Gossip Girls... (And boys)

Nurses Relations

Published

Nursing is supposed to be a profession.

That would lead one to think that nurses are professionals.

I've been on my unit for 4 months and the gossip is just ridiculous.

Just like women continue to tear each other apart, nurses (which, you guessed it> are mostly women!) tear each other down instead of build each other up.

If my coworkers are gossiping around me, and I can move, I will.

If I can't move, I zone out into my own world, and sometimes, I am sure to make a positive comment about the person that they are gossiping about.

I hate feeing like I have to shy away from my coworkers.

•Are you a gossiping nurse?

•Do you wonder what they are saying about you when you are not around? (I do...)

Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

There is a big difference between venting to each other or seeking counsel about a situation - which we all do or have done and which is a healthy thing - and talking about someone maliciously behind their back. Granted, sometimes the line can be blurry, but I feel like the distinction should be made when possible.

And no, I spend zero time worrying about what people who don't sign my paycheck say about me behind my back. There was a time in my life when I would have (and did) but at this point I don't. At all. Wasted time and energy.

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Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
There is a big difference between venting to each other or seeking counsel about a situation - which we all do or have done and which is a healthy thing - and talking about someone maliciously behind their back. Granted, sometimes the line can be blurry, but I feel like the distinction should be made when possible.

And no, I spend zero time worrying about what people who don't sign my paycheck say about me behind my back. There was a time in my life when I would have (and did) but at this point I don't. At all. Wasted time and energy.

Exactly. I think it was Wayne Dyer who said, "What you think of me is none of my business."

Once I got to the point where that made a lot of sense, I was essentially freed from carrying a lot of concerns around in my head.

Of course, sometimes I do hear something that makes me feel hurt . Yes, it bothers me, but I can let it go a bit more quickly now. I think, "Well, consider the source...." Some of those gossipers are the most miserable people, and I guess they'd spit bullets if they knew how sorry I felt for them. I want to yell, "There's MORE to life than this B-S!!!" The reason I feel sorry for them is that they are cocooned in that small mind of theirs, and they don't even know it.

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Gossip is really bad where I work. The worst part is the floor supervisor feeds it,goes around perpetuating it by interviewing staff about who said what to whom. Then tells the person who reprtedly said something that they aren't living up to one of the 5 pillars.. it makes no difference if the person said what has been claimed they said...your guilty. Peroid.

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Specializes in ICU.
Gossip is really bad where I work. The worst part is the floor supervisor feeds it,goes around perpetuating it by interviewing staff about who said what to whom. Then tells the person who reprtedly said something that they aren't living up

to one of the 5 pillars.. it makes no difference if the person said what has been claimed they said...your guilty. Peroid.

proving that it starts at the top and it won't improve.

This behavior is why physicians respect only a very few nurses.

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I gave report today to a newer nurse that included pertinent information about an error that a previous nurse had made. It was necessary in report because monitoring was required. Not five minutes later, I heard that new nurse whispering that information to a group of nurses who are known for being cliquey. The other nurses made disparaging comments about the intelligence and nursing abilities of the nurse who had made the error, who is otherwise a good, experienced nurse. The mistake was not life threatening and was made because she wasn't notified of a relevant change in the patient's condition.

But while I think the new nurse was clearly out of line for sharing nurse and patient information, I believe she was trying to find a way to bond with rest of her coworkers who are known for excluding new nurses. Like it or not, a lot of people bond through gossip and shared secrets. I think management also sets the tone of the unit. If the manager looks the other way to cliques and "mean girl" nursing, it makes a ripe environment for gossip and tearing down other nurses.

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Gossip I find is for the most part done by some one trying to look like they are better than others. Anytime I said anything negative about another nurse I immediately was sorry i said it.

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Ruby, sounds like you are most certainly a part of the problem.

It is interesting how you tried to spin it to make it seem like the non-gossiping nurses are the ones in the wrong... But I guess that's how minds like yours work.

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There is gossip in any profession. Just because nurses are professionals doesn't mean we aren't human. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying it's going to happen and it's going to happen no matter the profession.

Agreed. And it's not just women who gossip. Get over it, OP. Men gossip just as much.

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Ruby, sounds like you are most certainly a part of the problem.

It is interesting how you tried to spin it to make it seem like the non-gossiping nurses are the ones in the wrong... But I guess that's how minds like yours work.

Really, you find this interesting? She is a nurse, and a woman.

According to your OP, isn't that what you expect of us?

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Ruby and Fara are validating my post so well... While seemingly trying to be offended by the accuracy.

Catty, gossiping and unprofessional, go girls.

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Ruby and Fara are validating my post so well... While seemingly trying to be offended by the accuracy.

Catty, gossiping and unprofessional, go girls.

(And boys!!!)

Right?

Name calling is against TOS, btw. Unprofessional, indeed.

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Where exactly is the name calling?

You sure are stuck on the "boy" thing when they are included not only in the post, but the title as well.

Please, continue proving my point.

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