Nurse's Gossiping!

Published

I recently started working pool at a new hospital and during the first week two nurses left or were fired from the unit and I won't disclose which. 

Anyway, immediately upon their leaving the rumor mill began, despite their previous reputations which I also won't disclose. Also, this hospital doesn't exactly have a stellar reputation, and the staff complain and hate working there, but all of that is completely repressed, so they can gossip. And, I actually don't even know these nurses! 

My parents are foreign and whenever I visit Europe which is frequently, I am always struck by how little gossip goes on and people basically just mind their own business or respect other people's business. 

Why are we so uncouth here? What is our obsession with pointing fingers and just being so very common and embarrassing? 

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Thread moved to Coffee Lounge as applies to society in general

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.

Gossip is human nature.  The Bible warns against it. 

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Almost as annoying as misplaced apostrophes! ? 

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
4 minutes ago, Lunah said:

Almost as annoying as misplaced apostrophes! ? 

Don’t you mean apostrophe’s? ??

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in oncology.
On 10/21/2021 at 6:05 AM, Curious1997 said:

My parents are foreign and whenever I visit Europe which is frequently, I am always struck by how little gossip goes on and people basically just mind their own business or respect other people's business. 

And no one in the UK gossips about the Royal Family?

25 minutes ago, Lunah said:

Almost as annoying as misplaced apostrophes! ?

Nurses are real people and nurses (plural) gossip!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Do you personally know members of the royal family? 

I'm referring to people we know and work with etc. 

It's actually painful to some people to be gossiped about because I've noticed it's almost always aimed at the vulnerable or different and it really isn't a nice trait. 

There's something about looking in the mirror etc etc? 

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatrics.

Gossip hurts other people, so I don't know why it is practiced so much. Human nature can be controlled is we set our minds to not do it.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×

Gossiping is sadly something that exists in any job or profession. In the end, it has more to do with the people that are engaging in it than with the people it is directed at. The best thing to do is to ignore it and try your best not to engage in it or even being around it. In my department, there is so much gossiping and by the time things filter down to me, it is usually old news by several weeks. Why is that? Because I don't engage in the gossip. Instead I focus on my work and try to physically distance myself from the talking. The reason why I do the latter is because there is a negative energy that you are exposed to when you are hanging around people engaging in such behaviors, even if you yourself are not engaging in the behaviors. You can internalize this negativity and it can have an impact on you, even if you think it doesn't.  Remember that gossiping is necessarily harmful to everyone and it says more about the people engaging in it than it does about the subject of the gossip. Generally those folks doing the gossiping are often bitter, jealous, and unhappy with their own lives and standing. Also they feel very self-important when they are flapping their gums.  And as I see it, it's their problem. Just focus on your job and what's great about how you perform your job. It's easier than its sounds and pretty soon the gossips fade into the background...where they belong. Also, another thing to remember is know who you can trust. Try to keep your cards close to your vest. Try to not to tell people too much about what is going on with you because that can also keep you in the gossip cycle. I'm not saying be anti-social, but try to maintain your privacy as best you can. Any excess information you tell them can become fodder for the gossips. 

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Private Duty Pediatrics.

One of the things that I used to love about working float (40 years ago) was that I stayed outside of the gossip and politics. They were just glad to see me. ?

 

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
On 2/24/2022 at 2:31 PM, Kitiger said:

One of the things that I used to love about working float (40 years ago) was that I stayed outside of the gossip and politics. They were just glad to see me. ?

 

AMEN! That's what I used to do, too! Two days on one floor, 2 days on a different floor. Less stress, too!

Once upon a time I went to the office of a well-known healthcare "Rent-a-Nurse" agency to apply for a job. As I was filling out the application, I couldn't help but hear the 'back office" where 3 or 4 employees were gossiping about this one and that one. They were hot into their 'discussion', and I couldn't help but hear them. I thought, "Wait a minute! I don't want to work for a place whose employees rip up other employees like that." I stood up, ripped up my application and tossed it in the wastebasket on my way out the door.

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion