I write this today half angry and half sadness that it even as to be said much less reminding people to be nice. I worked for 30 years in a “caring” profession where you had to constantly watch your back. The phrase often heard in nursing is “nurses eat their young”.
If I had the wisdom back when I was in school working as a patient aide at a nursing home to gain experience, I would have seen it coming. However, I was 19 years old, young, in school and respected my supervisors. I hated the job, there was never an easy day at work. We often worked short staffed. Many days left you feeling like you didn’t do enough.
I went to school during the day and worked 3-11 shift a few evenings a week. I rarely was able to sit in
I don’t remember how many patients I actually had. The halls were long and full of people who needed care. I did my best to keep them clean, dry and hydrated. Plus get them dressed for bed, bathe 4-5 a night alone, feed meals before they got cold (at least tried too).
I didn’t have time for the small conversation to get to know them and hear the many stories they could have told. I had to stay moving or I would get behind. Once in a while, we would be paired with someone else to work a shift with but it was rare. There were times, I would have hall A & B. It was impossible to do a well-deserved job for the ones laying there who couldn’t do for themselves.
On my one-hour lunch break all I wanted to do was sit down and put my feet up.
I had a supervisor that rarely came out of the office to help. She was quick to judge but to busy to help when it was needed. What I know now she was probably trying to stay above board in her own work load. I reported a man who was not himself when I came on shift and she let me know I had other things to be doing besides checking on one person.
The next day I came in and his bed was empty. He had passed away after my shift during the night. If only he had been taken to the ER on my shift…
Bully’s have no place in the workplace
Fast forward to a hospital where I spent half my life. I walked in the door as a sassy 22-year-old and walked out a scarred, bitter, non-trusting, worn out nurse. I was done.
Four co-workers who worked in this building committed suicide. FOUR! Today I read an article in the New York Post about a 30-year-old nurse who was bullied “She was being sworn at, bullied and believed she was continually given the worst shifts on the ward.” reported her death an intentional suicide.
It made me sick.
I have watched bullying happen so many times in nursing that it makes you wonder how they ever got into a caring profession. Nursing is already stressful, then add co-workers to a stressful patient load. It becomes more than some can carry. They shouldn’t have to carry this.
When I was a brand new employee, and went out to eat with friends before I went to work and showed up in nice clothes (we wore street clothes), my supervisor would change my assignment to the floor where you were guaranteed to get dirty.
If she knew that you were scared to work with a patient, she made sure to schedule you on that unit. If she knew there were staff that didn’t get along she would assign both
One shift I had to assist cutting down a man who had hung himself on the unit next to where I was working, instead of checking on me mentally she assigned me to the unit the next night. I refused. She threatened to send me home without pay and I was ready to leave. She was already short of staff and needed me in the house to meet her ‘numbers’ for staffing. She assigned me next door and then had me relieve breaks on that unit by myself.
I had three more nursing supervisors over the years that used their position as bullies instead of leaders. They hurt so many people it’s hard to believe it was allowed to continue. In my opinion, when you know something is going on and you do nothing you support it.
No one understands a mental hospital unless they have spent any time behind locked doors. It’s frightening and also a tremendous learning experience. I value the lessons I learned about myself and my patients. I learned how people
I learned more about the policies and procedures that, I should have had to know. Knowing the policies and how to use their own words I was able to stay out of many troubled situations that should have never become an issue.
Unfortunately, despite the stellar reputation that they enjoy, there is a hidden culture of nurse hazing, bullying, name-calling, and disruptive behavior on hospital units throughout America.
Study’s show approximately 60% of new nurses leave their first position within six months due to some form of verbal abuse or harsh treatment from a colleague. Most nurses will not disclose this information in exit interviews (if an exit interview is done) but will talk about it freely once they are no longer connected.
Even though managers are aware of the
Retired from Nursing
This post is totally different than what I normally write and the reason is in 2018 two more past co-workers committed suicide. That is a total of four suicide from one facility. Maybe not all from being bullied but there is something missing. When I read the article in the New York Post it struck close to home.
I personally don’t know another place of employment that has those type of numbers. Odd? Maybe. I don’t know the answer. All I know is in my time of nursing I have experienced bullying, watched people bullied and listened to people brag about being a bully. It was uncomfortable, and stressful years.
Most people who are at a job have a purpose to be there. To serve others and to make money. Nurses are the backbone of the medical community.
What I learned as a nurse
I wrote the book “The Nurses Voice” and shared some stories about what I learned over 30 years as a nurse. The people that I came in contact with taught me as much about myself as I may have helped them. You can read the book here.
Nurse to Entrepreneur
We need good nurses in the field. We need them to be rested, taken care of from the place that pays them as well as the people they work with. Nurses work many hours of overtime to cover their units and to help their co-workers. The bottom line is they need extra money.
Rarely will people work overtime just because they love to work. I was able to build a business part-time on my lunch break until I was able to replace my nursing income to step away from the profession. Now I get to serve people with their health options and show them how they can replace their income or supplement their income. If that is something you are open to learn more about start here – and let’s see if this is for you.
I get it, who has time to sit and watch a bunch of videos. I’m more of an audio person myself; podcasts, audiobooks, audio training, I’m all about it! So, I publish all of my quick pep talks, interviews, and even future livestreams as an audio show. It’s different and honestly pretty cool you get to listen to me build my show from scratch.
Check it out in iTunes here or search your