Where are the professionals?

[mswim]

I thought when I became a nurse that I would be working with a group of adults that were professional. I am younger than most of my coworkers. I am amazed. We had nurse that had a disagreement with another nurse. Spent all of shift report making nasty comments about that other nurse, as well as others on the floor. She then did not speak to any of us for the rest of the shift. Then today 2 nurses stayed over to for our shift from doing a 12 hour shift, and then proceeded in front of me to make negative comments about how my shift is Lazy, and whiny. After I reminded them that I was still standing "there". There reply was "we know". This is only the stuff I have to write in the past 3 days. Why can't we all be professionals? Why can't we stop picking on each other, and start making constructive comments and talking to each other with respect? Our jobs our stressful enough, I have no tolerance for this behavior that makes things worse. Another interesting thing I have noticed is that it is not the new nurses, it is mostly nurses that have been there for a long time. I left high school a long time ago, I don't really relish the idea of going back. Why are we our own worst enemies? The staff cutting, the calling off, the demanding patient's at time these are things we cannot do anything about. Our behavior is something we control.

[CranberryMuffin]

There are a lot of factors that contribute to unhappy work environments like this. I'm imagining that one or more of the following may be at play here:

- Constantly, daily stress

- Staff feeling disempowered

- Lack of good leadership

- Lack of enough staff (if people are having to stay over to work consistently)

- Lack of adequate compensation or recognition

Obviously I don't know all the details, but these are enough factors to equate a pretty unhappy workplace. There's not much you can personally do except to stick up for yourself and not allow yourself to get sucked into the negativity. I've worked in multiple units in the same hospital system, and let me tell you that there is a radical difference among different units, all due to the above factors. There are units where I would love love love to work. There are others in which I would gouge my eyes out if forced to work there. My advice to you is to get out and move to another unit as soon as possible. An alternative would be to stay and work on creating positive change, but as a new(er) nurse, it may be hard to get people to change and take you seriously. Most of the time in those situations, change has to come from above.

[Sowinsis]

Hey,

I am moonlighting a a hospital as a unit secretary as I go through nursing school. The problem is with the supervisors in charge. In my hospital, several directors, charge nurses, and nursing supervisors take the time to tell people that they are going great, working hard and it is a hour to hour communication. I work surgery floor where there is so much turnover. They actually hired a PR nurse supervisor to keep the relations and stress down. This is what it takes to help women work together. I hope that your unit learns the art of positive praise. You could start it and speak privately to your supervisor about staff morale.

[lorazepam]

Hrm...this issue should be reported, because it has the potential to affect patient care if people are not working together. If the entire unit/shift fails to provide excellent customer service to their peers/co-workers, this could possibly reflect onto the patients. AND! If you have a "manipulative" patient, you're going to have BIG, BIG problems if they catch on to the staff not working as a unit.

I recommend reporting this, try to do it annonymously. Administration is thinking HCAHPS and they need people to work as if they worked for Disneyland because hospitals need to get their reimbursement!

Also, I'm sorry that this is your impression of the "seasoned nurses". It really isn't like that everywhere. Maybe its a good thing you're encountering it now, since you're young. I was the youngest nurse in a specialty hospital working on the unit with the SICKEST patients. Nurses eat their young! Maybe they're trying to get a feel for you. Tell yourself you're better than the ******** at work. And de-stress when you're home! It helps me to run/jog and the situation at work bothers me less.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

Trust me, this is the real world. You guys need to get this concept out of your head that nursing is a holy calling and everybody is out there to help the sick and bla bla. Its cut throat. People are out there for themselves only. You have to look out for yourself and do your best. I prefer to be friendly and get along with everyone which makes the night go by easier. You can do your part and conduct yourself like a professional and hopefully people will treat you like one.

As I am over 40, I have been well-acquainted with the real world for quite some time now. My expectation that people act like adults who have basic good manners and social skills has nothing to do with any Mother Theresa complex.

In various industries I worked in in my first career, a lack of interpersonal skills meant you would spend your career in some back-end job out of sight, if not unemployed altogether. In health care, bad interpersonal skills seem to be frequently rewarded.

I can't figure it out.

[Zookeeper3]

I could give you a whole speal on how you can stay and change the culture by saying... "Your negative comments need to be said to the person you have an issue with, not their peers",...."when you make comments like that it encourages others to back stab and that works against us all as a team". even... "if you haven't had the guts to speak to this person in private, how dare you bring your issues to our team".

Well now, I could lecture that one person can work to change a culture. You have a choice here. Make your stand and demand better from your peers. Or know if you shut up and put up you're part of the problem.

I have no issue stopping that behavior, I simply have no tolerance for it in my peers whom I love and support. True it only takes one person to make that change.

You are either willing to dig your heels in because you like where you are and want the change, or you'll need to move on to another area where others have already done so.

It's that simple, know that the hard choice is usually the right one, but you still may end up blackballed and make no change because the culture is so toxic and accepted.

If you choose to fight this one, I applaud you, we all need to do more for each other and demand better from our peers in that type of environment.

Only you know if the fight is worth it. I wish you well.

[mswim]

In response to some of the posts that this exists in other industries I am well aware. I have worked in the restaurant business, as well as psych tech. I agree with those that stated this problem exists in restaurants as well. But I don't think of servers, bussers, and line cooks as professionals. Also in response to it being the same in retail, this is not meant to be offensive but I don't consider other than management at retail, to be a professional job. Also I hope you can ponder for a minute that you are now comparing nursing behavior which involves a degree, and a responsibility for someone else's health and well being, to a person working retail, or a waitress. I don't think that the two are in the same job category. No I am sorry but I will expect my co-workers to be professional. I also have already secured other employment. Please understand, I don't expect superhuman behavior. I have gotten upset at work. I just did not make a scene for an entire 8 hour shift and not speak to anyone. In response to taking on this behavior. This is not the first time this has happened. Several of the nurses like to give the new nurses a hard time and I have heard them discussing me while i was still there and confronted them in a professional manner. Not easy to do. I just feel like this is overwhelming problem at this point, which is why I am leaving. I am just hoping it is not like this everywhere. I guess this is my point. I am shocked. I have worked in several other positions including a restaurant(and for those of you who worked in one you know the unprofessional behavior that happens there.) the behavior from other nurses is shocking in comparison. Management does set the tone. Our manager just happens to be too nice.

[Zookeeper3]

My nursing friend, than it is time to move on. I swear to you not all nursing environments are like yours, mine is wonderful. We do trash talk each other out loud to complain... but we know that if it something that needs to be said, is said person to person.

We may joke... "now your pulling a chris"... meaning calling the doc before thinking it through... but chris is well aware that we are working on her skill to manage a situation before calling a doc.. and she dang well knows to check with senior staff before doing so. Do you see the difference? We may rag on each other without each others presence even, but the joke is well known as well as the meaning and it's done lovingly. That's as bad as we roll.

If this fight isn't yours, I feel for your search.... because comfort in what you know.. is comfort, period. There are wonderful places out there I wish for your to find your home that fits your work culture. It may take several tries. but until you leap, you'll always be there miserable and missing what is out there. It is there I promise.

[TDCHIM]

I don't think anyone intended to compare the duty level or required skill involved in nursing to that necessary for front-line retail or restaurant jobs. However, there are some issues that are universal, regardless of the type of job. Professionalism is a matter of how you comport yourself while working; there are waitresses who are professional and there are nurses who simply aren't. You certainly aren't out of line to expect other nurses to act like professionals, but the issue of coworkers acting unprofessionally is one that occurs in every business, at every level. I can give personal testimony about journalism, which requires a minimum of a bachelor's degree, having similar problems. Again, it fluctuates based on what the management at an individual business, department, or unit will allow. If the managers are uninvolved, overly permissive, or playing doormat in an attempt to be friends with everyone there, unprofessional behaviors will often take root. If management makes it clear that such behavior is unacceptable and backs up that stand with action, that type of behavior will be kept to a minimum. Education doesn't eliminate unprofessional behavior, unfortunately.

[nervousnurse, ASN]

mswim....I hope your new position finds you with co-workers like mine.....we get along very well, and MOST of the time, we are NICE to eachother !!! Of course it's not perfect and of course we gossip sometimes, and sometimes people might have an argument, but it is RARE. Otherwise, we truly do help eachother and we are also NICE to new nurses! (at least MOST of us are!!) Nursing is sooo stressful that if I experienced what you have, I probably would've had to leave, too! However, if you REALLY like the actual job, maybe you'll be able to stick it out and just IGNORE the idiots!!! Good Luck whatever you do!

[ImaWonderer]

Honestly I think anytime you get a group of women together this is the the type of stuff that happens........regardlss of the industry. I am female (not a nurse) lets face it this happens all the time.

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

no, i disagree 50caliber... you do not see this type of behavior in all work settings. i have never worked in other industries where i have heard people (within ear shot) gossiping about me. i have never worked with people prior to nursing who confront me in front of customers (patients in our case). i have never seen the bold display of disrespect or insults toward co-workers within the work place when i worked in two other industries.

i've experienced that in every job i've had. i also experienced it in clinicals. some people never leave middle school. it's one reason i keep a firewall between my personal life and my work life.

one of the worst workplace bullies i ever encountered was a black woman who had sued her previous employer for unlawful termination. i don't know what the outcome was, but she made sure everyone knew about it. hr wouldn't touch her, no matter what she did.

[PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN]

I bet they were a bunch of women.

Need I explain further?