Elitism anyone?

Nurses General Nursing

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I worked with my boss today and it was really great! The problem is that she is so damn elitest! She was referring to the non-nursing staff and asked me if I ate with "those people" for lunch every day. I told her that, "yes, I do!"

Some nurses need to lose the attitude regarding non-nursing staff. I still feel a sickness in the pit of my stomach. My job is wonderful...but very clickish. Management people hang with their own. CNA's band together in their little clique. The hell with all of that! I sit in the middle of everybody and talk to whomever is there!

Some folks musta' missed that "We're all OK" preschool lesson. :chuckle

Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

Hmmm, kind of sounds like the best place to be to me. Right in the middle of them all. Just think of the wealth of information you have. :)

Specializes in Oncology, Med-Surg, ED.

My Motto is "make friends with every rung of the ladder." The CEO has no idea where the spare toilet paper is and the housekeeper can't sign my vacation request.

Jen

I worked with my boss today and it was really great! The problem is that she is so damn elitest! She was referring to the non-nursing staff and asked me if I ate with "those people" for lunch every day. I told her that, "yes, I do!"

Some nurses need to lose the attitude regarding non-nursing staff. I still feel a sickness in the pit of my stomach. My job is wonderful...but very clickish. Management people hang with their own. CNA's band together in their little clique. The hell with all of that! I sit in the middle of everybody and talk to whomever is there!

Some folks musta' missed that "We're all OK" preschool lesson. :chuckle

This actually isn't an uncommon situation. As I understand it, commissioned officers are not to hang out with the non-comms. I also know that managers are taught not to be "friends" with their employees--presumably it affects their ability to be objective, and to truly "manage" a friend (i.e., the manager may have a harder time correcting the student.). CEOs are taught not to fraternize with the employees (very understandable if you read about some of the things that have gone on in the corporate world; "Barbarians at the Gate" and Tom Wolfe's book, forgot the name of it, exemplify this--it goes on and on.

Welcome to the real world.

NurseFirst

Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.

I think there's a difference between fraternizing with employees and simply being downright rude. Sounds like the Sgt's manager has perhaps taken her role as an "upper" and exaggerated it into "uppity."

I'm sure it happens elsewhere in my hospital, but I'm glad I don't have to deal with this in my immediate work area.

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
Some nurses need to lose the attitude regarding non-nursing staff.

There's also a few nurses that need to lose the same attitude toward other nurses.

I worked with my boss today and it was really great! The problem is that she is so damn elitest! She was referring to the non-nursing staff and asked me if I ate with "those people" for lunch every day. I told her that, "yes, I do!"

Some nurses need to lose the attitude regarding non-nursing staff. I still feel a sickness in the pit of my stomach. My job is wonderful...but very clickish. Management people hang with their own. CNA's band together in their little clique. The hell with all of that! I sit in the middle of everybody and talk to whomever is there!

Some folks musta' missed that "We're all OK" preschool lesson. :chuckle

I haven't noticed it is as much of an elitist thing as it is just people with things in common usually stick together. Nurses are actually the bottom of the barrel anyway, so I don't know who your friend would be elitist toward. When we have lunch the nurses, CNA's, laundry, housekeeping, etc. would sit at one end of the dining room while the office help/administrators sat at the other. One time I was going to suggest (as a joke) that I just get my tray and go sit right in the middle of those higher ups, lol. Never got up the nerve to do it though.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

Like people tend to hang around like people. It's human nature. When I attend an inservice on day shift and go to the cafeteria, I see housekeeping eating together, the OR eating together, management etc. That doesn't bother me.

What bothers me is thinking one group is "holier than thou" and that we all aren't important memebers of the health care team. Nursing is probably one of the worst offenders, thinking that we're all that matter because we are the largest department and we have direct patient care.

My Motto is "make friends with every rung of the ladder." The CEO has no idea where the spare toilet paper is and the housekeeper can't sign my vacation request.

Jen

I love the Motto, Jen! If its OK with you, I may borrow it some time!

Specializes in Oncology, Med-Surg, ED.

You got it!

Dang. I guess my eating lunch with the house orderly last week wouldn't go over well with your boss!

Shame on you for talking to "those people"! How dare you violate the codes of intolerance and stupidity!

All of these cliques are pathetic. Just a bunch of old people reverting back to their high school days. At least we could claim youthful stupidity for acting as we did then... Sigh. At the last place I worked, things were rough but we all stuck together. We'd have huge parties and invite staff from every department.

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