Why do mean/crabby people become nurses??

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jun 13, 2012

Compared to the other educated professions, nursing is one of the more oppressed groups.

I have previously mentioned that the nursing profession has attracted a number of people with self-esteem issues. People with low self-esteems, especially females, feel marginalized. Oppressed groups of people generally lash out on each other because, for some reason, they feel empowered while ripping apart one of 'their own' members.

Just think about the conditions of many bedside nurses. They deal with crap from patients, families, doctors, coworkers, and other entities. There's no personal office or cubicle to go hide from the madness. You must make time for meal periods, breaks, and using the restroom or these basic rights will never materialize. We deal with life and death frequently.

Other professionals do not have these dreary working conditions. It is enough to crush the soul of the most reasonable person and replace it with a mean attitude.

RNperdiem, RN · Jun 13, 2012

I used to work with a couple of nurses who weren't the sweetest people to work with.

Years later, as an experienced nurse I began to see them differently.

Now I can see how they were trying to teach me the expected norms of the nursing floor. As a new grad with shaky confidence, I would take the advice about not leaving almost-empty IV bags for the next shift as a personal attack on myself rather than the useful advice it was.

These nurses maybe had an abrasive manner sometimes, and if I went back I could probably not be the least bothered by them now that I have skills, experience and a thicker skin.

R!XTER · Jun 13, 2012

Compared to the other educated professions, nursing is one of the more oppressed groups.
I have previously mentioned that the nursing profession has attracted a number of people with self-esteem issues. People with low self-esteems, especially females, feel marginalized. Oppressed groups of people generally lash out on each other because, for some reason, they feel empowered while ripping apart one of 'their own' members.
Just think about the conditions of many bedside nurses. They deal with crap from patients, families, doctors, coworkers, and other entities. There's no personal office or cubicle to go hide from the madness. You must make time for meal periods, breaks, and using the restroom or these basic rights will never materialize. We deal with life and death frequently.
Other professionals do not have these dreary working conditions. It is enough to crush the soul of the most reasonable person and replace it with a mean attitude.

Thanks for the response, it definitely sheds a different perspective on these nurses. I can definitely understand where you are coming from, but to an extent. Yes, nursing is very difficult, and emotionally draining. However, it is wrong to take out your frustrations on helpless patients and family members, and your own co-workers that you have to work with every day. I also work with many very experienced nurses who have been doing this job for 15-20+ years and are so caring and sweet and approachable, and want to work as a team and help their co-workers. And they have experienced those horrors as well. So it really is not a blanket excuse...

One of the things I love about nursing is how broad it is. If one area doesn't work for you, you can always try something else. I get that the burnout rate is high, so in that case a nurse like this needs to find a job behind a computer doing chart review, or something with minimal patient interaction, if she cannot be civil.

I juts hope to God that if I ever begin to behave that way, I recognize it immediately and move on.

celtchick68 · Jun 13, 2012

The nurse you describe sounds like a bully to me. If everyone stands up to her and holds her accountable then she has to change her ways. One can't demand something from others without holding themselves to the same standard. I would have loved to take her up on that opportunity to speak with management: Why yes, nurse Ratchet, let's do go to the manager so we can also discuss your omission of critical lab values on a severely hypokalemic patient during shift report and while we're talking with the manager we can also discuss the daily expectations where orders are concerned at shift change.

I hate a bully

allnurses Guide · Jun 14, 2012

I have found that the more self-confidence I gain over the years, the more irritated I am with nursing.

I was taught to "suck it up!"

You got hit?