Fighting Among Nurses

[Navy Nurse]

Reading the post in some of the other topics has been a real eye opener as to how we feel about nursing. We must realize that this board represents a small number of nurses and may not be indictive a all of nursing, although it is interesting to see how nurses from different areas of the country view issues. What is real interesting is the loyalty and dedication that some put into their views and are unwilling to waiver. I just wonder if they have the same approach when speaking to management or do they suddenly become "yes people" and agree with everything.

As far as the post about physicians not bickering about education, I must say you are wrong. There are M.D.'s and there are D.O.'s, both take the same exams and maybe publicly they don't air their dislikes but in private M.D.'s think they are better than D.O.'s.

Keep up the fighting. That is the way new ideas are launched.

[fergus51]

We don't have DOs at all in my province as far as I know. Just from my observation I think that we as nurses often backstab rather than support our colleagues WAY more than MDs or techs. Just look at all the insults on that other BB. (white trash, ho, eat s**t?) We are never going to get respect from anyone until we start showing it to each other. I just don't understand why nurses can't disagree about something without getting nasty.

With all the issues out there we need to accept the fact that we don't all have the same opinion and thinking about what another person says may be a learning experience for us.

[chili2641]

I have sometimes said some things on this B/B that I would like to take back. I think we all do that sometimes. I too have been a witness to infighting among the nurses. I have witnessed first hand this power tripping behavior. I have also had the privelege to work beside some great nurses. I am the first in my family to go to college. My father worked as a factory supervisor and my mother stayed home and raised her children. In high school I took two years of health occupations classes. My plan was to be a nurses aid. I wanted nothing to do with college and I loved to take care of the elderly. The experience of working as nursing assistant is what changed my mind. In nursing there is great emphasis put on individual titles. There is a clear rank and file order. Some nurses treat there assistants as less thans. That is so sad to me. It makes me get on the defensive. I have never experienced this in any other job. I have never felt the need to boast about my education in any other field. Nursing however puts me on the defensive for some reason unknown to me.

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Nursing assistant

[ensense]

The only opinion I can express is mine from personal experience. I have found that the more confident a person, whether nurse or not, then the less likely that person is to find fault with others rather than to try to help those that might be "not up to par" according to them. I have worked with both types of nurses and this holds true in the nursing field also. The more compentent and confident the nurse the less likely that nurse was to fault others. AND... this isn't the only field that has this type of behavior.Just ask anyone in management and you'll find much the same response. Sadly enough it seems to be the only way for some to feel better about themselves. To these people the best response is no response!

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katia

[JillR]

I agree with chile in the fact that I know that I have sadi things here that I would read the next day and wish I would not have said that, mostly it is that I wish I would not have said it the way I did.

I have never been a yes person, here or in reality and my current employer had the benefit of knowing this to be true since I worked here for 4 years before being hired as a RN.

In saying that, I would like to admit that there have been times that I had a very strong opinion about something and stated my opinions here, only to find that other opinions held much credibility and I needed to weigh both side of an issue more carefully.

This is the benefit that I get when coming here and the Nursing Spectrum message boards, I get to see things from other nurses perspective and I find this ability to communicate with other nurses from all over very valuable. God knows we don't have time to discuss such things at work.

This is a good topic.

Jill