Hostile Work Environment

[Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM]

I have a friend that works as an RN for a clinic. She's been there about three years and works for exceeding low pay. She loves the patient population and the schedule and it's the only reason she is still there. It's a small office with only one physician that is a division within a larger corporate organization.

The physician that she works for, is your classic, abusive physician. It's all day, every day. She comes home almost every day and calls me, crying her eyes out, about how he screams at her in front of the staff, patients, etc.

I have worked with her previously at the hospital, that is how we know each other. She is an EXCELLENT, detail oriented nurse. It was a huge loss when she decided to leave..but she had no idea of what she was walking into.

She has talked to the Nurse Manager several times about it and the HR Director...they all fully acknowledge the problem..they don't even deny what she says is true. But the response she always gets is, "Well, he is tempermental" or "that's just how he is..he isn't going to change."

She has tried to kill it with kindness, but nothing seems to help. She is with him all day long, so there is no distancing herself. She doesn't understand why the HR department doesn't do anything about it..the organization is large and she's afraid if she does something formally or with the EEOC, it can hurt her as far as future work.

She said she would be content to stay..if he would treat her like a human being. I feel so sorry for her, but I don't know what to tell her. She really, really doesn't want to leave her job.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Sometimes it takes someone completely removed from the situation--like me--to point out the intensely obvious. She needs to leave. She needs to resign, she needs to find another job, period.

The physician is not going to change, he has no reason and no incentive, bottom line. HR is feeding his lack of need to change. Makes me think of the weeping pathetic woman who says "but I love him, if I could just make him be NICE to me....". Please.

Your friend needs to pick up and GO, and that's all there is to say at this point. Continuing to stay means accepting this abuse as reasonable, and tolerable. And that's making HER look ridiculous!

[OCNRN63, RN]

If your friend can't muster up the moxie to ask for help on an anonymous MB, I doubt she'll be able to pack up and go. This is really a no brainer situation--leave.

[Guttercat, ASN, RN]

Your friend needs to find another position if she desires her sanity.

He may be temperamental, but that's not her problem to "fix." Obviously, this MD thinks enough of her to keep her employed for three years, and obviously he likes having a willing, verbal punching bag at his immediate disposal all day, every day.

How nice for him.

[DawnJ]

Has she confronted him directly about this behavior? I've found that sometimes when bullies are called out on their unacceptable behavior they will find someone else to abuse.

Something like: When you reprimand me in a loud voice in front of others, I feel you are showing a lack of respect for me as a human being and fellow professional. I feel it is undermining my ability to work effectively with you and I'm asking you to address any problems that come up discretely and privately.

From there, I'd get more pointed if I had to: Until you can speak to me in a calm, professional manner I will not interact with you. I will not tolerate shouting, it is rude and disrespectful and not in keeping with a positive, healing environment.

This reminds me of something Dr. Phil said: you teach people how to treat you.

[CWONgal]

The reason HR doesn't do anything is because he's a revenue generator....it comes down to the almighty buck. Life is too short to be miserable and to be treated poorly.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

We had a doc like that in a place where I worked. The complaints finally got him fired-- the last incident involving him screaming at me in the middle of the ICU. I guess he picked the wrong woman to mouth off to that day, because I went right to the practice risk manager, and risk managers listen to that sort of thing because they can see possible loss of money over it. That was it for him.

Even if this is a small office, if it's part of a larger corporation, the words "hostile work environment," properly applied, can work wonders. Because those are the words that get effective when they are sent to HR, the corporate risk manager AND the state accrediting agency(ies), and the feds (EEOC). I recommend it.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

The moment that I would start getting yelled at, would be the moment I would walk away. Literally turn on your heels and leave the area. I would not stand to be a verbal punching bag of a doctor who can not control themselves.

Risk managment would get a call. It is unacceptable for not only the nurse in question, but that the patients need to be a party to all of this.

Whether "he can change" or not is a non-issue. Whether one is going to continue to be treated in such a non-professional manner is the only issue.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

Worked with a physician who could say some pretty unprofessional things when he was upset. Once you put your foot down and let him know you wouldn't tolerate it he stopped. He needed reminding now and then, but learned that if he wanted good staff working with him he better get his attitude in check. Your friend needs to put her foot down or walk out that door.

[Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM]

OCNRN63, She's not a member and I was just hoping for ideas that I may not have thought of.

[Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM]

I just wanted to thank everyone for their responses. I have told her for a year to leave her job. We have all worked with horrible nurses...she would probably donate an organ herself to save a patient that needed it...those nurses are hard to find. I'm going to see if I can encourage her to leave..I have seen her slide into a horrible depression and there is no doubt in my mind that it's at the heart of it.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

The person that needs to ask for advice is the friend that's in the situation. It's up to her to do -- or not do -- something about it.