Inappropriate Conversations in the Workplace

Nurses General Nursing

Published

While working in the emergency room, I have endured many conversations that range from issues in today's news to political standpoints. I keep my mouth shut for the most part and take care of the assignment at hand, the patient.

Today, however, my feathers were ruffled and I had to take a bathroom break to prevent a heated outburst. The conversation at hand was dealing with racism and police shootings that end with there not being any justice for the victim. The nurses and nurse practitioner was literally making fun of a particular situation that vexed me to no end. Mind you, this is the emergency room with multiple patients.

I've never engaged or actively participated in these conversations. My question is, do I go to the director about this or turn the other cheek?

ETA: Multiple patients were complaining about not having any updates about placement etc... while this could have been done while the "conversation" was ongoing.

In my experience, it rarely helps to escalate for something like this, because it becomes a "he said, she said" situation and then you'll get the "perception is reality..." lecture, and the net result will be you will be seen as a tittle-tattle, no matter how in the right you felt you were.

If you can, I would confront it directly, but politely. "Hey guys - I couldn't help but overhear your conversation; its likely the patients can too. Any chance we can leave it for the break-room?" or "Hey folks - I'm finding this conversation a bit offensive....can we just focus on the patients for now?". Will you ruffle some feathers? Ummm - probably, but generally after a few days things settle down.

She said the topic was police brutality.

I think I know where the OP is getting at

Foe example:

Let us just say the staff were on the side of the police.

What if the majority of patients that the ED serves were in fact black?

What if they had heard what the ED staff were saying,and somehow felt the ED staff thought that way about all black people?

Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

Don't sacrifice yourself and open yourself up to all kinds of coworker misery. Turn the other cheek.

These kinds of things can sound very unprofessional, but save your energy because you are not going to change them and in the end it will not be worth it for you. Just don't be like them.

Now if there was serious (vs passive) neglect that would be a different situation, and you would need to do something. Pick your battles!

She said the topic was police brutality.

I think I know where the OP is getting at

Foe example:

Let us just say the staff were on the side of the police.

What if the majority of patients that the ED serves were in fact black?

What if they had heard what the ED staff were saying,and somehow felt the ED staff thought that way about all black people?

YEP!!!

Those are two hot button issues in our ER. First, the cop thing. Some ER nurses feel the need to bow down in front of the Police no matter how stupid their request / attempted orders are. Police will often dump patients inappropriately in an ER just because they don't want to deal with them. The drunk guy that beat his wife should be in a jail cell and not an ER. Simple intoxication is not an emergent medical condition. The guy they bring in who they say "needs committed" but are unwilling to 302 on their own and expect ER staff to do based on their third party accounts is also another sore spot. If these patients don't ask for treatment in our ER I summarily let them go causing great angst and sometimes heated arguments with the Cops. I don't really care as I'm not there to do police work or make their lives easier. Not every nurse feels that way and some basically genuflect in front of the police and do whatever they say.

The race card is always a hot issue and nothing brings it to the forefront faster than the realities of black folks getting shot and beat at a rate far higher than whites. Personally I believe their is a ton of police brutality out there committed by way too many bad cops. However, that's my personal opinion and I never, ever bring it up at work because this conversation never goes anyplace good nor does it help any patients in my experience

So in a way you feel I should censor my self to make YOU comfortable? In a word. NO

Specializes in Non-Oncology Infusion currently.

With the current events and everyone being SO polarized and offended about EVERY little thing.......you never know when you will stumble upon a controversial topic. I work in a small infusion area....the patients will have discussions among themselves and attempt to "draw" you into the convo. I say NOTHING or if asked, I politely say, "I don't discuss politics at work". Usually the convo stops, but if not, that's okay too, I just DO NOT engage!!!

Fly under the radar.

Specializes in Peds Critical Care, Dialysis, General.
Your father must've been from the South? Sounds like my grandma. The advice is invaluable. I will take it. Thank you.

He certainly was! His parents were Southern, as well. They didn't have a much in the way of formal education, but they could read, write, and reason. They passed that on down.

Specializes in SICU.

In a utopian world, no- we should probably not be talking about those things at work. But in the real world, we all have our human moments. Forgive others for theirs, and hope you'll be forgiven when the time comes that you find you "slipped" and said something a little human, aka voiced an opinion with the people you work with everyday (your 2nd family, whether you like it or not). I personally can't stand working with people who sit on such high horses. What are you going to do when your patient says something completely inappropriate? Judge and act like you're giving the same care while you know in fact you care a little less? Or realize they are doing the best they can, laugh, and love them anyway? Practice with your co-workers.

The people I work with are in no way my second family or even my friends. They are just the people I work with.

1 Votes

If "Political topics" are the inappropriate conversations in your workplace, consider yourself lucky. I have had to deal with the most foul language and a step by step guide to oral sex! The thing about nights is that so much can be hidden from management. I learned to just ignore it as long as patient care wasn't affected.

1 Votes
Specializes in IMC, school nursing.

Today, however, my feathers were ruffled and I had to take a bathroom break to prevent a heated outburst.

Didn't that take you away from patient care? Weren't you avoiding patient care when you hung at the desk and listened to the conversation. Sometimes it is really easy to label what others are doing and difficult to see our own shortcomings. I would recommend you engage civilly in such discussions, it widens your perspective. I am conservative, but I would not want only that mindset in our world, it would be too harsh. I also don't want an overly permissive society, as that is how Rome and Greece fell. I apologize for the next statement, but you need to hear it, as well as a lot of our society. Stop being offended and do your job.

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