smini

Next time she does something like that, look her straight in the eye, and in a loud voice, say "Get your hands off me NOW!” And continue to look her straight in the eye. Don't back down. People like this are bullies and they need to be put in their place. If she continues to make a scene, tell her the next time she lays a hand on you, you WILL report her to management for battery. Keep looking her in the eye to make your point. I'm sorry you are going through this at work, but NO ONE should EVER be treated like this in the workplace. When I worked as a nurse, I used to be timid and was bullied. I now work in a manufacturing/factory environment and have learned very quickly how to stand up for myself and to tell others off who think they can push me around. Believe me, it only takes a few times doing things like this to get people step back, back off, and think twice before they act like jerk. Hang in there, you've got this!

You’re feeling this way for a reason. If you were truly happy with nursing you wouldn’t be thinking about a career change. I know everyone here is saying to stick it out, but it’s been my experience when you do this, in the end, you end up more miserable and it affects you in more ways than one. Go for the tech job. If it’s not for you, you can always go back to nursing, but at least you’ll know. I left nursing for a tech job and am so thankful I did and I’ve never looked back.

I’m sorry you are having to go through this. It’s one of the things I really dislike about nursing and it seems to be a prevalent problem in our profession. Bullying and abusive behavior has no place in the workplace and should not be tolerated. Unfortunately, I’ve found that in the healthcare industry, what should happen and what happens in real life are usually completely opposite of each other. I have worked with some amazing nurses who really took the time to teach and encourage me, and I’ve also worked with nurses who were abusive and had no business being in a preceptor/education role. Your situation really resonated with me because I too, was in a situation where I was being bullied and treated badly in the workplace. In my situation, the treatment and statements directed at me were abusive and could be interpreted as harassment. This went on for several weeks, and I finally got to a point where I felt the treatment from this individual was affecting me and my ability to do my job. In my situation, I made the decision to file a complaint with my manager and HR. Unfortunately, I’ve found that management doesn’t really know how to handle these situations and would rather sweep it under the rug. The bully denied everything and then tried to turn the tables on me and make false accusations against me. As time went on, I found that if I did not feed into this individual’s game, this person eventually realized that I was not going to take the bait, and then the incentive to continue to bully me was gone. In the end, I ended up leaving this facility, as it became evident that I was not going to receive any support from management, and I refused to work for an organization that treats its people like it did. I know how frustrating this must be for you, as I felt many of the feelings that you have expressed. Trust your gut and your intuition in this situation. We all can share our suggestions and input, but ultimately you will know what you need to do. Hang in there! We’re here to support you.

I empathize with your situation, as I went through a very similar situation. My advice to you is to get out of there ASAP. They are gunning for you. I’m sorry you have had to go through this, but you deserve better than this facility, which obviously has some management issues.

A new nurse from nursing school should not be expected to work a full load and work at the pace of experienced nurses. To expect otherwise is messed up. Go to management and reiterate to them what they promised you at your interview: that you would be working side by side with a preceptor. If they don’t follow through, get outta there and find another job. It is not worth putting your license in jeopardy.