Is this what nursing is about?

[russianbear]

I'm still fairly new, a few months into my first RN job, but it seems like everyone is constantly ratting on each other to the manager for every little thing. Aides, secretaries, other nurses, etc. It's like it's everyone's mission to jam up other people. Is Thai backstabbing BS typical of nursing? Sadly I have to wait until I've been here a year to transfer out.

[Davey Do]

See: "NETY" (Nurses Eat Their Young)

I don't understand.

russianbear, type "NETY" into the Search Option at the bottom of the Forum Page and you'll get all sorts of Thread references.

For example:

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

I don't think it's nursing necessarily...it just seems more common because nursing is a female dominated profession. My mom and sister are teachers...same crap going on at school.

It isn't necessarily because nursing is predominantly female. It's because it's predominantly human. My Da and my FIL were both engineers (predominantly male) and the dealt with the same thing. I have a lot of family in law enforcement and they deal with the same thing. It's a human thing, not a nursing thing, teaching thing or female thing.

[Davey Do]

It sucks because it makes me hate coming to work, which I otherwise love. I have a great job and I take it very serious.

Too bad russianbear- I hear you saying that you just want to do your job and not have to deal with the crap.

From experience, I've found that we can't be Mr./Ms. Popular and implement change.

In order to implement change, we must stand behind our convictions and continually practice our principles whether we're liked or not.

For example, People may not like me, but they do not say or do disrespectful things around me. Some People won't even talk to me, outside of business.

And I'm okay with that.

The best to you in your endeavor, russianbear.

[russianbear]

russianbear, type "NETY" into the Search Option at the bottom of the Forum Page and you'll get all sorts of Thread references.

For example:

No, I didn't understand the candy crush reference.

[Davey Do]

No, I didn't understand the candy crush reference.

Oh. Sorry. Neither do I.

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

No, I didn't understand the candy crush reference.

That's NOADLS stress relief answer for everything

[russianbear]

That's NOADLS stress relief answer for everything

NOADLS?

[Shagce1]

NOADLS?

The person who originally made the candy crush comment was NOADLS.

*i didn't mean to like the previous post--fat fingers got the wrong key--was trying to quote.

[run.for.the.roses]

I was fired from my first job when my preceptor ran out of legitimate complaints to bring to the manager, and started making things up. In 8 weeks she never had a negative comment or ounce of constructive criticism for me, but behind the scenes I guess I wasn't good enough for this middle-school-like unit.

[Overland1, RN]

Sadly, the gossip and back stabbing (figuratively) have become a staple of many "indoor" businesses... more than I have seen in businesses and organizations that are not confined to "indoors". Hospitals are a prime example. I have seen decisions based, in whole or in part, upon gossip. Careers and career advancement have been short-circuited because a sufficient number of employees (and others) chose to feed the beast.

Another prime (but with a touch of humor) example that I saw first hand was many years ago when I worked in field product support for a fairly large corporation. Every day, I was out and around, dealing with our customer base (and loving it). One week, ~25 years ago, I was brought in to work in the office (a technical support center) and to work the "field" close to HQ.

On a Thursday evening, I stopped by one of the divisions to catch up with a lady who worked in another of our support centers (where most people did not know me) so we and a few others could go out for dinner together. We all had some great lobster and a great time.

The next morning (my last day of that assignment. I get a call from Judy (the aforementioned lady), telling me that there were already two rumors going around. The first was (you guessed it) that, despite my being married, Judy and I were engaged in an affair. We both found that pretty funny and shrugged it off. The second rumor was bolstered by another rumor that some layoffs were imminent, and that I was one of the "job troopers" assigned to go around and decide who should be laid off (I had walked in wearing a white shirt, suit, tie. and overcoat).

While we laughed about the rumors, I was reminded of a full page ad that United Technologies placed in the (eeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil ) Wall Street Journal; it was about how gossip destroys people and organizations. Today, it would be viewed as 'old fogey-ish'.

Feel free to share this.

[Natasha, RN, BSN]

Unfortunately, those attributes seem to run rampant on many nursing units. Not all, of course, it's just a very common theme amongst many units and in many hospitals. Having a strong NM helps, of course, but if they turn a blind eye to the situation, you just have to deal with it the best you can. When pt safety is involved, then yes, it must be addressed somehow, and done so appropriately. But for all the other catty nit-picky goofy stuff, it's just not needed.

I remember back when I was new to a unit and one nurse pulled me aside that first day and pointed out who was to be watched out for, as those particular nurses often tattled with embellished descriptions as to whatever complaint they had. I was not a new nurse either, just new to the unit, and that was all it took. Not that new nurses deserve that treatment, mind, it's just the unfortunate reality that lots of new nurses get additional stress added to their plate with the existence of the whole "nurse's eat their young" phenomenon and such.

Bide your time, and do your research to find out which units you may like who also hold a staff that participates in minimal to no (if you're lucky!) tattle-telling. :)

[Overland1, RN]

...I remember back when I was new to a unit and one nurse pulled me aside that first day and pointed out who was to be watched out for, as those particular nurses often tattled with embellished descriptions as to whatever complaint they had...

Many years ago, when I transferred from ICU to ER, there was a similar nurse who did that to me, adding, "the nurses here will eat you alive." My response was, "ooh, baby, ooh!" I then realized she or somebody would probably file a complaint or "write (me) up" for sexual harassment. Nobody bothered to complain, but that nurse turned out to be a bit of a gossip and "tattler" herself, which was actually quite disappointing to me.

Personally, what I find disturbing about the snarky and rude behavior is that we are nurses... we have the means and the ability to make or break a patient's life, but some choose to demean themselves and our profession while believing that doing so will advance themselves in some manner.