How much is too much? - working with hostile nurses and management

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Mar 5, 2009

They also tell me outright how I should expect nothing as a new nurse and how I should be forced to work the hours they don't want.

Well, new people should work the hours that the people with senority don't want. What's wrong with that? I've earned my time here at my workplace. As long as we all stay within our staffing guidlines then so be it.

As far as only wanting to work with their friends, well, honesly, I only want to work with my friends too! Come on, they are more helpful and we all want to have a good day at work.

As far as the hostility, try to ignore them as best as possible, but when they start stepping on your toes report it to your boss. Include only facts, not emotions or feelings. And it's always helpful to attach a copy of your facilities 'hostile work environment' policy.

If you get nowhere with your boss you can always go to your HR department.

BUT, be prepared. Now isn't the best time to rock the boat.

Straydandelion · Mar 5, 2009

Having worked in one area however where any new person on the unit got all the priviledges of seniority to the point others were shoved to the side I can see the opposite of the spectrum also. There needs to be a middle road. I would make a special effort with the "older" ones there letting them know you are more then willing to learn and also be with the team first. If I as a new person wasn't welcomed on the unit by anything but hostility and was sure it was nothing I had done, personally I would be looking to transfer. *shrugs*

grant88 · Mar 5, 2009

Thank you, I appreciate the time you took to respond. I understand that I need to pay my dues and put in my time. I'm not trying to take anything away from any senior nurse. I hardly ask for a specific day off and I don't expect holidays off ever, I just feel like the approach has often been harsh. I feel like I am pretty nice to everyone and I support the senior staff. I always offer to help if they get behind in their assignment and I often even skip breaks to make sure the senior staff gets all of theirs. I guess the reality is that I can't really say anything. Thank you.

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Mar 5, 2009

Grant, I had a senior nurse hunt for each and every little thing that I did wrong and then air it out to the entire unit. I feel for you.

I was lucky that she quit-but she quit because I kept filing compliants about her.

Like I said, they were short, specific and I had policy attached that she violated.

I used no emotions when documenting her actions.

I eventually won, she left, and I was able to prosper. It can happen.

mama_d, BSN, RN · Mar 5, 2009

I'd try to find a more supportive environment if I was you. That kind of behavior would not be tolerated on my floor. Management might let it fly, but the floor nurses sure as heck wouldn't.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Mar 5, 2009

Thank you, I appreciate the time you took to respond. I understand that I need to pay my dues and put in my time. I'm not trying to take anything away from any senior nurse. I hardly ask for a specific day off and I don't expect holidays off ever, I just feel like the approach has often been harsh. I feel like I am pretty nice to everyone and I support the senior staff. I always offer to help if they get behind in their assignment and I often even skip breaks to make sure the senior staff gets all of theirs. I guess the reality is that I can't really say anything. Thank you.

I hope things get better for you, I sure hope this doesn't happen to me as I don't bite my tongue very well in situations like that. It really is to bad people can't be more supportive in situations like that and uplifting, after all, everyone is working on the same team. Wouldn't you want your whole team to prosper and do well?? What is that saying? You can attract more bees with honey then vinegar. I know one of my teachers stresses to the nursing students to WORK TOGETHER, in the handbook as well. To help each other, that everyone is in so there is no reason to compete with one another. I mean we all have to start somewhere. Hang in there, maybe they are testing you to see if you got what it takes or if you are just gonna give up quickly. It's just a matter of time and you will no longer be the newbie and you can make new friends with the other new people :)

Dalzac, LPN, LVN, RN · Mar 5, 2009

I worked with a nurse just like you described, and I mean just like her. For the first year I worked with her I just sat back and let her spin until she fell. After that first yr she left me alone and went on to greener pastures, She would literally chew up monitor techs so bad they would quit generally around 3 months. We finally had one that stayed and I guess the fact that she wouldn't quit drove old nurse nuts. It got so bad that all of the rest of us started intervening. The tech was never left alone with her. Finally after 3 yrs of this crap we took our favorite tech down to HR. and all of us filed grievences. Our manager would not help. but HR did, they told her if they heard one more complaint about this nurse she would be fired. Never heard another peep out of her. just Keep documenting every thing she does hostile. hopefully she will figure out that she can't push you out.

grant88 · Mar 6, 2009

Thanks again for your continued responses. I am reading them all and I appreciate the feedback. I wonder if I just put in my time things will get better over the years. I love what I do. It's tough out there right now. With the economy the way it is and with hospital cut backs to care, nurses are having to stay in their jobs longer than they first thought. I feel like there is a lot of tension on my floor, especially when patient ratios get low and people get called off work.

How should it work? What is the ideal nursing environment for everyone when you need to get new and senior staff to work together? Is there such thing as great nurse management out there? Has anyone experienced it? Can anyone tell me any experiences you felt were good examples of management leadership?

ma_82 · Mar 6, 2009

It is actually a good idea when a new and senior staff work togehter cause the older one will teach things practically. Its just that the pressure is with her cause she has patient of her own and have you as an extra load without extra income. I bet this is what is running through her mind. Wherein in ideally she should be helpful coz last time she was a new nurse before she became a senior staff.

Regarding the unit management, too bad I have same with you and not the one we are looking for. Its the manager who runs the unit will determine the floor nurses outcome. In our ward must save your own self rather than helping each other for the unit to survive. But according to my senior staff friends, the previous manager is the best. She is so fierce with her staff to train them but can scold doctors also to protect them. They say promotion that time also is so fast..

How I wish I was with them, too bad I was born today :beercuphe:beercuphe

caliotter3 · Mar 6, 2009

Since the chances of you finding a work environment that is about the same or worse than your present one is much higher than you finding a substantially better one, you should make every effort to concentrate on what is positive about being employed at all and the advantage of being in the area that you desire. My first job as a licensed nurse was horrendous atomosphere-wise. I was treated like the outsider I was. It wasn't until about the year-in mark, when they saw that I was going to stick it out, that my co-workers started to warm up to me. And that was most of them, not all of them. You will find discontent of some sort everywhere. Part of living and part of working for a living.

chenoaspirit, ASN, RN · Mar 6, 2009

Well, new people should work the hours that the people with senority don't want. What's wrong with that? I've earned my time here at my workplace. As long as we all stay within our staffing guidlines then so be it.
As far as only wanting to work with their friends, well, honesly, I only want to work with my friends too! Come on, they are more helpful and we all want to have a good day at work.
As far as the hostility, try to ignore them as best as possible, but when they start stepping on your toes report it to your boss. Include only facts, not emotions or feelings. And it's always helpful to attach a copy of your facilities 'hostile work environment' policy.
If you get nowhere with your boss you can always go to your HR department.
BUT, be prepared. Now isn't the best time to rock the boat.

I do not agree. Yeah, its nice to work with friends, but everyone on the floor needs to learn to work with each other/everyone as a team. It isnt the same as highschool and wanting to be on the same "team" as your friends during a game. As a nurse, the whole floor should be a team and work together, no matter who it is. Thats the only way a floor can flourish and be civil and work-friendly. Yeah, the seniority should rule...but only to a certain extent. The newbies shouldnt have ALL crappy hours. Weekends/holidays still need to be rotated among ALL employees. If someone gets pulled to another floor, seniority should rule and the newbie should be the one pulled. But newbies shouldnt be eaten by the senior nurses.

On our floor, the senior nurses get first pick if they want to go home early (if census goes down during shift). They get first choice of being placed on call or called off when census goes down prior to their shift. But the hours/days/weekends get rotated among us all. Thats only fair in my opinion. We all have lives.

If the OP is being bullied, then document each time it happens and take it to the dept head. Stand up for yourself. All newbies are "tested" to see how far they can be pushed. Its sad, but it happens. Dont let anyone talk bad to you or make it hard on you.

The main thing is BE A TEAM PLAYER and work well with coworkers, but dont let people run over you.