Nurse bullies

[l.a.m.b]

Hi there,

I see many threads about nurses that treat cnas badly, but how about nurses that treat other nurses like crap? Talking down to certain nurses in front of an audience, giving the charge nurse a hard time when that nurse is in charge such as having complaints of the order of admissions, decisions that are made etc. when this was brought up to the manager she just laughed and said that we have to work it out. Doesn't this constitute harassment especially if those complaints are not even valid? Has anyone gone through something like this? Mind you that the nurses involved have more than 6 years of experience

[Farawyn]

Cue "Bullying doesn't exist! You're a too-sensitive special snowflake!" in 3....2....

Yea, you tried this last time and it didn't work either.

[JerseyTomatoMDCrab, BSN]

Tell them that. Tell them to take a walk. Tell them no one is interested.

Does no one stick up for themselves anymore? Geez.

And no, I'm not "blaming the victim". If there is a jerk at work and they are acting like that, tell them to stop.

I agree. We live in such a PC, don't offend, don't step on any toes world that I really believe that people would rather suffer in silence than speak up and risk "making it awkward." And it's a shame.

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

Yea, you tried this last time and it didn't work either.

What? Have I missed something?

What didn't work last time?

When and where was last time?

I really have to pay more attention.

[nursel56]

Yes, there are bullies in nursing. Some are freelance bullies and some, for reasons I will never understand, are placed in supervisory positions where they are free to generate all sorts of toxicity and cause good people to flee.

I've never seen a bully who flies solo fail to back down when called out on their bs in a matter-of-fact manner. Those who rely on management connections to create their bully worlds aren't fixable in my past experience, I had to leave the job.

[I.C.UNurse]

I think it comes down to people need to just take a stand and don't tell with that bull crap. Telling someone they are acting like a jerk is not going to get you fired and if it does then you do not want to work there. Tired of people saying "did you tell the manager", well have you tried to talk to them first? Have you realized that some people are just jerks and can't make them happy, therefore do not give them the time of day? I get it when you have to work with these people, but you can always tell them to "figure it out" when they want your help 24/7 and not get sucked into their vortex. I would know because I am management and charge nurse. And the first thing I ask when somebody is being bullied is "did you talk to the person"? Nurses are expected to be mentally strong individuals and take some criticism, it comes with the territory IN ANY JOB!

[caffeinatednurse, BSN, RN]

Yes, there are bullies in nursing. Some are freelance bullies and some, for reasons I will never understand, are placed in supervisory positions where they are free to generate all sorts of toxicity and cause good people to flee.

I've never seen a bully who flies solo fail to back down when called out on their bs in a matter-of-fact manner. Those who rely on management connections to create their bully worlds aren't fixable in my past experience, I had to leave the job.

This.

I had to leave my job as well. It's sometimes not as easy as just telling someone to leave you alone. New grad RNs often don't have very much confidence to begin with. In my case, one of my preceptors turned on me after I came off orientation. Also, the bully at my last job did not operate alone - she had a whole clique composed of other nurses who were also bullies. She was popular and well-liked by the supervisors and nurse manager. It can have a toxic effect on a floor, leading to a quick turnover rate from perfectly good RNs running out the door.

To the OP - I agree that it doesn't sound like a floor that has good morale. The last place I worked at, had the same problem because staff nurses didn't respect the decisions made by the charge nurses or even the nurse manager. They were always "arguing" their decisions at staff meetings. (This is the same floor that bullied me. I left and so did most of the people I was working with.) Sounds like a pretty toxic place to be.

[ProgressiveActivist, BSN, RN]

If management allows one person to behave like a dick, everyone else thinks they get to behave like a d.b. too.

It becomes pervasive as resentment builds.

I have seen a previously nice unit turn into a snakepit in a short time due to a few new people.

It is a huge and exhausting part of the job to be positive in our interactions with everyone else.

It is perfectly okay to calmly tell someone to re-state what they said or asked without the high

handed crap.

Although I can not stand dr phil, he is right, you

teach people how to teach you.

Dont accept an unsafe or unreasonable or

unequitable assignment.

Say no this is unsafe.If they want to be shady you

have to calmly and firmly confront it. Refuse to take report until they do. What are they going to do, send you home?