Why so many tattletale nurses?

LynnLRN · Jun 7, 2012

I think people these days are just trying to survive and job security is a big deal so they try to take attention off of themselves and point out other peoples flaws.

However, in other careers if you make a mistake typically nobody dies. As a bedside nurse if you are incompetent you can really do some harm, so sometimes I think the tattletales are out of concern for patient safety. I think a lot of people go into nursing for the money and I do not believe everyone is capable of being a nurse, I think it takes a special skill set. Just like I'm not capable of being a singer/actor/professional athlete/artist (I'm not creative/artistic at all) not everyone is capable of being a nurse. So I think people quickly catch on to people who are making tons of errors or create a larger work load for others and people start gossiping and telling on them.

realnursealso/LPN, LPN · Jun 7, 2012

That's the way the world is now, except in my own way I try to change it. I don't need to pass you just because your car is in front of me. I don't need a big atta boy for doing what I should. I don't need to rush in front of you in the grocery store so I can be first to check out. I don't need to tell you what my GPA was in nursing school to say I deserve a job instead of you. I don't need to try to catch you doing the slightest thing in a different way so I can try to tell on you. Trying to get you in trouble to prove I am the superior nurse. I don't need to pick your post apart and declare you are terrible and say you are bad. I see it in life, I see it at work, I see it on AllNurses. I believe in, "What goes around, comes around." So in my own little way I try to make the world a little gentler and kinder place to be. I gave up on the me, me, me people long ago, they will never change, it will always be what's in it for them, not for their fellow man/ coworker.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jun 7, 2012

Here are my viewpoints on this issue. The nursing profession attracts a number of people with self esteem issues. Persons who have self esteem problems need an unusual amount of validation and ego-boosting just to feel better about themselves. Thus, the two-faced, backstabbing, tattletale, passive-aggressive behaviors proliferate.

Some nurses with low self esteems feel on top of the world by doing things that tear down their coworkers. For some reason, their egos are temporarily stroked while they snitch, tattle, and dramatize things.

A nurse generally has no desire to rip apart another human being unless his/her own self confidence is down in the dumps.

Butterflybee · Jun 7, 2012

I love this! " I believe in, "What goes around, comes around." So in my own little way I try to make the world a little gentler and kinder place to be"

Butterflybee · Jun 7, 2012

Thank you so much for the insight. " A nurse generally has no desire to rip apart another human being unless his/her own self confidence is down in the dumps."

Butterflybee · Jun 7, 2012

Thank you so much for the insight. Typically the tattling doesnt have to do with life or death issues or 'med errors' just many times petty things..... to make another person's worklife miserable. Ive seen this happen to good nurses that know their stuff. It troubles me because i am sensitive to another's hurt and why do it to someone unnecessarily... Ive seen others become a target and Ive just wondered why. This behaviour generally appears to be prevalent in the nursing field. .... The good thing, if you can call it that, is that it has changed me to be consciously more empathetic and strive to be kinder and gentler ... to like you said make this nursing world a better place.

AOx1 · Jun 7, 2012

That's the way the world is now, except in my own way I try to change it. I don't need to pass you just because your car is in front of me. I don't need a big atta boy for doing what I should. I don't need to rush in front of you in the grocery store so I can be first to check out. I don't need to tell you what my GPA was in nursing school to say I deserve a job instead of you. I don't need to try to catch you doing the slightest thing in a different way so I can try to tell on you. Trying to get you in trouble to prove I am the superior nurse. I don't need to pick your post apart and declare you are terrible and say you are bad. I see it in life, I see it at work, I see it on AllNurses. I believe in, "What goes around, comes around." So in my own little way I try to make the world a little gentler and kinder place to be. I gave up on the me, me, me people long ago, they will never change, it will always be what's in it for them, not for their fellow man/ coworker.

What a great attitude. I love these words of wisdom, although I do believe people can change negative habits and attitudes (at least I hope they can!) I am trying to overcome many of my own impatient and self-centered behaviors and hope that this changes in time.

A nurse generally has no desire to rip apart another human being unless his/her own self confidence is down in the dumps.

So very true, at least of me. I am more nitpicky and snarky when I am not managing my own stress/issues very well.

Both posts are a great reminder to take time to be kind to ourselves and to others.

I have also seen mean behavior as a defense mechanism, especially when the patient is close in age to the nurse. For example, if I am 30 (lol) and my patient is 29 and has come in due to cardiac complications from meth use, it makes it more tolerable to say "Oh well, that druggie...."

I'm not explaining it well, but what I mean is that if we can "blame" the patient, it seems to make us feel secure that this could not happen to us. I see this frequently.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jun 7, 2012

While it doesn't make the nursing situation better, I think it's worthwhile to mention that I encountered these identical people/personalities when working in an insurance office.

It was a completely different setting from anything remotely like nursing, but the situation of backstabbing, gossiping, tattletales, etc etc etc was exactly the same scenario.

My husband worked in yet another very different environment, unlike both nursing AND the insurance office, and yet experienced the same attitudes and actions of the employees.

Guess what I'm saying is, this is how things are when groups of people work in close proximity, REGARDLESS of the job at hand.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jun 7, 2012

Guess what I'm saying is, this is how things are when groups of people work in close proximity, REGARDLESS of the job at hand.

I worked at a factory for three years. I was a female in a sea of men. The factory had about 500 employees, and 450 of them were men.

Anyhow, I did not observe any of the men engaging in snitching, tattling, trash talk, or other petty behaviors. However, the few women who worked there frequently screamed at each other, got into disputes, told on each other, and talked badly behind peoples' backs.

Women with low self-esteems feel marginalized. Devalued groups of people frequently lash out on each other because, for some odd reason, they feel empowered while tearing one of 'their own' down.

Butterflybee · Jun 8, 2012

Women with low self-esteems feel marginalized. Devalued groups of people frequently lash out on each other because, for some odd reason, they feel empowered while tearing one of 'their own' down.

Ive been told this commuter and it makes sense.

.... In my opinion, Ive seen this.. behaviour... to a lesser extent in other professions but nursing is a completely different ball of wax .... It's AWFUL! Ive seen it be so horrible that good nurses have quit because of it and gone elsewhere. In my area, some good nurses have banded together, formed a network of where to work because of this very thing. It's a small world ....

Thank you everyone for your thoughts. I just wanted to hear another persons feelings/thoughts because it is really bad sometimes.

BrandonLPN, LPN · Jun 8, 2012

Most male nurses will tell you that they sometimes miss their old job working mostly with other guys. (I worked in construction)

I'll take aggressive-aggressiveness over passive-aggressiveness any day of the week!