Nurses rat on nurses

[rscarlatti]

I have noticed a disturbing trend amoung nurses. I am new to nursing so maybe I am wrong. Nurses seem not to have any loyality to each other. I have seen many nurses sell out, tell on, rat out, or whatever other description you would like to use. I am a male RN who has spent the last 7 years as a firefighter / Paramedic. I realize that the Fire service is not a fair comparison. Within the service there is a very strong tradition of not giving up your brother/sister firefighter. In nursing there seems to be no control on this behavior. The loyality to each other is stronger than any loyality to a system because you place your life in your fellow firefighters hands and the system can't do that for you. I have had feedback from others who attribute it to the fact that nursing is a female dominated profession but that does not feel right. Female firefighters adhere to the standards of silence as strongly as their male conterparts. I have also heard this tradition blamed on The Sisters of Mercy. That they began the tradition of loyality to the system over your fellow nurses and that it as well as eating our young is a legacy from them. I would like to here from other nurses male and female on this topic as well as some suggestions for change.

[baseline]

Yep. Both responses together would be correct!

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

At my last regular job (prior to traveling). The director was very biased. Some nurses were terrible and the UD blew it off. Others could have walked on water and still been written up for not attending enough staff meetings.

One of the Golden girls - made over 8 errors with narcotics - in 1 week (wrong drug given) - staff was held over at shift change for bad narc counts. She gave the wrong ABX three times - these incidents repeated themselves many times over several monthes - med error forms written repeated - the staff that complained, were told that they were being judgemental - nothing was done to the nurse.

It finally came down on her when she ran in a continuous day bag dose of chemo in 6 hours, at the detriment of the pt.

Yet, others get called on the carpet, for a pt being woken up for vitals "too many times" and the pt complains.

It is not ratting on anyone if the events being reported endanger the patient. And if someone is making a lot of "little" mistakes ...frequently that is leading up to a really big one on the horizon.

[Flynurse]

I think is all comes down to what we all learned in school....using your best judgement. Period!