Nursing is a profession built on compassion, respect, and care — not just for our patients, but for each other. When bullying happens among nurses, it breaks down the very foundation of what nursing stands for.
You may have forgotten, but every nurse was once a beginner. We all had shaky hands, unsure voices, and moments of doubt. No one becomes strong by tearing someone else down.
Bullying isn't leadership. It isn't toughness. It's a betrayal of the oath we took to advocate, support, and heal. When you bully, you create fear instead of teamwork, silence instead of learning, and pain where there should be encouragement.
"Nurses eat their young" should never be a tradition — it should be a warning that something needs to change.
If you've bullied someone, it's not too late to reflect, apologize, and do better. Real strength is shown in kindness. True leadership lifts others up.
Be the nurse you once needed. Be the colleague who heals with words, not wounds.
old article but relevant. Nurses don't eat their young. It's a nurses eat nurses. Any profession may put you in a place of being bullied unfortunately. From personal experience, every job I have had as a RN I've experienced bullying from different ages, races/ethnicities, genders, and positions. I have been undermined to the point of being terminated from a CNA who placed a needle and IV catheter in a PT's bed that already had a cvc, was never attempted to have an IV inserted, and had all medications running by gtt or via ogt. She went so far as to place syringes and IV insertion kits inside my lunch bag and state she saw me putting them in there when she was looking for me. Then another nurse who is part of her "clique" was informed (my assumption as they began speaking in their native language) and that RN told me she found medications at the bedside for my pt and she sent them to pharmacy to review if they were documented as administered. I hadn't left any medications nor administered any to that pt yet, but those medications were in the cassette for the pt not the Pyxis and she just placed them there (again this is what I gather because I saw them in the beginning of my shift and knew I had medications at 0900 and 1000 so was going to do them at 0900 and it was only 0815).
Nursing is getting more and more toxic. Protected yourself and your license. Don't engage with hostile people. Let them be. Do your job and focus on patients and quality care and let others be. Stay strong and we all need to work together respectfully.
Specializes in Emergency Department, Pediatrics, Wound Care, PACU.
Emergent said:
This post contains every buzzword. By the way, there are bullies in every profession. It's part of human nature. There are hierarchies that are part of who we are, they also exist in the animal kingdom.
There is no instant acceptance by any group. There is always an initiation period of time that one must endure. I've experienced it, for sure!
Incidentally, I've seen younger nurses form cliches and bully the older nurses. Good leadership helps, but good leaders are rare. And often those leaders are receiving pressure from on high. They're trying to secure their own futures, livelihoods, and place in our current system, which is very imperfect.
So, what you are saying is - bullying is normal, apart of "human nature" and endorse it? I think not. Hierarchy does not equal bullying, but outlines leadership roles. Also, we are not animals, so there's that. Also, not being accepted instantly is fine but should not justify people being directly malicious towards someone because they are new.
I'm sorry to be snippy and blunt but I disagree with the whole idea you have presented here. Bullying is specifically intentional and cruel. It is not the same thing as being mean because the person is stressed out.
I too have experienced bullying, I'm sure we all have. However, I take that as an experience I don't want a new nurse to the unit to have. I won't be participating in that behavior and in fact I have corrected coworkers for doing it! It's not right.
Dora1026, BSN, MSN, CRNA
3 Posts
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6716575/
old article but relevant. Nurses don't eat their young. It's a nurses eat nurses. Any profession may put you in a place of being bullied unfortunately. From personal experience, every job I have had as a RN I've experienced bullying from different ages, races/ethnicities, genders, and positions. I have been undermined to the point of being terminated from a CNA who placed a needle and IV catheter in a PT's bed that already had a cvc, was never attempted to have an IV inserted, and had all medications running by gtt or via ogt. She went so far as to place syringes and IV insertion kits inside my lunch bag and state she saw me putting them in there when she was looking for me. Then another nurse who is part of her "clique" was informed (my assumption as they began speaking in their native language) and that RN told me she found medications at the bedside for my pt and she sent them to pharmacy to review if they were documented as administered. I hadn't left any medications nor administered any to that pt yet, but those medications were in the cassette for the pt not the Pyxis and she just placed them there (again this is what I gather because I saw them in the beginning of my shift and knew I had medications at 0900 and 1000 so was going to do them at 0900 and it was only 0815).
Nursing is getting more and more toxic. Protected yourself and your license. Don't engage with hostile people. Let them be. Do your job and focus on patients and quality care and let others be. Stay strong and we all need to work together respectfully.