Hello everyone. I love nursing. I love helping people get better. I love learning new things. I want to keep doing this. But I've hit a serious mental roadblock that I can't get over. I've been nursing for 8 years, and I would like to do 30 more, but there is one personality type that - seriously - might make me quit.
I have a problem with coworkers who try to browbeat me or act like they are better than me. It seems that every floor has one or two people who seem to live for no reason other than to aggravate others, and it doesn't take them long to figure out what makes my blood boil. These people tend to get me during shift change, where I've just spent the last 12 hours trying to do the best I can, just to have them sit there (and you can see their minds working) as they try to poke holes in the job I've done, or get me to admit I don't know some detail, so they can roll their eyes at me and suggest that I'm a terrible nurse - in front of others is usually best in their eyes. They aren't trying to teach me. They aren't trying to hold the floor to a high standard. They are trying to be aggravating passive/aggressive jerks who feel better about themselves by putting others down.
These nurses often have been on the same floor too long. Now they think it's "their" floor. They think they are better than everyone else. They give everyone a hard time. And generally everyone puts up with them because these people are good at acting innocent in front of the bosses, plus they are the veterans who have been there the longest, and in general they don't want to go to war with a crazy person.
How can I deal with these people without taking it to the boss. I don't want the bosses to fix this problem for me, because it really seems like it's my problem, and coworkers like these aren't going away. Sadly, I've even left good floors because of a few bad apples, only to learn there are bad apples everywhere. I'm afraid if I don't get some good advice that works, I'll be telling them to go to hell (pant pant pant), and then I'll be the one who looks like the problem child.
If any of you have overcome this hurdle, I deeply need your advice. I'm tired of spending my days off dwelling on people who are not worth my time and peace of mind.
