At a new job and once again I am seeing, seemingly for the umpteenth time, some very negative, destructive and disruptive behavior being displayed by a predominantly representative cultural group.
Before you all jump down my throat screaming racism, let's be real here. I'm well aware *anyone* is capable of negative behavior. I'm well aware all groups, ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, what-have-you, have their weaknesses and foibles. I am a member of a marginalized ethnic group myself. I'm not a bigot. I'm not intolerant or anti-immigrant. I'm a big fat brown leftist. I love the melting pot and the rainbow coalition as much as any dumb liberal, I am not special.
But why....WHY do I consistently see the same group of people seemingly causing so much trouble and heartache in the nursing profession? Over and over I see it demonstrated again, across environments and specialties. For years!!! The drama. The soap operas. The back stabbing. The trash talking. The secrets. The cliques. The passive aggressiveness. The insults. The mind games. The personality conflicts. The abuse of power. The speaking of languages other than English in front of co-workers, patients and families who don't understand. The rudeness!!!!
And this is from people who are intelligent, educated and articulate citizens of society!
I am fed up with how pervasive this behavior has become. It has become so commonplace that the detrimental affects of it are now just accepted, tolerated.....and in some workplaces......embraced........
Don't people see what stereotypes they are? Is there no reflection? Why is this so difficult to talk about without it erupting into emotional and accusatory conflict?
In case you didn't read my most recent post, I said that management is also part of this group and blatantly plays favorites. And contributes to this whole mess more than anyone. There are no easy answers.
I did read it. Still and all . . . . . management needs to fix it. If not, their managers need to fix it. Keep going up the ladder.
The original post addresses the very strong negative behaviors which re-occur daily. Human relations are always an unknown paradigm. perhaps signaled by the root suspicion and innate fear of not being accepted, being misunderstood ( deliberately or otherwise) - all of which can be possibly related to our human ancestors -thousands of years ago, when newcomers were perceived as a threat. As a so -called advanced society, most of us learn how to dodge bullets ( real and imagined) and to act as responsible professionals with dignity and pride in our practice.
Many of the above negative behaviors are not addressed because as nurses we are totally focused on being accountable in our actions delivering safe, legal quality care. The aspect of bullying is really the undercurrent being discussed and has pervaded nursing for many decades. It is the most destructive, immoral behavior and does nothing to maintain professionalism, rather it blocks and blinds those who are bullying and promotes fear and high levels of anxiety in the victims. Cultural groups have always ganged up on those who are less represented. Nursing research, nurse managers have never been able to address this phenomenon and the denial and inability to address it further feeds this vicious cycle. . Is it induced by the very fact that caregivers are not taught to self care to be able to cope with almost inhuman stress occurring in healthcare today- nursing is about giving care, but does not address the emotional drain from constant giving and caring for others. From another perspective, can we ask if this behavior stems from a deficit in learning or fear of openly acknowledging this painful process at levels top down throughout the nursing ranks..
It must also be remembered that those who bully usually align with others with similar deficits in cognitive behavior and weak egos - which results in a self feeding process spiraling out of control. Why is it globally that there is such a nursing shortage today. Bullying in any form from despotic dictators to the nurse working with patient care, all have similar outcomes, tragic loss of personnel, of life at times and loss of practiced skillful professionals who refuse to be part of a dysfunctional group.
Questions of culture and language within a limited group become weapons of power to reinforce a sense of power in any particular ethnic group, often preceived rather than real.. . The over arching question is how can it be addressed and will it be addressed. Can nursing education actually develop a course for nurses to assist in defusing such behavior presenting evidence as to why it occurs and how it can be addressed through self reflection. Can nurse managers be better trained in conflict recognition and resolution with specalist support. Confluct among human beings will always exist in varying degrees. With that in mind, nursing professionals are challenged to find a better way.
Yes, there are courses for this called Leadership and Management, which is offered as a requirement to attain a BSN. This is a "skill," and not inherently mastered, which means that ongoing classes in support by upper management/corporation is a MUST!! Some hospitals hire ADNs and lesser degree/certificates, and use them as CN or unit managers, which could potentially be a problem due to lacking the essential learned skills to properly manage a unit, which could possibly be the problem in @mclennan's situation--lacking these "learned skills". BSN trained nurses are well aware of the various techniques and theories to deal with conflict or proper management, but may or may not choose to use them, as compared to a lesser degreed nurse, who may not have any idea of what I'm talking about. Please pick up this book, "Leadership Roles and Management functions in Nursing" by Bessie L. Marquis and Carol J. Huston. It is an exceptional book. I wish I didn't just rent it and bought it. But I took good notes.
In case you didn't read my most recent post, I said that management is also part of this group and blatantly plays favorites. And contributes to this whole mess more than anyone. There are no easy answers.
And I am just putting it out there--
There are many, many companies that promote the hiring of nurses from other countries to come to America and work with promises of little commitment (sometimes a year) a green card to boot, housing and the like.
I am often amazed at how there's thousands of nurses who are in this country already and can't get jobs, but meanwhile, they are searching overseas for nurses, offering them jobs, and giving them ample room for advancement into management. Which from the many threads I have read on AN, is not so much for the average nurse.
Not so sure what the draw is, however. Other than as contracted nurses they are not part of a union, and can make very little money--if it didn't affect the bottom line in a positive way, I am not sure that the facilities would be all over it as they seem to be now.
@jadelpn your guess is as good as mine.. maybe a brave international nurse could explain this misunderstood phenomenon for us? It would sure be of help.
Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
I actually knew which nationality the OP was referring to right from the first post.
I'm Filipino and I'm aware of bad traits that have been identified with us as a people. However, I do believe that we're seeing this because we have a large number of nurses from the Philippines in major cities in California, New York, Florida, and maybe Texas. Any time a group of foreign nationals (not just Filipinos) converge, it's human nature to revert to the kinship and familiarity of a shared cultural identity. It's not always done with malicious intent. Without taking away from the OP's feelings, it is in fact annoying as an outsider to be subjected to it constantly.
Be aware that Filipino society and culture is not homogeneous. The country has at least 20 various regional linguistic groups united via a common national language (Tagalog) and supposedly acceptable English fluency by US standards. Even in the Philippines, I have experienced being left out in social conversations if I'm in a group of people who predominantly speak a regional language I am not fluent in. Filipinos are not all subservient types who don't complain either. There are good and bad apples in any culture.
Having said this, I do think that management has a big role in why this is allowed to happen in some places. I've worked in many units where the Filipino nurse staff are the majority in a geographical area where there is a large population of Filipino-American residents (California has a few cities that match this description). It can be a double-edged sword - on one hand, the largely Filipino nursing staff are culturally competent to care for the largely Filipino patient population but on the other hand, the setting becomes very unfriendly to those outside of that ethnic group and you can certainly sense a "them vs us" dynamic between the nurses.
I personally did not enjoy working in places notorious for these kinds of behavior. I prefer racial diversity in my workplace but not at the cost of sacrificing an environment where everyone feels welcome. I also don't speak Tagalog in the workplace except for when I'm speaking exclusively with those who can understand the language such as when speaking to Filipino patients and their families or on break with a fellow Filipino co-worker. I have been mistaken for being non-Filipino even by fellow Filipinos because I speak English as if I was born here.
I am not a rare case. There are other Filipino nurses like me who are either more sensitive to these issues or are more willing to branch out than tend to stick together with those of the same cultural background. Times are changing, nurse migration from the Philippines to the US is no longer a viable option. As California's nursing workforce become more saturated with locally raised nurses of various cultural backgrounds, we will see less of this behavior happening.
I do wonder why the OP continue to find him/herself being employed in places with the same issues and problems. I disagree that this is a California thing. There are better places to work out here and it's not worth it to stay in a place one is unhappy with.
There are many, many companies that promote the hiring of nurses from other countries to come to America and work with promises of little commitment (sometimes a year) a green card to boot, housing and the like.
I am often amazed at how there's thousands of nurses who are in this country already and can't get jobs, but meanwhile, they are searching overseas for nurses, offering them jobs, and giving them ample room for advancement into management. Which from the many threads I have read on AN, is not so much for the average nurse.
Not so sure what the draw is, however. Other than as contracted nurses they are not part of a union, and can make very little money--if it didn't affect the bottom line in a positive way, I am not sure that the facilities would be all over it as they seem to be now.
When I was a traveler in Philly they had apartments on grounds full of Indian nurses on work visa. They made $15 an hour and did not complain. One told me they earn 12 US cents per day in her homeland. If they were short they walked to the apartments and made someone come in. For comparison I was getting $32 an hour with housing as an LPN. they were RNs
Yes, there are courses for this called Leadership and Management, which is offered as a requirement to attain a BSN. This is a "skill," and not inherently mastered, which means that ongoing classes in support by upper management/corporation is a MUST!! Some hospitals hire ADNs and lesser degree/certificates, and use them as CN or unit managers, which could potentially be a problem due to lacking the essential learned skills to properly manage a unit, which could possibly be the problem in @mclennan's situation--lacking these "learned skills". BSN trained nurses are well aware of the various techniques and theories to deal with conflict or proper management, but may or may not choose to use them, as compared to a lesser degreed nurse, who may not have any idea of what I'm talking about. Please pick up this book, "Leadership Roles and Management functions in Nursing" by Bessie L. Marquis and Carol J. Huston. It is an exceptional book. I wish I didn't just rent it and bought it. But I took good notes.
I agree it is good to read books to develop different insights, but I know my one extra class of leadership and management in my BSN was not a game changer making me ready for management roles. ASN' s also take a leadership and management course, btw.
What prepared me for management was being self-employed for over a decade, along with being an administrator for a separate corporation. There are many theories to leadership beyond nursing that can be used as a reference to assist ,but not prepare one for effective management.
I will be starting on my DNP very soon and can only hope it is far more valuable to me in expanding my knowledge over what my BSN has done.
Yes, there are courses for this called Leadership and Management, which is offered as a requirement to attain a BSN. This is a "skill," and not inherently mastered, which means that ongoing classes in support by upper management/corporation is a MUST!! Some hospitals hire ADNs and lesser degree/certificates, and use them as CN or unit managers, which could potentially be a problem due to lacking the essential learned skills to properly manage a unit, which could possibly be the problem in @mclennan's situation--lacking these "learned skills". BSN trained nurses are well aware of the various techniques and theories to deal with conflict or proper management, but may or may not choose to use them, as compared to a lesser degreed nurse, who may not have any idea of what I'm talking about. Please pick up this book, "Leadership Roles and Management functions in Nursing" by Bessie L. Marquis and Carol J. Huston. It is an exceptional book. I wish I didn't just rent it and bought it. But I took good notes.
Jadelpn - I am dying to know, when you said, "you never use the word "clot" with some ethnic groups", which groups are these? And what horrible thing does "Clot" mean in their language? We were taught a few things to consider with different cultures in nursing school (no blood products for Jehovah's witnesses, for example), but I have not heard about this one!
@eroc, great! But you fail to read in my post that this is a "learned skill" that just needs to be practiced over and over, which is why YOUR organization must PROVIDE ONGOING CLASSES to SUPPORT what you learned. If learning everything you learned in nursing school was all you need to learn, then there wouldn't be a need for graduate nursing programs in the hospital right?! No such need for preceptors and tons of money these hospitals shell out to train these "new" nurses. Every skill needs polishing and refinement. We already know that theory doesnt always work in reality, but atleast you have something to go by, and can tweak it a lIttle. That is the whole basis of EBP, and why I strongly believe nurses should inundate themselves in this, to strengthen their minds, and learn to think outside of the box, and stop pigeon-holing your thinking. That book I referenced are by two extraordinary nurses (which is very important when picking your references) and their content spans across many genras of management fRom the hiring process to dealing with the firing. It also focuses on the importance of self-reflection-the need to knOw thyself before you start managing ANYBODY. Its a great book for all to read. @suzie, lets start to say that you must first have to learn people skills and common sense. I know you've been around some dodo managers. Managing people is a "people person" skill, regardless of the arena you work, because you are dealing with people. Using this book, and EBP will help you be an effective manager. I hope Dr. Hurston is reading this, strongly PRing this book.. Can I get a check? Lol..
Specializes in ICU, APHERESIS, IV THERAPY, ONCOLOGY, BC.
Contrary to popular belief, nursing and management courses taught as part of BSN programs do not adequately address the real issues of managment and personnel interaction.
This thread addresses two issues being inadvertently discussed right now
1. Competent reflective management and managers
2. Ethnographic theory and multicultural paradigms as observed and practiced in management, ie nursing interactions. This approach is probably the most realistic and observant re. belefs , behaviours and other cultural aspects which are seen and experienced in groups. Ethnographic theory forms a strong part of management. There are numerous texts on management which nurses need to research as most nursing management texts skim the surface of management theory. Modern management texts address inter cultural conflicts, beliefs and behaviors in depth and cosider how this influences the bottom line and productivity albeit company vis-a vis health care. Obviously both areas do consider costs and effect alongside productivity and the negative fall out from cultural incompatilbility or lack of knowledge at that level.
Furthermore, consideration of the global impact from ethnology/cultural disagreement forms part of this paradigm. Management demands strategic thinking, understanding and analysis, not only short term but for long term perspectives. It is the ability to effectively observe, deduct and understand human dynamics especially in conflict ridden environments. This also means having the ability to objectively observe, understand, empathize and develop good, effective strategic planning based on said observations. Nursing education does not offer this as yet.
Joy ( RN, BScN, MSc Strategic HRD, MA ( Global Change and Adult Learning- in process)
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
To the individual who thinks that BSN programs better prepare their students for management and leadership roles I would say...as evidenced by what?
Taking a class or two during your primary education does NOT make one an effective manager or leader any more than taking a class in art makes one an artist. Additionally, as has been pointed out, ADN programs provide education in leadership and management styles, skill sets, and communication strategies.
Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN
11,305 Posts
I did read it. Still and all . . . . . management needs to fix it. If not, their managers need to fix it. Keep going up the ladder.