Nursing is a Small World

You are exactly right, and that's an important thing to remember.

I recall being v. amused, when I was in a brick & mortar BSN completion program at the local state uni many years ago, by the behavior of the "generic," traditional BSN students (with whom we BSN-completion students were in some classes). They felt quite comfortable letting everyone know that they thought it was somehow inappropriate and unacceptable that they should have to be in classes with us (to the point of complaining bitterly and openly to the faculty about this), and they were extremely patronizing and condescending to us. You know, we're fresh and bright and smart, and we know everything worth knowing, and you all are just a bunch of tired, useless, old hags who couldn't possibly know anything useful (please note, I'm in no way suggesting that that description applies to nursing students in general; I'm just commenting on the behavior I observed from most of that specific group of nursing students in that specific setting). What they couldn't be bothered to find out before they got their panties in a wad about how terrible it was that they had to share a classroom with us, and how that was somehow damaging or diminishing their own education (I never really did figure that part out), was that many of the BSN-completion students were, in fact, the majority of the nurse managers from the various inpatient units of the local hospital system. That organization had decided to go to an "all-BSN" management model (this was many years ago), and all the ADN-prepared nurse managers were told that they had until X date to get a BSN, or else they'd have to step down from their NM positions. As a result, they all trooped down to the local uni and signed up for the BSN completion program. When we broke into small groups for the various classroom activities, we used to talk about how dumb and short-sighted this behavior was on the part of the students; and I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when that group of students graduated and started job-hunting -- and found themselves sitting across the desk, in interviews, from the same people they had been so nasty to so many times in class ...

The nurse who never arrived less than 40 minutes late for day shift was thoroughly discussed when she tried to go back to a former employer when layoffs were implemented. Her poor employee behavior regarding punctuality prevented her from getting a job in at least one instance. Nursing is a small world permeated by talk amongst a defined set of nursing powers.

It doesn't extend just to nurses. At one point in time I was a measly little no-degree-having receptionist and then referral coordinator at a multi-surgeon's office. I was treated beyond horribly when I was suddenly let go from that facility with genuinely no cause given for my termination...I was never written up. I had never had complaints about performance. I was never late. In fact, I say without guile or self inflation that I was above average at my job. It was a political firing, something to do with the partnership entity that took over my role and their relationship with the surgeon group. It took them going through four individuals to replace me. There were ten surgeons to be taken care of and the job was high stress and high volume. My first "replacement" arrived to my office before I had even been told I no longer had a job. We were both very embarrassed. I was personally also humiliated. I was told it was for the best. They were right on that score.

I will never know what really happened there...but I can tell you....I have come a dramatically long way since then and I have many advanced contacts in our community. I will never. EVER. refer a patient, colleague or business entity to deal with that particular surgery group. Ever.

Don't just treat the big people or even people lateral to you well. Treat everyone well. You never know who they may become.