Comments on: How do I deal with nurse bullies?

By: edrn1

edrn1 — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 12:50:57 +0000

Ok, thoughts on how to manage when this nurse bully LIES and makes something up and documents it in your file? I’m currently dealing with this.

By: Barb, RN

Barb, RN — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 10:22:36 +0000

Perhaps this issue will only be addressed when droves of nurses leave the profession over the mistreatment they receive. Nurses don’t just eat their young, but any nurse who the bully or bullies deem are not acceptable in their group for whatever reason their sick minds create. Administration is of no help either as they tend to only punish the one who complains that they are receiving bullying behavior which empowers the bullies. This happened to me. After 37 years of being on the receiving end, I left the profession to save what little health and dignity I had left. Financially it has been very hard, but since leaving, I have realized the toll the constant barrage of critical remarks, ostracism, sarcasm, denigrating ones abilities in front of peers and bosses, fear of what’s coming next,etc. took on me. Unfortunately, I really don’t care to go back to a profession that says it values each individual nurses gifts and abilities, but does nothing to confront bullying when it occurs but punishes the one being tormented.

By: SusanRN

SusanRN — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:45:36 +0000

Over the last several years, there has been much written about the prevalence of workplace bullying in the healthcare industry.
We currently have a classic workplace bully as our department director. Numerous complaints have been waged against this woman in regards to her behavior to staff members and her undermining tactics as a manager. To date, HR and upper management have ignored the complaints and concerns brought to their attention. They fail to implement the ‘zero tolerance’ polices they have in place. Why? Because the bullying director has money management skills that administration views as beneficial to the network as a whole.
So why is workplace bullying so prevalent in the healthcare industry? Because it is allowed.

By: Lena

Lena — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 01:28:18 +0000

One of my friends is a nurse. Her floor was so hostile and full of bullying, backstabbing and gossip by so many nurses that it caused the death of a patient. The hospital had to hire outside therapists and relational experts and have mandatory meetings to deal with the behavior.

WHY do people do this? Especially nurses! I wonder how many patients died from this.

By: CCATT RN

CCATT RN — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 17:22:27 +0000

Use a method of elevation and progressive documentation.

Steps:
1. Confront the individual regarding the behavior in a professional manner, make clear your expectations of the individual. Use words such as bullying, hostile work environment, and intimidation. Make a memo of the encounter. Document only the facts, avoid pettiness and whining…it only makes you look weak.
2. Inform management (in writing), make clear your expectations and your previous attempt to resolve the issue at the lowest level. Use words such as bullying, hostile work environment, and intimidation.
3. Notify Director or HR (in writing) provide previous documentation, make clear your expectations. Use words such as bullying, hostile work environment, and intimidation.
4. Get a lawyer, provide all documentation.
* Any idiot who fails to effectively interdict before it gets to this point deserves what they get. Be sure to above all, remain professional and do not engage the bully in any public display of unprofessional or fireable behavior.

By: Holly, BSN, RN, CDN

Holly, BSN, RN, CDN — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 01:45:25 +0000

I was bullied, too, and have witnessed much bullying. April, I’m with you. I will join an effort to push the issue to our legislators. I just don’t know where to begin.
If there hasn’t been research demonstrating this, I wouldn’t be surprised to find that the “aging” of nurses has something to do with the lateral violence that pushes newer nurses out or keeps capable prodigies from pursuing our field…

By: kd

kd — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:02:01 +0000

I was bullied in my last job. First by a new coworker then by my supervisor. I went through proper channels with complaints. But first I tried confronting the bully. It just made things worse. Our instutution was supposed to have a zero tolerance bully policy- NOT!!. My supervisor joined in on the festivities. Never had an experience like it. Left for my health, both physical and mental.

By: April Hopkins-Freeman RN BSN MBA?HCM

April Hopkins-Freeman RN BSN MBA?HCM — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:40:50 +0000

How many nurses think this form of workplace hostility needs to be brought under control, sooner, rather than later? We do alot of blogging about this to one another, perhaps we should really be addressing our legislators.
Australia has anti-bullying laws, and Anita Hill had to face Congressional hearing before her sexual harrasment led to legislative actions from the federal government in this country.
We have to acknowledge the issue to address it effectively, and so long as we merely pay lip service to the problem all we will get in return is more of the same. We can ‘turn the other cheek, ‘ walk away, quit and go elsewhere (and find more of the same) or we can begin a campaign to stop malicious behaviors in the workplace. Nobody goes to work, particularly in a hospital with the expectation of being bullied, harrassed or verbally abused by others. It’s unprofessional, unneccessary, illmannered, rude, destructive, emotionally damaging and effects the quality of care being provided to patients. We fail to serve our patients, our units, our organizations and ourselves, not to mention the industry as a whole by engaging in degrading, demoralizing and destructive behaviors.

April

By: Em

Em — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:59:01 +0000

I have seen bullying as well as being a victim. I was bullied as a new graduate many years ago. More recently, I began to have a declining relationship with my nurse manager. I was also a victim of someone who bullied me for not only professional but personal reasons that went back to our high school years. She was friends with the clerk who listened to her side of what I had talked to her about-her unprofessional behavior. I walked away from my job for other reasons. I just have to take care of myself. I feel sorry for an institution that allows this behavior to carry on.

By: jenni

jenni — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:36:31 +0000

I recently left my department because my DON was a huge micro–managing bully. I stuck it out for quite awhile before realizing that leaving was the only solution. I literally tried everything—including submitting an 8-page document to HR outlining her extremely hostile and unprofessional behavior–but nothing worked. HR claims they’ve had complaints about this person for 2 years and are ‘building a file’ against her. I am so much happier now that I’m out of that toxic atmosphere! Sometimes the only solution is to leave, which is extremely unfortunate.