Mean Nurses

I hope no one takes this wrong, but I have heard that nurses are really mean to each other and bully each other. I know I would not handle that well. Is it true that nurses really are mean and bullies? If so, why? If they are iin a caring profession, don't they care about their co workers?
The rate of "meanness" or "bullies" is about the same in any other stressful profession with high standards of quality.What makes "mean" nurses stand out is everyone has this vision of a soft spoken, obedient, wimpy Florence Nightingale when in reality we are a diverse set of human beings that bring our personalities with us.

Quote from Asystole RNWhat makes "mean" nurses stand out is everyone has this vision of a soft spoken, obedient, wimpy Florence Nightingale when in reality we are a diverse set of human beings that bring our personalities with us.

I don't want to dog on my gender or anything.. but I honestly believe when you get a lot of women working together (I know there are men too, but still majority women) there is going to be cattiness, competitiveness, gossip, cliques, etc. etc. etc. Maybe it's more prevalent in nurses.. but I think you'll encounter this type of behavior in offices, retail, anywhere really.

Quote from ttpurteeI hope no one takes this wrong, but I have heard that nurses are really mean to each other and bully each other. I know I would not handle that well. Is it true that nurses really are mean and bullies? If so, why? If they are iin a caring profession, don't they care about their co workers?

Quote from ky_grl82Sorry to burst the bubble and change the nature of the thread but Florence Nightingale was anything but wimpy. The woman went onto the middle of a war and drastically reduced the number of soilders dying typhus, typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. She may have devoted her life to the cause of nursing others to health, which not many do these days, but wimpy- I would say not!

How would you suggest showing assertiveness and making it clear that you are not a weak target? Specifically.

There is a difference between being "assertive" and being "aggressive". A good nurse SHOULD be assertive. "Mean" people are aggressive. The laws today prohibit a hostile work place. When someone is treating a peer badly, you should point it out. You can start out in a friendly tone, "Knock it off, you wouldn't want someone to run to HR and report you for creating a hostile environment now, would you?" If you are not comfortable, talk to your manager. Many places have anonymous reporting.

I think content is key. If someone says something to you in which the content is valuable, even if the tone or method of delivery is hurtful, then that is not bullying. Bullying to me is people being mean for the sake of being mean and not conveying anything useful while doing so. However, I have never been bullied so I don't know from personal experience. I have had some lessons given me in a way that I didn't like, but I learned from it even though it pi$$ed me off.

The same way you would do in any other setting outside of nursing. People just know that I am not one to mess with. I don't need to be mean, or anything. They can try and will get shut down before it goes any further, whether it's by me giving them a look or by me just saying "I am not the one, hun".Quote from ttpurteeHow would you suggest showing assertiveness and making it clear that you are not a weak target? Specifically.

Quote from mjmoonI don't want to dog on my gender or anything.. but I honestly believe when you get a lot of women working together (I know there are men too, but still majority women) there is going to be cattiness, competitiveness, gossip, cliques, etc. etc. etc. Maybe it's more prevalent in nurses.. but I think you'll encounter this type of behavior in offices, retail, anywhere really.

I have not run into much cattiness/********** and certainly no bullying at my workplace. Some people like to gossip, some don't. They usually target people on other floors, not people they work with. I am sure this behavior takes place, but not in my unit. We don't have time for it anyway.

People can be mean, and lots of people work in nursing. It is a tough job and leads to some people being tense and uptight. My unit has many more nice people than not, just depends.