Fight for the nursing career you fought hard to attain, the role it has both at work and home. Justice for the forgotten one in the Bully’s world, the PATIENT, who is deserving and should expect nothing less than a professional, non-bullied nurse at the bedside, their life may literally depend on such.
Scene set. “Bully” hoping to cause you to make a “purposeful” professional mistake, creating a “justifiable” termination, completely dismissing the potential life threatening position this places the “patient.” The “patient,” even the Nurse Bully vowed to protect, as a privilege of licensure to practice professional nursing.
Painfully aware of the war waged against you (as the medical assistant described above with watches, records, and reports “her” observations, as though she bore the title, RN), resulting in the need to work even LONGER hours, and for the first time in your career you were practicing defensive or survival nursing. Every chart the bully assistant handled had to be re-checked for intentionally misfiled test results, and reports ensuring but one goal, “First do no harm”.
Thankfully, it paid off, as indeed no serious harm came to a patient resulting from the deliberate actions of the Bully Team. All the while (6-8 months), the evil one was turning things said and NOT said into reasons to call a “counseling (better known as an AMBUSH) session,” with one goal, a quick by the book termination, pressuring you to admit to “their” accusations, “think again!” An “ambush or open rein” session, best described as a “closed” door meeting with one goal, TARGET your character with every available tool in the arsenal, until you “break”, and the Bully gains, yet another scalp. Not to be, you would not break, and would only leave one way…proudly.
“IT” was over…TEN years gone…
Starting and ending much like any other Friday, after a long, emotional filled week, this Friday appeared no different, except to the Bully and her nurse supervisor. Sitting at the “evil” switch, they were putting their final administrative touch on an unbelievable technicality, utilized as the basis to terminate one of their own. Just nine months prior the Bully manager’s supervisor, (your previous nurse manager), had given you the highest evaluation and raise of your ten year employment.
So, what has changed? To be sure, it was not this RN. This cowardly “Bully Team”, consisting of three individuals (two in charge, and one reporting from the front line) waited until the work week was over and no one was around to cowardly cut the “cord” of ten years. Gone, just like that. Ten years are over, yet you have barely ten minutes to clear your things. “That’s ok”, you say to yourself.
Little time is required to remove the items of value, for what holds the most value is not in that desk. But, how would a disgusting Bully disguised as a nurse ever understand such? You further wonder, “How can a highly educated, trained oncology nurse lack the basic principles of compassion and sensitivity to patients under her watch?” Sitting in direct view of the Bully’s office, patients undergo various chemotherapy treatments, sitting in cold antiseptic chairs, allowing poisons to infuse into their veins often enduring disabling side effects, just to live another day. To see a loved graduate marry, bring a new life into the world, see the sunrise, etc… Revenge not, you need every ounce of energy in the quest for justice (for the patient and your beloved profession). Therefore, pray for what a truly miserable life she indeed must live.
Make no mistake of the power of faith and the justice of a faithful world, rest assured the patients understand far more than we as nurses often do. Nowhere is that more evident than in oncology nursing. Being an oncology nurse, and witnessing the determination of the human spirit in the face of adversity, the miracle of an unwavering faith, empowered my own faith to see no “bounds”. Thus, even in adversity there is peace and promise. When a patient or family expressed thanks for care received, it was with ease and the assurance of peace to respond, “You did far more for me in return.” Some question, “why not let it go and move on?” The above paragraph detailed just that, but read on… If we allow the despicable and destructive evil of nurse “Bullying” to continue polluting our honorable, vital profession, then we, (targets of bullying, their co-workers, new graduates in nursing, and all those considering the profession) are no better than those whose sole desire is to “destroy” all we represent. Be assured just such only drives the cause more! That Friday afternoon many months ago, the center of the universe as you knew it was rocked forever, and a new test of faith is now underway. Cynical you are not, yours is half-FULL of hope and purpose to stay the course, anything short of such is an injustice to all the dear patients, allowing “the Bully team” victory.” NOT so fast…
To all Registered Nurses who have been “targets” of Nurse Bullying:
Forward we go, accepting we must, that which was/is out of our control. Holding on to rage hurts only the enraged, wasting valuable time, of which too little exists. Turning the rage into a quest for justice for our patients, we must, as we rid our profession of a festering evil that has had free rein too long, thus destroying “all of us” from within.
Ironically, the power to “REVERSE” and destroy this “cancer among us”, lies within each of us labeled a “target.” Stay tuned please, to another part of “What‘s a Nurse To Do?” where progress has and is being made, though often not reported in common media sources. Sadly, many media sources print, sell and people prefer to buy, negative news however, that will NOT save our profession……
But we… CAN… United We Can…
By a determined patient advocate RN in Texas, who wants to unite those who have been or are “Targets of Nurse Bullying,” by allowing their stories to be told, heard and felt by those in their respective communities. Nurse bullying must first be exposed by REAL examples in which people can relate to in a personal way “at home.” Before Nurse Bullying can be HALTED, it must be recognized and accepted for the evil it is.