My question is: Why are nurses so mean to each other?

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Hello everyone!

I am not here to complain; however, I would like to vent just a little. I was recently let go from a job because my boss believed someone who was not an RN take a comment totally out of text and she believed them instead of me. I am surviving - however, my point is this: why do nurses have to sabatauge other nurses and make their lives miserable? I do have to say the meanest people I have ever met are in the field of nursing and it makes me wonder what good I actually do in this field. I have yet to find my nitch and have been an RN for 5 years now. Please write and tell me I am not the only nurse in the world who feels that she cannot trust anyone and that other nurses are so mean and nasty it makes what I do not seem worth it. Thanks for listening!:D

From what I have seen in the nursing field, you are totally justified in your thoughts on this matter. You have to always look out for your own interests and never, never trust anyone. For that matter, don't trust yourself. Develop strategies to check your own work to prevent errors. You can bet that there is always someone around who will look to see if you mess something up. At one place that I worked, there was a nurse who actually went around and "created" errors for the other nurses. Everyone knew about her and tried to avoid her. You can't always avoid the troublemakers. So you have to have eyes in the back of your head and be very sure of your own actions. Good luck on your next job. Hopefully you won't find such a toxic environment.

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truck drivers are mostly men. is that profession very respected?

i honestly don't know.

is it?

i know many many truck drivers (my husband is one) and for the most part these are hardworking men (and some women) who put in 14 hour days to bring our food, clothing, lumbar, etc. they don't get paid much either. has being men given them any power over the government regulations that make it hard to make a living as a truck driver? nope.

i have no idea as to what truck driver's wages are, or how the regulations dictate their wages.

i have no idea if these truck drivers have even fought for better wages.

beats me.

has it done anything to give them power over the price of diesel? nope.

steph

isn't that kind of asking if nurses have any power over the cost and other issues of healthcare?:confused:

leslie

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isn't that kind of asking if nurses have any power over the cost and other issues of healthcare?:confused:

leslie

yes nurses do - if they take that power by getting politically active. one of the things i'm learning in my bsn program is that there are no nurses on a health care legislation committee here in california.

one of our homework assignments was to write a letter to a local politician about a health care issue.

yes, nurses do have the power . .. . they just are not taking it.

steph

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truck drivers are mostly men. is that profession very respected?

i honestly don't know.

is it?

i have no idea as to what truck driver's wages are, or how the regulations dictate their wages.

i have no idea if these truck drivers have even fought for better wages.

beats me.

*********************

leslie - i was just making a point regarding your point that men would be better than women and truck driving is a job mostly done by men and it struggles, just like nursing does.

i don't think the sex of a person has much to do with anything . . except maybe how to make babies or picking up heavy things or opening a pickle jar. . . . .:D

it is an individual thing - "nurses" aren't mean . . . .some individual women and men who happen to be nurses can be mean . . . not all or even a majority.

and if a person is working in an area where there is horizontal bullying - get out.

steph

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your question presupposes that nurses are "so mean to each other." you are not the only person who feels that way, but i have to wonder if this is your experience, what you are contributing to the problem. it hasn't been my experience that "nurses are so mean to each other." if you're continually having problems with other people in your profession, you may want to take a long, hard and sober look at what you are bringing to the interactions.

my experiences have been in the nursing profession that nurses and i mean all nurses rn's and lpn's and i may add cna's alike and are mean, vindictive, deceitful, and hateful to each other. i am proud to say that i have never looked for trouble to got anyone else in trouble in my place of employment; however, i have been on the receiving end of the hatefulness and didn't deserve any of it. i don't know if it is in the areas i have worked, but i don't look for any trouble and stay out of interpersonal conflicts. i was an lpn before an rn and i think working with the people who i worked with as lpn's may have contributed to it. i still am in the frame of mind that rn's are held higher than lpn's and always will be. i have no regrets about becoming an rn, just regrets about the areas of nursing i have chosen to work in.:D

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My experiences have been in the nursing profession that nurses and I mean ALL NURSES RN's and LPN's and I may add CNA's alike and are mean, vindictive, deceitful, and hateful to each other. .:D

Every single solitary RN, LPN/LVN, CNA you have ever met or worked with has been mean, vindictive, deceitful, and hateful?

steph

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Every single solitary RN, LPN/LVN, CNA you have ever met or worked with has been mean, vindictive, deceitful, and hateful?

steph

In my experience of working in the medical field, out of a group of 10 combined RN's, LPN's, and CNA's, I would say at least 8 of these people are either jealous, miserable in their own life, or hateful and want to cause trouble.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I am proud to say that I have never looked for trouble to got anyone else in trouble in my place of employment; however, I have been on the receiving end of the hatefulness and didn't deserve any of it.
Are you completely sure you were undeserving of the hatred?

I'm only asking, because many of your recent posts have been negative and insulting. One's 'behavior' on an internet forum can sometimes be accurately reflective of his/her conduct in real life.

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I still think you (the op) are generalizing.

I work with bright RN's, and one's I don't feel are too bright. I work with some lazy-orifice LPN's and some whom I feel pretty confident are doing their jobs. The same with CNA's, some are better than others.

That's common in any field. I work like a dog, with an unbeatable work ethic that can create a tough atmosphere for my colleagues, who have to measure up. I've done that in every job I've had in my life, and believe me, there have many...........from managing a rock band, to being a Las Vegas casino cocktail server, to a published author, and now a nurse.

I've always had a stellar work ethic and put in 120%.

I do worry sometimes about the patient care that may be suffering because of the people I work with who do not seem to care, but that's where my interest ends.

I have no interest in being popular, or making friends. I have little/nothing in common with my co-workers, and do not want to have personal relationships with any of them. I respect them as individuals and professionals, however, and that's all I hope to receive in return.

Anything else is just politics and at some point in your life, you have to rise above it and grow up.

Just my two cents.

Another way to avoid getting in trouble at work, or at play, is to be above reproach. That has always worked for me. In other words, keep your comments to yourself, and keep your job.

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Specializes in FNP, Peds, Epilepsy, Mgt., Occ. Ed.
Are you completely sure you were undeserving of the hatred?

I'm only asking, because many of your recent posts have been negative and insulting. One's 'behavior' on an internet forum can sometimes be accurately reflective of his/her conduct in real life.

I agree.

My experience is been that you can sometimes end up in a barracuda pool. Most of the time, though, you aren't going to have problems with 8 out of 10 people. 1 or 2, maybe, since personality conflict will happen pretty commonly, but not 8 of 10.

It never hurts to check out your self- perceptions. Look in a mirror, make an honest attempt at self-assessment, and ask someone else for an opinion.

I also don't agree that it's the LPN's and CNA's who are most troublesome. Occasionally, maybe, but I've had far more problems with RNs over the years, and I've been an RN myself for 23 of the 25.

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A situation happened last week in the hospital clinic where I work. I was working with an RN who was on her third dept. since becoming employed in jan. She felt she was above everyone. Her favorite line to toss out was "I didn't go to school for 4 years to.....you name it, she was above it. She belittled the CNAs. She belittled me, and my fellow LPNs. In less than 6 months she blew thru 3 depts and alienated staff and patients. Now she is an RN without a job. And no references.

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Specializes in LTC & Correctional Nursing.
have you read this entire thread? many of us say this isn't true everywhere.

steph

[color=#00bfff]no i didn't have time to read the entire thread it was way too long but i tried to go back and edit my post after reading more but it was way too late. sorry.

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