Why do i hear that nurses are mean???

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Hi I'm soon going to be volunteering at a hospital soon and eventually become a CNA soon after that. I often wonder why are nurses mean?? Of course I'm not referring to all nurses but I hear and read stories that some Nurses are mean, I don't understand how someone chooses to be in a profession that is about helping patients and yet the nurse is lacking compassion. Are they just in it for the money? I'm just confused.

As has been stated, so much depends upon perception and what goes into that. Here's an article based upon a study that may be of interest: "Undermining Self-efficacy: the consequences of nurse unfriendliness on client wellbeing" by Rene Geanellos of the University of West Sydney published COLLEGIAN (Royal College of Nursing), Oct. 2005,

12(4)9-14.

I'm not saying I agree with everything in it, but it does bring up some interesting points.

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Specializes in LTC.

Yes some nurses are mean, nurses are people , people have different personalities.

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Specializes in ED.

I think some of it is misunderstanding, sometimes nurses have to be "mean" to do what is best for the patients. Plus, nursing is a very stressful job and sometimes it brings out Hide. That being said, the basic reason that there are mean nurses was best stated on an episode of the Simpsons. Bart had a pet elephant and he was being mean to other animals. So Bart asked the zookeeper why he was so mean and he replied (paraphrasing) "Well Bart, animals are a lot like people, there are different reasons. Some of them were abused. Some of them had a bad childhood, and some of them are just jerks."

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

meanness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. there are some folks who truly seem to believe that if you don't treat them as if they're the center of the universe, you're being "mean" to them. there are some who believe that any negative feedback, no matter how justified, is an example of someone picking on them.

it has been my observation that those who are complaining the loudest about everyone being mean to them are probably those most in need of a good, long look at their own behavior.

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