This probably will come across to most of you as a typical vent, but its not

Lev, MSN, RN, NP · Dec 16, 2014

While I know this happens, it is not the same everywhere. To escape it you just need to find a new job. Meanwhile, just keep your mouth closed and ears open.

loriangel14, RN · Dec 16, 2014

You need to find a different job. It's not like that everywhere. I work with a great bunch of people and we work as a happy team.

Dyoshirn · Dec 16, 2014

Me too. I love my job. All the nurses are wonderful. (Except one, but she's not a mean girl, she is just lazy and I hate lazy nurses) We gel well, as they say it. You gotta find another workplace and leave those haters behind.

TriciaJ, RN · Dec 16, 2014

Yup. It's not a nursing thing. It's the culture that's evolved in your workplace. Probably a function of weak leadership. A good New Year's resolution would be to get out of Dodge. Good luck!

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Dec 16, 2014

Maybe you need to look at a different position. Maybe you would like to be in management so that you can deal with the unit culture and try to change it.

Maybe a nurse educator so that you can mold nurses into a different mind-set.

When nurses are over worked and under appreciated, (which 10-12 years ago, one would never think this would ever be the case) bad behavior comes out ten fold. Doesn't excuse adults who are in charge of patients life and health, however, it does happen.

As an experienced nurse, perhaps now is the time to think about how you can make the old school into the new school.

Best wishes!

klone, MSN, RN · Dec 16, 2014

You need to find a different job. It's not like that everywhere. I work with a great bunch of people and we work as a happy team.

Agree with this! Not every environment is like this (although in my experience, it was more likely to be the case in inpatient hospital units where there were a lot more nursing staff).

And on the flip side, this behavior occurs EVERYWHERE, not just in the field of nursing.

Tenebrae, BSN, RN · Dec 18, 2014

I agree with the others. Focus on keeping your head down and finding something different.

My first job out of nursing school was district nursing which I did and still love. Unfortunately we are a national organization and one of the executive management team decided to use our office as a human petri dish. Play around with proceedures and things and see what happens.

What happened was that in the 3 and 1/2 months this persons been there 20 or more people have resigned.

The culture went from one of support and guidance to one where bullies thrived.

I still love my job, I needed to do something different for my sake.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Dec 21, 2014

Feeling conflicted about anything in life is stressful enough. Feeling conflicted about choosing nursing as my career is one of the most frustrating things I've had to face in life thus far.
I love being a nurse. It's fulfilling and I truly love everything it encompasses related to the patient and care. I do not love the crap that comes along with being a nurse. The politics, the cliques, the gossip, being crucified for everything you say no matter what it is by your coworkers. I strongly dislike the fact that no matter where you go, nurses can't seem to stop themselves from acting like mean girls and just constantly pick one another apart behind each other's backs and sometimes harshly to their faces. No one is trustworthy. No one is a team anymore and if someone helps you in the work setting it comes with a price. If you can't help at that moment you become shunned.
I am not a catty or malicious person by nature, so these things make me second guess my career choice every day. Feeling conflicted is not how I imagined I would feel today if you asked me years ago when I chose nursing.

The "crap that comes along with being a nurse" is just the crap that comes along with having a real job. Politics, cliques and gossip occur in every workplace. "Being cruicified for everything you say" sounds like a gross exaggeration, and perhaps you need to reflect upon what you are contributing to all of these negative interactions you seem to be having with coworkers. If you're not willing to behave as part of a team -- and that includes participating in some harmless gossip, willingness to chat at lunch or on breaks, and helping others out when they need it -- you cannot expect teamwork when YOU need it.

HeartRN13 · Jan 6, 2015

You are right ruby I have considered these things. I definitely try to lend a hand and be a team player in all facets of the implication, but maybe I'm an idealist. It just seems that there is far too much attitude and lack of kindness, as well as lack of empowerment.

One of the posters above did mention the lack of leadership and I am kind of realizing now, that it certainly plays a role. I know I don't stand alone in my feelings, because if you look up the reviews of this particular facility I am referring to, the patient satisfaction and care are not very highly rated. To me, attitude is such a vital part of the inpatient and critical care setting. I guess I am just feeling discouraged because I hold true to the reasons why I became a nurse, and I feel like I'm a hopeful and cheerful, optimistic and driven nurse in an environment that everyone is jaded.

HeartRN13 · Jan 6, 2015

And an additive, I haven't had any negative interactions with coworkers in quite some time. I have learned in my experience how to assimilate into the "nursing culture" and also how to keep my input to myself unless asked. When I mentioned crucifying people for what they say or do, I was more referring to what I've witnessed coworkers do to each other, not what has been in my recent personal experiences. It was more of post of observation rather than experience.

Libby1987 · Jan 10, 2015

There's a lot of overstatement in your post, is it really no one, everyone, everything, constantly, no matter..?