I found throughout nursing school and working in the hospital that alot of nurses seem to be crabby and often talk nasty stuff about their coworkers and I find it very petty. Is this a way of relieving stress or what? The bad attitudes of many nurses(there are some nice ones) is one of the reasons why I'm dreading the thought of going back to work. The nurses "eating their young" is such a horrible situation to be in, and I'm about to face it. In addition to what I've seen and experienced, there are some posts that I've been reading lately just on all nurses that brought back memories. Alot of these posts included so much bitterness and nastiness that it makes me sick.
I'm studying for my NCLEX exam at the moment. How can I tolerate certain people? How can I tolorate the nastiness and gossip that I've seen over the last few years? I wish this stuff doesn't bother me but it does.
Btw, I don't expect nurses to act all "hunky dory" and happy all day, but I'm talking about the ones(many) who are hardly ever nice, especially to students and new nurses.
I just needed to get this off my chest...maybe this is all I need...either way I gotta deal with it.
One of the main reason I have worked agency for 20+ years- to stay out of the politics and pettiness.
I have seen very good working environments, with good, friendly nurses who just want to do their job and get along. Most of the floor staff attitudes seem to reflect administration's attitudes. Management sets a tone. I believe poor work ethics and poor attitude must be stopped immediately, any tolerance just seems to be taken as encouragement from the perpetrator (for lack of a better word). Give them an inch...
Good, honest, hardworking employees leave, and that is when the problems really start.
And its the patients that suffer in the end, I think. Unfortunately it doesn't seem like management cares. Its all about the budget but that is a totally different topic ...
Specializes in trauma, ortho, burns, plastic surgery.
Sunny just an advice... don't rise your expectancies to not have desilusions. Nurses gossips, always, students gossips, doctors do it, everybody do it...Why? Because is their style! Not try to understand them is just how they are! Keep you life closed fallow your path and yes you are ALONE if you are not like them, Is your choice!
You say that you find nurses who work in the hospital are crabby. I think that this may have more to do w/ working conditions rather than working w/ a certain gender or anything else. I too at one point thought like you, generalizing nurses and their bad attitudes. I found though that nursing is a stressful job and one that we don't get paid enough for or are recognized for. And I suspect you will find this out in your first year of nursing. There are some days when I am mentally and physically pushed to my limit, and yes I may be crabby to those around me. It is nothing personal, anyone in the given circumstance would feel that way and may react that way. Not every day is like that and then I am the picture of kindness, those days are great. But sometimes its just "one of those days", and depending on the area that you go into those days might be more frequent. At this point don't worry about it though, in the beginning you will have rough days-just know that. Find something fun to do on your days off, find a hobby. You HAVE to have a life outside your job. Take care.
The nurses and NA's on my unit gossip a lot. I don't care what they say about me. I go there to do my job as best as I can and I NEVER take my work home with me. The way I see it, if some is gossiping all the time about other peopel, then they must not like who and where they are in life.
Ha! I know exactly what you mean....although I know that in any setting where you have a large group of women co-workers, there's always gonna be some nasty ones, it seems that nurses in particular can be that way. When I first started fresh out of school, I was so stressed out by this, maybe because I'm always the "nice" one, but as I kept dealing with it day after day, I think one day I just snapped:banghead: and started giving those bit*#es a piece of my mind. After that week was over, I noticed I didn't really let it bother me anymore, I remembered my main focus is the patients and kind of blocked out the rest of the drama at work, cuz hey, who the hell needs more drama in their life anyway, right?
Hmmm... this may get me in trouble but.. I have lived and worked in the north and the south and people gossip everywhere. In the south they just slop sugar to your face while they're twisting the knife. Yankees don't take the time. I prefer to know where I stand.
I also have found that working with mostly men is better for me. Much less drama and bloodletting. Brought me back to loving nursing. Oh well. I think the high stress level of some nursing units accounts for alot of it. You just can't work that long and that hard with so many roadblocks without it occassionally getting to you.
I agree too that agency work keeps you above alot of it, but that isn't an option for the OP and difficult in these uncertain times. ( Unless of course you are wealthy and just practice nursing for the fun of it!!)
I am usually very cheerful, but I do 'discuss' issues. Especially when I am relief charge I talk with other seasoned nurses maybe re newer nurses. ("I can't believe she did this, I told her this, what else should I tell her to get her to be more therapeutic/streamlined?"). There is a difference between venting and gossiping though. I love all the pp I work with. Some of them just annoy me for different reasons, just as I annoy them. It usually starts with "I can't believe. i.e., 'she thought humalog and regular were the same insulin--she had the humalog drawn up and was going to give it when the order was for regular and she didn't seem WORRIED when I corrected her like oh it wouldve been no big deal or something like that!" THAT worries me and I feel that if a nurse is working on our floor that is iffy then I worry if I leave for lunch and she could be giving my pt meds while I am gone (PRNs). Then it isn't venting or gossip. That can be other relief charge nurses business I think esp if the nurse was new that was being discussed. More eyes and ears the better I say...."this is what I saw, see how she does tomorrow when you are in charge...." Remember it isn't always gossip or even venting but 'giving a heads up' to other nurses. It is about the patients then.
I am usually very cheerful, but I do 'discuss' issues. Especially when I am relief charge I talk with other seasoned nurses maybe re newer nurses. ("I can't believe she did this, I told her this, what else should I tell her to get her to be more therapeutic/streamlined?"). There is a difference between venting and gossiping though. I love all the pp I work with. Some of them just annoy me for different reasons, just as I annoy them. It usually starts with "I can't believe. i.e., 'she thought humalog and regular were the same insulin--she had the humalog drawn up and was going to give it when the order was for regular and she didn't seem WORRIED when I corrected her like oh it wouldve been no big deal or something like that!" THAT worries me and I feel that if a nurse is working on our floor that is iffy then I worry if I leave for lunch and she could be giving my pt meds while I am gone (PRNs). Then it isn't venting or gossip. That can be other relief charge nurses business I think esp if the nurse was new that was being discussed. More eyes and ears the better I say...."this is what I saw, see how she does tomorrow when you are in charge...." Remember it isn't always gossip or even venting but 'giving a heads up' to other nurses. It is about the patients then.
I agree with above, sometimes we ask each other what has their experience been with so and so as I can say I am at my wits end as to how to keep the patient safe and the new or unsafe nurse from doing any harm. I recall someone who truly did not appear to understand the difference of humalog insulin versus regular and thought it no big deal either. Ok everyone can make a mistake it wasn't given to the patient wrongly , just initially drawn up wrong. When it happens twice, I have to ask someone else okay, what am I doing wrong in teaching this person , what are your ideas? Or have you had the same problem with them?
meadow85
168 Posts
And its the patients that suffer in the end, I think. Unfortunately it doesn't seem like management cares. Its all about the budget but that is a totally different topic ...