and you can do that by keeping YOUR practice intact.

Just because I don't propose a cavalier attitude in reporting doesn't mean when it hits the fan I'm not the first one to report it, or when something needs to be reported, I don't get involved.

WE don't have the whole story; the OP's reporting is SO one sided that who KNOWS what really happened?

What I know is based on the OP's posts, there is a pattern of behavior that has gotten themselves "blacklisted"; when a) they may have not b) may have due to their "reporting" and documentation that per the OP was stellar and was STILL unfounded, and c) despite those things, they are quick to state NETY, when they may have been "off the mark"; if the OP was right in going to the board, and they can't get a job because they are blacklisted, then the OP needs to locate her number and call a lawyer; STILL not NETY.

My other point is STOP using NETY as a reason; and if someone ingrains NETY in you, of course one is going go around with a chip and think "NETY, NETY NETY!!!!" When the person that indoctrinated it has produced subjective information which was the opposite.

Unprofessional behavior is not NETY.

People that have their own quirks and negative outlooks and may lash out because of stress is NOT NETY.

Someone ignoring someone is not NETY; see unprofessional behavior above.

Let's call unprofessional behavior what it is and have a funeral for NETY...PLEASE.

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NETY will never die.

Lazy cliches that allow people to avoid taking personal responsibility never do.

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...we all would comment about how hard nursing could be because it is a basically a female dominated professions and when you put a bunch of us together, there's bound to be some drama...

I think this should be the topic of your next research paper. (*giggles mischievously*)

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Everyone is really getting stuck on this NETY thing. The title of the post also says "and more." I was looking for other examples of nurses treating nurses badly...not just NETY...I have been a nurse for 15 years and not claiming NETY...Again...I was not looking for anyone to fix or evaluate my previous problems...I was just giving them as examples of nurses being treated unfairly, often by administration and often by other nurses...I was just looking for some experiences that others have had and this has turned into a frenzy over the NETY topic being brought up...NETY is just one example of nurses treating nurses badly...the same can be said for the new nurse who comes in "knowing it all" and giving the experienced nurses attitude or complaining over not being spoon fed their orientation...My gosh...I was just giving some examples but this has turned into a freak out over what must be a very touchy subject for some...I was not trying to equate any of my issues to NETY...again...just giving some different examples of nursing being treated badly or serving as the "scapegoats." You can't tell me everyone out there has never been the scapegoat for a higher up issue or been on the receiving end of someone's vengeance or unprofessional behavior?

I know that most states are at will and can fire you for any reason...which makes it more of a slap in the face when someone fabricates a reason the messes with my license. All she had to say was we don't click, you can't fill our needs, or it's just not working out...instead we had to play a game with a med error that was determined to have not happened anyway. It was just stupid. And often there is administration who will throw it at the nurse to cover their own butt. I have a friend who literally had his license threatened by his supervisor. When attempting to discuss problems with care, she actually told him that he should "not worry about that and start worrying about his license." It is just such a shame that as nurses, many have gotten to the point that they must keep their heads down and not speak up, or constantly worry about covering their butt. Really I was just looking for some stories and this has turned into a bashing match. Everyone is so busy being offended that they are not getting the original reason for the posting. Maybe I should use the suggestion of BrandonLPN and do some research on the drama that ensues when you put a bunch of women together in the workplace. I don't know if he was serious or not, but I be the guys can affirm there is much less drama among the guys.

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Re: the whole female dominated profession = more drama thing...

My experiences may or may not coincide with that theory. Someone else will have a different experience. This is why real research can't be based on anecdotes.

All of the subjects you seem to want to focus on seem based on what you perceived happened to you. Not a good basis to start from.

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I've got a story for you. I was the only LPN in an office with MA's and one RN (the RN worked directly with the doctor, the MA's did intake and vitals, and I was to help the NP and PA with the allergy clinic). The senior MA was so horrible to me that I quit my job. She bullied me, no other way around it. I'd had 5 years' experience and the MA treated me like I was in nursing school. We were changing out the suction containers in the rooms and she dragged me to the biohazard room to show me how to tape the box. When I told her that I already knew how to (my previous employers all used the same sharps disposal company), she rolled her eyes at me and said "I don't care, you need to do it MY way." When I did it "her" way without having to be told, she huffed and stomped off. I was in the middle of performing an allergy skin test and she barged into the room and demanded that I stop what I was doing because she had two patients to bring back and my skin test wasn't as important. I told her I couldn't stop in the middle and she told the manager that I refused to help her out. The manager told the NP to finish the test so I could help the MA (MA didn't tell him that she only had two pts, and in the time it took her to do all this she easily could have had both brought back by herself). MA was supposed to open each day and stock each room with supplies and instruments; I was to close each room at night and load and run the auto clave. MA yelled at me for not stocking three of the rooms in the morning when I got in; she did "her" three rooms but refused to do "my" three rooms. She told the doctor who used those rooms that I refused to stock them for him and to blame me for any missing supplies. When I reminded her that she gets to work an hour before I do so she can open and stock all the rooms, she said those three weren't her job. I was bringing a pt back and knew by looking at the schedule that pt had sinus issues, so I put pt in a room with the working scope so the doc could use the scope. In order to do this, I had to skip room 5 and go straight to room 6. MA yelled at me in the hall, in front of the pt, that pt must go in room 5. I replied that pt would need the scope and needed room 6 because room 5 wasn't working. MA continued to yell that I couldn't skip the room. It got so loud that the doc had to come in the hall and tell MA that I was right; MA stomped off to complain to the manager. I got fed up and told MA that I wasn't hired to be another MA, I was hired to create a new position and help run the allergy clinic. She said it didn't matter because we all work for the same company. The manager knew about all this but didn't do anything, he thought that adults should be able to work their differences out between themselves. I worked there less than 3 months.

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Maybe I should use themsuggestion of BrandonLPN and do some research on the drama that ensues when you put a bunch of women together in the workplace. I don't know if he was serious or not, but I be the guys can affirm there is much less drama among the guys.

No, I was being facetious.

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