RN Being Bullied By Patients

by Clarice
(South Carolina, USA)

I have been a nurse for forty years and over the last year that I have moved here to the south and been working at this hospital, my abuse is from the patients. I find it very interesting that the patients that live here in this southern city/state are actually quite sweet and non-violent but what me and my colleagues are experiencing is making us leave this job arena.

We get the northern transplants—New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Boston, Maryland, and the others in that neck of the woods and they are VERBALLY abusive to the nurses, threaten the nurses with, "I'll have your job", etc. because we don't do what THEY want NOT what the physician has ordered.

They do not say please/thank you just DO IT, GET THIS, ARE YOU STUPID OR WHAT. The rudeness and condescension is absolutely appalling. Why do these people feel that their bombastic and rude behavior is to be tolerated. Even if you politely tell them that you are uncomfortable with this type of behavior and tone of voice/mannerisms, they call your supervisor and "fire" you from their care.

One man from New Jersey fired every nurse he had and administration at our hospital tolerated this behavior and has all the other behavior we experience because they don't want their name soiled. Then they wonder why there is a nursing shortage.

You don't pay me enough to put up with such rudeness and despicable behavior. I forewarn EVERY nursing student what it is like so they can make an educated decision. I wish that more nursing journals would do articles on this to help nurses recognize and cope.

And along with that, how to hand that 80 year old demented patient that acts like the three year old (kicking you, biting you, pulling your hair, punching you in the face, YET doing all these things with the strength of an adult). Their family will not stay and handle them YET won't let you sedate or tie them down.

Workplace bullying is NOT just nurse on nurse or physician on nurse, it is patient on nurse more times than not.