'Us and Them' mentality

[Michelle123]

I'm concerned with the 'us and them' mentality between the wards and emergency at my hospital. I'm just wondering if it's just me or does it happen in other areas? It feels like I am always inconvienincing them when I take a pt up. We get icy reception and the poor pt often feels like they shouldn't be there. I feel really embarrassed to be there. Don't they realise we are all there for the same reason, and we are all busy. We should be supporting each other. Or is it just me?

[NO50FRANNY]

Frankly, the "Us Vs Them" mentality, nurses eating each other (not just their young) and punitive management are my most despised aspect of nursing work. Nothing boils my blood more than members of a health care team attacking each other before considering each others' circumstances. I am guilty of being on the attack myself, but largely, at the bottom of this hostility is a team that is understaffed, under-resourced and under pressure. We are members of an emotionally and physically taxing, and often thankless profession. Sometimes frustration simply gets the better of us and assigning blame is our easiest option or outlet, it's just mislaid. I consider myself lucky to have worked in the wards for 10 years, I've walked that mile in the other's shoes and it truly helps when I need to transfer/handover a patient. I know how to make sure that the pt. is as well "packaged" as they can be.

Emergency nurses bring work to a ward/floor nurse who is more often than not already incredibly busy. If the pt. I bring up hasn't had certain things done it creates more pressure and hostility understandably evolves. Facilities create animosity by placing unrealistic demands on nurses who are expected to give far more than they are reasonably capable of, then encourages them to report each other when mistakes are made. Emergency nurses in my city often treat ambulance crews appallingly and I have heard stories of such blatant rudeness I am ashamed. The principle is the same, they bring us more work that we can't manage. I once delivered a pt. to a surg floor and the three nurses at the nurses station saw us, literally turned their backs, and walked away, one even rolled her eyes. The pt. asked me if she could come back downstairs with me. Everyone loses out when this sort of toxic rubbish goes on, especially the patient. I honestly believe that the only way to fix this entrenched mentality is to encourage nurses to work in both environments, it's the only way that we can truly understand each other.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

I worked the floor before ER. It messed me up because on the floor I had a set plan and knew how long most things should take and a schedule. When you got the call for an admit, it threw a huge wrench into the mix and messed up your flow and were always playing catch up. I knew that was the nature of it though. The pt has to go somewhere. Now I love taking pts up when the nurses are nice to me on the phone when giving report. I will gladly take them up myself, get them to the new bed, hook them up whatever. It shouldnt be an us vs them, help each other out.