Where are the professionals?

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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.

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.

Why did you have to include race?:confused:

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Why did you have to include race?:confused:

i'm thinking that the employer feared this woman playing the race card.

leslie

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Specializes in Health Information Management.
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.

I have to say I disagree with the idea that anytime you get women together, the middle school clique/gossip junk starts. It isn't exactly exclusive to women! Men do this all the time as well, in male-dominated and mixed fields, but for some reason, when they do it it isn't called "gossiping" and they aren't categorized as "catty!"

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In my last job the "administrator" socialized with the aide staff, went out drinking with them after work & even borrowed money from them! The aide staff would ask me to join them for these activities but I always declined, I did not want to have any part of that but it made me look like a bad guy, "stuck up", you know what I mean. Some aide staff would come to me even & complain when they couldn't get the money back that this administrator borrowed, all I could say was don't loan money to anyone (heck I didn't care anyway, wasn't my problem!). So I think professionalism that is lacking these days is everywhere; I choose to hold my head up & be the best I can be & not get suckered in!

Thanks,

Jerenemarie

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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.

It is not like this everywhere. My last job in LTC was as you described. Manager set the tone and loved the drama. My new job is so much better. Teamwork, support, etc. Manager again set the tone. I do think you have a right to expect that your coworkers treat you with respect. But if that isn't going to happen, it is time to move on, because things probably aren't going to change anytime soon.

Its hard to dismiss that other professionals have this issue, since none of us have experienced being a doctor, lawyer, etc.

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Specializes in Global Health Informatics, MNCH.
I have to say I disagree with the idea that anytime you get women together, the middle school clique/gossip junk starts. It isn't exactly exclusive to women! Men do this all the time as well, in male-dominated and mixed fields, but for some reason, when they do it it isn't called "gossiping" and they aren't categorized as "catty!"

I agree, when I worked in IT I was always the only woman but there was plenty of catty gossip and unprofessionalism.

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I wondered this myself about six months into the profession. As a person over 40 also, with a prior career in communications, I was shocked at the rudeness, the backstabbing and the unprofessionalism of nurses AND the managers I've had to work under. It truly IS different in this profession. Unless youv'e worked outside of it, you can't see the comparison.

I agree w/ Altra -- unprofessionalism and just pure brutishness seems to be rewarded in nursing. It's why a lot of us don't stick with nursing and just go on to other things. It's just a lot better elsewhere, and, sadly, if you've got other skills and the actual ABILITY to be professional -- you move on.

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Unfortunately being cooped up with the same people for 12+ hrs day in day out under stressful circumstances leads to a strange familiarity that I think is similar to a dysfunctional family. People share all of their personality disorders with their coworkers much like they do with a family. At least that's my opinion after doing it for 25 years.

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Unfortunately being cooped up with the same people for 12+ hrs day in day out under stressful circumstances leads to a strange familiarity that I think is similar to a dysfunctional family. People share all of their personality disorders with their coworkers much like they do with a family. At least that's my opinion after doing it for 25 years.

That doesn't make it right or acceptable, but it's happened everywhere I've ever worked.

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Unfortunately being cooped up with the same people for 12+ hrs day in day out under stressful circumstances leads to a strange familiarity that I think is similar to a dysfunctional family. People share all of their personality disorders with their coworkers much like they do with a family. At least that's my opinion after doing it for 25 years

I think you're onto something here. And the fact that nurses are basically oppressed with no control over their careers in any great way and you get that caged group mentality. Instead of turning on the external forces, they turn onto themselves. It's sad.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I think you're onto something here. And the fact that nurses are basically oppressed with no control over their careers in any great way and you get that caged group mentality. Instead of turning on the external forces, they turn onto themselves. It's sad.

Maybe you should have stuck it out a little longer. There are so many diffeent types of jobs in the field, you probably would have discovered something that met your needs. I really don't feel oppressed, and far from being in a "caged group", nursing is in reality one of the most flexible careers around, and until the last year or so, one that was consistently in demand. Sorry you had such a horrible experience.

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Specializes in Telemetry, Med-Surg, ED, Psych.

I agree with everything said on this post.

As I see it, Nursing needs a good kick in the pants. Nurse Managers are always talking about respect and teamwork. Its a load of you-know-what when I hear a nurse manager saying that - Mid level and upper level managers need to start leading by example --Tactful, Professional, Respectful, and Realistic.

If Managers do this it will help things out.

As far as bedside nursing and the drama at work, It gets on my last nerve. I am a professional and i treat my co-workers with utmost respect.

I think that there is a dying breed in healthcare these days. Gone are the days when a co-worker or manager would pull you aside to discuss an issue - Now, it seems that degrading, insulting and humiliating a person in front of your peers, patients and visitors is the trend.

I had a mid-level manager rip me a new one once in front of my entire unit over a very personal health-related issue. Imagine something like this at your place of employment - "Your call off last week for testicular cancer was bogus - If you have a problem with your peers you need to address it to them".

After a few more incidents with this old mid-level manager (involving myself and others) and after legal counsel was contacted this manager was terminated - reason (this is where it gets juicy): Fatal mis-administration of Potassium and cover up/blamegame, falsifying the MAR and charts.

She is doing time now - Don't drop the soap!

Karma works wonders!

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