nurses backstab fellow nurses

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i am a nursing student in dallas, tx area and my professor who has 20 years of experience in the nursing field is telling me that nurses backstab nurses.

she said that nurses are out to get each other. if it means getting 1 step ahead, a nurse will throw your name under the bus. i realize that every situation depends on the person.... but in the name of nursing, aren't we in this profession to try and help others? our job as nurses is to be compassionate and nurturing... why is it that nurses can't help other nurses out? what about the rumors about newbie nurses getting mistreated? i hear horror stories about how catty and competitive it is in the hospitals.... and i guess i dont understand why it has to be that way?

i am only a pre-nursing student voicing my concerns... can anyone with experience attest to this claim? what is it really like in the workforce?

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Specializes in Utilization Review/Case Management.

Please don't think that all nurses are this way. It sounds like you have a very jaded instructor, and that's too bad. Most of the nurses I have worked with have been great. Just like in any other job, some people get along better than others. Hang in there, study hard and welcome to the wonderful world of nursing :)

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Nursing possess, in my opinion, a very weird professional culture that has its roots in the passive-aggressive tendencies of its members. The nursing profession attracts a fair share of women with low self-esteems. Women with low self esteems tend to take out their frustrations in a manner that is consistent with passive aggression.

Passive-aggressive nurses will smile in your face and pretend to enjoy your company, while secretly plotting to sabotage you. They'll report you for every little wrongdoing because they perceive a sense of power if you are disciplined over something they brought to the attention of management. I'll admit that backstabbing occurs in nursing, just as it does in other professions.

Then there are the people who enter nursing with aggressive tendencies.

People who grapple with chronic low self esteem are constantly seeking that elusive sense of control. Unfortunately, these nurses achieve a false sense of control and power when they victimize coworkers, either aggressively or passive-aggressively.

Power perceived is power achieved. Do not give anyone that much power over you!

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Specializes in LTAC.

NO! It's not like that everywhere you go. I work at a great small hospital, and yes we have our few people that don't get along as well as others, but for the most part we're a strong team. I hired on there as a new nurse, and I've never felt that anyone was out to "throw me under the bus". Everyone was wonderful in assisting me to learn the ropes and those who weren't, well I stayed away from them...lol. Don't let anyone's negative take on things keep you from pursuing a career in nursing. Good Luck!!

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Specializes in ED, ICU, PACU.
i am a nursing student in dallas, tx area and my professor who has 20 years of experience in the nursing field is telling me that nurses backstab nurses.

she said that nurses are out to get each other. if it means getting 1 step ahead, a nurse will throw your name under the bus. i realize that every situation depends on the person.... but in the name of nursing, aren't we in this profession to try and help others? our job as nurses is to be compassionate and nurturing... why is it that nurses can't help other nurses out? what about the rumors about newbie nurses getting mistreated? i hear horror stories about how catty and competitive it is in the hospitals.... and i guess i dont understand why it has to be that way?

i am only a pre-nursing student voicing my concerns... can anyone with experience attest to this claim? what is it really like in the workforce?

from my experience in texas, just after graduating, i found what your instructor has told you to be 100% accurate. don't know for sure why it is so. maybe it has something to do with the culture in general. i found this type of attitude in other professions there, also. i agree with you in that it is self defeating to be like that and maybe things can change if employers didn't reward that kind of behavior and punish those that try to change the culture seen in the average hopsital.

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I dont know if this is true or not, Im just saying this is the real World. Everyone is out for themselves, but I do believe that happens. I dont think you can just label nurses, I mean that happens in every field. Im always going to watch my back and be careful cause people especially females are envious!

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I dont think you can just label nurses, I mean that happens in every field. Im always going to watch my back and be careful cause people especially females are envious!
I have worked in male-dominated workplaces, and the backstabbing was totally absent from the equation. However, the backstabbing and cattiness seem to be lingering in the female-dominated fields (nursing, school teaching, social work, librarianship, etc).
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I have only had one job where the unit was relatively happy without a lot of backstabbing. And Commuter is right, this does not occur very often in more male dominated jobs.

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Please don't think that all nurses are this way. It sounds like you have a very jaded instructor, and that's too bad. Most of the nurses I have worked with have been great. Just like in any other job, some people get along better than others. Hang in there, study hard and welcome to the wonderful world of nursing :)

:yelclap:

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

Don't forget that YOU play a big part in whether you will be mistreated or not. And know that not all workplaces are like that. But if you should find yourself in such a toxic environment, here are a few words of advice: Stay above the fray---if you refuse to get involved in the office politics, come to work every day, do your job well, and look OUTSIDE work for your friendships and social life, you're less likely to be caught up in the infighting and ugliness. Treat your co-workers with the same respect you yourself would appreciate; doing so doesn't always guarantee you'll receive it, but at least you'll sleep better at night knowing you've made the effort. And if you do find yourself in an intolerable situation, know that this is one of the greatest things about nursing: if you don't like one area, or if you land a stinker of a job, you can ALWAYS move on.

Best of luck to you. Don't listen to all the naysayers---much like life itself, a nursing career is what YOU make it.:)

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Specializes in ER.

Nurses as a whole eat their young. I don't know why but we do. That's part of the reason for the shortage. We tell people horror stories and scare them off. Nursing students and newbies get a miserable burnt out nurse as a preceptor and they get a rash of crap because they don't know the answer. And of course the idle gossip. That's everywhere.

I agree with Mjl, stay neutral and don't get involved. I love nursing but also get frustrated with it. Don't let your instructor discourage you. Also, it depends on where you work. I work with a great group of nurses but sometimes people just dont "play nice". It's what you make of it.

Good luck and don't worry, it's not THAT bad and if it is, as Mjl said, move on to somewhere else.

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To be honest this is why I work nights. Have for 12+ years including travel nursing. Females are jealous and it's weird. I worked in an urban city with a bunch of unwed mothers who HATED me because I was married with no kids yet. Went to a suburb of that SAME city through a local agency for extra $$$ and another group felt sorry for me because they were all married WITH children. Unfortunately THEY were also jealous because I was able to travel freely since I have no kids yet. Go figure. My best jobs have been with a male DON, male Unit Manager, and male coworkers when I was in corrections. If a man is out to get you he does it to your face and he wants you to KNOW that it's him. I prefer this out in the open method personally. I want to know where my enemies are coming from whenever possible.

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