It's Does No Good To Gripe About Nursing

Nurses Relations

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What I'm saying is that nursing is a profession. So, it's full of people who went to college and when you deal with college-type types there's always a lot of rivalry, competition, narcissism, etc. It's like that in all the professions. I have come to learn that part of being a good nurse, one of the tools a nurse must possess, is the ability to remain above and unaffected by the negativity of the workplace. It should be a 3-semester-hour class they teach that you have to pass a clinical in. All professional environments are negative by nature (Law, Medicine, Accounting, Science, Teaching, etc.).

Because nursing is a profession rather than just a job, you have to be really proactive in your own career. You cannot expect anyone else to help you. They may! But you really can't expect it. So, it does no good to gripe about nursing as a job, because it's not just a job.

If you need training, you need to go in and get it on your own--maybe even on your own time and dime.

You need to avoid any confrontations if at all possible, and when not, you really need to be really professional and blameless.

You cannot burn bridges, so don't set out to expose your supervisors or whistle-blow this or that, or report your colleagues, or anything else.

If you don't like an organization, resign gracefully and for reasons that are perfectly legitimate and positive. YOU WILL NEED your colleagues and supervisors on applications of all types for the rest of your career.

...Now, as I re-enter the nursing profession, let's see if I can take my own advice for once. :sarcastic:

Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
Yes, and that's exactly it: People go into the nursing profession expecting it to be fair and perfect, and it's not. I don't advocate leaving nursing, but rather learning how to ride the waves. Surf rather than sink as it were.

Thanks, Wondern. :geek:

Why would anyone go into anything expecting it to be fair and perfect? I've been wondering who the original post was meant for; I'm thinking students who are naive and expect things to be fair and perfect. And who never had a fast food or any other kind of job before going to college.

As an old broad who has successfully navigated a nursing career, I'll just leave you to it.

You need to avoid any confrontations if at all possible, and when not, you really need to be really professional and blameless.

I can't tell if you're joking or not. Want to know what encourages people to STOP acting in a unsavory manner? By having a backbone, and the ability to be firm but constructive in your criticism.

You cannot burn bridges, so don't set out to expose your supervisors or whistle-blow this or that, or report your colleagues, or anything else.

No, no, no. Just no.

Sometimes I forget that AllNurses is different than the rest of the internet. A lot of you guys are just regular, working people and don't spend hours and hours on the dark web and deep in facebook debates late at night, and therefore don't recognize things like this.

What we have here is an Edgelord. You may have never encountered one before, now you have.

We're not a bunch of slimy, backstabbing, competitive jerks out to get each other and there is no college stereotype of such. Just move along and let this post die.

What we have here is an Edgelord. You may have never encountered one before, now you have.

We're not a bunch of slimy, backstabbing, competitive jerks out to get each other and there is no college stereotype of such. Just move along and let this post die.

Thank you so much, Princess Elle - I didn't recognize him until I saw your post. I couldn't agree with you more regarding the identity or the prescription.

For those who may not be familiar with the term:

edgelord

A poster on an Internet forum who expresses opinions which are either strongly nihilistic, ("life has no meaning," or Tyler Durden's special snowflake speech from the film Fight Club being probably the two main examples) or contain references to Hitler, Nazism, fascism, or other taboo topics which are deliberately intended to shock or offend readers.

The term "edgelord," is a noun, which came from the previous adjective, "edgy," which described the above behaviour.

Urban Dictionary: edgelord

And if you really care about patients, and if you are a really good nurse, then if you burn out or get pushed out, you have done humanity a grave disservice. Personally, I don't think that's a cynical perspective.

Wait, this sounds familiar. . . let me think. . .

Oh, right, it sounds like management refusing to provide opportunities and working conditions conducive to attracting and retaining good nurses, then wailing, "But what about the paaaaaatients," or trying to guilt trip you about your colleagues when you won't come in to cover for THEIR staffing deficits.

I knew I heard that somewhere before.

Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
Wait, this sounds familiar. . . let me think. . .

Oh, right, it sounds like management refusing to provide opportunities and working conditions conducive to attracting and retaining good nurses, then wailing, "But what about the paaaaaatients," or trying to guilt trip you about your colleagues when you won't come in to cover for THEIR staffing deficits.

I knew I heard that somewhere before.

Because a certain number of us were put on this earth to be selfless, dedicated, altruistic beings who live only to provide service to others. Quitting a job, refusing to work our days off, or (Heaven forbid) going on strike means we have grossly deviated from our one true mission on this earth.

I call it NurseGuilt and I admire anyone who manages not to be sucked in by it.

Your experience doesn't match everyone else's, and in fact, based on the responses not even close to the majority.

I wasn't taking a vote.

Nurses leave the profession for many reasons- it wasn't a good fit for them to begin with (seen it many many times), stay at home parenting, early retirement, a change in interests. Yes, there are those who become burned out, but it's not necessarily just the "landscape".

I would agree with that.

Without defining "a while" and "lots of different jobs", that information is meaningless.

Everywhere you go, there you are. If you find the exact same problems in multiple places, chances are the multiple places aren't the problem.

Ah, snarky hostility. I missed the sweet sound of it. ;)

Just try to keep a low profile. Do not be unfriendly but do not talk to people if you can help it. That is, don't gossip, don't gripe, don't chart in anger.

If you expect trouble, you will likely find it, so try to keep a positive attitude. Don't let this be too well known, as someone will likely want to rain on your parade.

Good luck.

That's really good advice.

I can't tell if you're joking or not. Want to know what encourages people to STOP acting in a unsavory manner? By having a backbone, and the ability to be firm but constructive in your criticism.

I would certainly agree with that.

Thank you so much, Princess Elle - I didn't recognize him until I saw your post. I couldn't agree with you more regarding the identity or the prescription.

For those who may not be familiar with the term:

edgelord

A poster on an Internet forum who expresses opinions which are either strongly nihilistic, ("life has no meaning," or Tyler Durden's special snowflake speech from the film Fight Club being probably the two main examples) or contain references to Hitler, Nazism, fascism, or other taboo topics which are deliberately intended to shock or offend readers.

The term "edgelord," is a noun, which came from the previous adjective, "edgy," which described the above behaviour.

Urban Dictionary: edgelord

I must admit, this was a new term for me. I had no idea I was an edgelord. That being the case, however, what I wrote is true. As is most of everything Tyler Durden says. :yes:

I have to say, I've kept my manners. I've not engaged anyone with hostility even when it's been thrown at me. It's just a conversation. If you feel it makes you too emotional and requires that you take yet another Xanax to get through it, why not just ignore it? I only come in here looking for responses, because, well, this is a discussion group, and I'd like to have this discussion. Frankly, I think I've been pretty downright agreeable.

But I will say this too, the people who have come in here and been insulting and hostile--they are exactly the people in the medical profession that act that way at work. And there's no solution to it, except you have to learn not to dish it back when it's thrown at you. So, in that way, this post is kind of like a training thing for me--because in the past I have often been very hostile to hostile people, and that is not a solution to the problem. :no:

Wait, this sounds familiar. . . let me think. . .

Oh, right, it sounds like management refusing to provide opportunities and working conditions conducive to attracting and retaining good nurses, then wailing, "But what about the paaaaaatients," or trying to guilt trip you about your colleagues when you won't come in to cover for THEIR staffing deficits.

I knew I heard that somewhere before.

No, I hear you on that. And I know hospitals do that. But sometimes, people call in. Sometimes, too many people call in, and when they do, who is going to care for the patients? Sometimes the manager of a unit just doesn't have the staff--and it's the staff's fault (or some of them).

There are two ways to look at it: you can come in and be the hero, or you can stay home and let them sink. I'm not saying you should do one or the other, but it is true that if you get so burned out that you quit, and you were a really good nurse, then there are real people who will suffer because you weren't there. Future people. People you've never met yet. They will come into the hospital and a lesser nurse will be the only thing left to care for them.

Maybe they'll get a pressure ulcer as a result. Maybe they'll suffer because they don't get their meds on time. Maybe they'll stew in their own urine because no one will come and answer their call light. And this suffering will have happened because you--the good nurse--got burned out and quit.

My thing in this post is to talk frankly about the work environment and talk frankly about how a nurse can survive it. To all those who have great working environments, then it's not applicable. But for many it is, I think.

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