lateral violence in nursing school

[SugarPlumIce87]

Hi I am nursing student and I am sharing my lateral violence story and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I started a nursing program and was bullied by my peers for not being competent enough and having as much medical experience as them. There were eye rolls, smirks, raised eyebrows against me and my weak points were pointed out by my peers during lab. My peers laughed at me and questioned my ability to be a nurse. A girl told me that girls wanted to see me fall on my face. However, I managed to pass my first semester and when I entered my second semester, there were shocked faces at me as if they couldn't believe that I had passed my classes.

However, the bullying just got worse. I was going through a divorce my second semester. Rumors, gossip, laughter at my divorce and lack of competence spread. So called friends pepped me up to stay and yet backstabbed me and refused to work with me when it came time to work on project. I think I was being sabotaged. They stated that they didn't want to help me and that I wasn't competent enough. When I took my leave, I was told that that cohort doesn't help people, no one cared that I was gone, and people walked into the class as if they were survival of the fittest.

Has anyone else experienced lateral violence or bullying in nursing school and cutthroat nursing environments? And how did you deal with it? I'm wondering whether I should go back to that school or not after my leave.

[SugarPlumIce87]

wannabenny - I agree that students need to know the rules on how to treat their peers to create a better and more supportive nursing environment. Under title 9 policies, no person should be denied of educational involvement or discriminated against because of race, disability, sex, etc. A Title 9 case could be filed if the bullying gets worse.

[Apple-Core, ASN, BSN, RN]

Thank you Castiela, its good to know that nurses who work aren't really like that and that there are helpful and nice nurses in the profession. I am from California and people are generally more supportive here, work together, and don't want to see their classmates fail. However, the nursing school I went to was in the east coast and it was a was very cut throat and competitive environment. It could have also been racism (the class was segregated) or sadly, discrimination against me for being divorced.

Your class was segregated by race? By who - the students? And why did the teachers allow this?

I despise bullying. Even if I don't especially care for somebody, I would never be cruel or ostracize them...that is such an awful feeling.

[SugarPlumIce87]

Apple-core - yes, I would say the class was 85% segregated. It seemed to be a preference of choice to sit and stick around those who were from the same cultural background or race due to similarities even though everyone generally spoke to each other. Possibly because I come from a diverse and melting pot environment, the class was more segregated to me than any school I've been to.

I feel the same way about bullying. Never have I ever been bullied like this, experiencing it the first time in the nursing culture environment.

[Apple-Core, ASN, BSN, RN]

Apple-core - yes, I would say the class was 85% segregated. It seemed to be a preference of choice to sit and stick around those who were from the same cultural background or race due to similarities even though everyone generally spoke to each other. Possibly because I come from a diverse and melting pot environment, the class was more segregated to me than any school I've been to.

I feel the same way about bullying. Never have I ever been bullied like this, experiencing it the first time in the nursing culture environment.

WOW - I'm surprised it is allowed in the classroom. Socially, of course, there's no control - but in the class the teacher could step in. A big chunk of my studies are on cultural awareness, tolerance and so forth. I can't believe this is going on in 2017.

[SugarPlumIce87]

I was surprised too. But a huge part to this has to do with the location of the school in the east coast. I guess people get used to it if that's the place they were born and raised up in. Unfortunately, there was racism targeted against some students there too. Those who were more open minded and accepting of differences were usually the ones who have seen or lived in different areas across the US.

[Apple-Core, ASN, BSN, RN]

My advice then would be to keep your sniffer to the ground, study like mad, graduate, then move as far away as possible from a place that accepts such segregation and bullying behaviors.

[SugarPlumIce87]

Well said. I will def keep my sniffer to the ground this time! I feel like being aggressive in a healthy way in my studies and with others as needed is the only way to get through an environment like that. I plan to move back to the west coast after I graduate.

[SugarPlumIce87]

Update: I have graduated despite the bullying/competitive environment! Thanks everyone for all the advice and support!

[eyeontheprize19, BSN, RN]

I'm glad I am not the only one who experienced this in nursing school!

I had people flat out refuse to speak to me simply because I passed a test that they bombed. I had someone call me a kiss a** for answering a question correctly in class. The list goes on and on and even includes teachers bullying students (which was reported and brushed off by administration!).

I say this: Go back to school. Ignore the others; they are making fools of themselves acting this way. I thought of it like this: I never have to see or speak to these people ever again after I graduate!