staying neutral in nursing ground zero

[GN1974]

Anyone else feel like everytime they are at work they are constantly politely changing the subject or avoiding the back stabbing, sarcasm, and pumped up egos? I am a new grad and find the way team members trash each other to mirror a bloody dog fight. I want to remain neutral...and I will if it kills me. People walk around with chips on their shoulders and matches to light sparks(to cause big fires)--UGGGHHH!!! Why do nurses chew their own???Why do people have such inflated egos and make mountains out of mole hills??? Maybe I will become rich and get outta nursing once I find the answer to these questions--and the solutions to effectively solve them(I am dreaming now.)

Maybe we can all make it a goal to become humbler, respectful, and support each other--Lord knows nursing isn't easy...and to pile more crap on it by picking away at each other is a shame! Yes, there are times I feel like doing a major smack down but instead I look at the person and give them a nice smile or compliment.

Thanks for reading my vent...I just sat through hours of he/she is this, that, and everything else. Seems like when your new everyone has a complaiant to "warn" you about another. I can make up my own mind and then keep it to myself--unless of course someone is causing undo harm to THE PATIENT!

Anyone else trying to remain neutral and dodging bullets???? Kudos to the many great nurses who bite their tongue for the sake of peace--and I know there are many out there!

Karen

[Demonsthenes]

The dichotomy between the work cultures of being a combat soldier in Vietnam and an RN is very dramatic.

Of course, in Vietnam we were all carrying deadly weapons and facing an aggressive hostile enemy. We depended on each other to act in an honorable,courageous,civil, and ethical manner in order to ensure our joint survival and the accomplishment of the mission. Instant justice for groups and or individuals, death, often resulted from not following these norms.

The economic, cultural, and political environment in nursing often denigrates these same values with instant death (discharge) facing nurses who demonstate the values requisite in combat.

The answer is to empower and to protect individual nurses legally from the unjust job related assaults (of an employment nature) of others (other employees, employers, patients).

The answer is to efficaciously protect the nurse and groups of nurses who seek to accomplish the goal of quality health care for patients through laws which accomplish the same.

I,personally, do not think that the same will be soon accomplished as the socio-political-economic environment of the USA prefers to view nurses and nursing as an economic means to an economic end with the concommitant unprinciples utilization of nurses to meet those ends without regard to the goal of appropriate health care for the patient. :angryfire

[SmilingBluEyes]

wow demon that sure was a mouthful. A lot of it way over my head rofl.

I just say this to everyone with this complaint:

It happens all over. Not just nursing! You can avoid it (the negativism) by refusing to participate yourself. NEVER entertain gossip about others---don't even listen to it. Change the subject if it starts or state you are uncomfortable discussing it and then move on. Be the person you want others to be. Be kind, be honest, have integrity, and the self-confidence to know you are doing the right things. If you have all that, you have the Kevlar suit that protects you from such negative karma and energy. You get what you put out----really. I have learned that the hard way. If you want good things, give good things. It comes back to you. The ones who remain negative and difficult, you can't change. Don't try. Just stay above board and do your job. You are not there to make friends. If you do, great. If not, you must remember you do have a life outside work.

Good luck and don't let em get you down.

[SmilingBluEyes]

one more thing: if the workplace you are in is truly toxic, you may want to consider another position. There is better out there. You won't change truly toxic people or workplaces singlehandedly. Don't waste energy or time trying. You deserve better.

[pricklypear]

one more thing: if the workplace you are in is truly toxic, you may want to consider another position. There is better out there. You won't change truly toxic people or workplaces singlehandedly. Don't waste energy or time trying. You deserve better.

That's so true. Good advice. Toxic people are rarely very helpful, either. Much more likely to let you sink in a crisis. I avoid gossip and stuff like that usually by giving some neutral answer - or just taking myself off somewhere else with my chart.

[barefootlady, ADN, RN]

Is it my personal experience or are managers promoting toxic atmosphere's more than ever? That way the focus is off lack of staff, shoddy supplies, and poor benefits. Just an observation over the last 5 years.

[SmilingBluEyes]

Managers are often between the proverbial rock and hard place, you know. We can't lay all the blame at their feet. It would be unfair. Unsupportive money-grubbing administrators and toxic doctors/practioners don't help their plight at all. I can't say I would EVER want to be a nurse-manager in today's hospital environment.

[pricklypear]

I think it is a lack of manager involvement in conflict issues. These days it seems like the usual practice is 'you people need to settle this amongst yourselves' That works great for those of us who are capable of being self-diciplined - but what about the people who are still at a 7y/o stage of development? They seem to keep doing whatever they want until someone "of authority" steps in. It's a free-for-all.