Ending Nurse-to-Nurse Hostility: A New Grad’s Perspective

I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to hear Kathleen Bartholomew speak on the topic of nurse-to-nurse hostility. It is a phenomenon that is quite disheartening to many new nursing grads, including myself. I found that Kathleen’s insight was so astute into the causes of horizontal violence and the subsequent problems created by it. I especially appreciated her recommendations (the DESC communication model is very useable) and approach she took in teaching us how changing this unfortunate aspect of nursing culture begins with us.  It is astounding that it remains an issue to treat team members with the same respect we show to our patients.

The relationship between experienced nurse and nursing student is one that holds a lot of power. For example, a peer of mine was at her first clinical placement and accidentally stepped out of a room wearing an isolation gown to grab a medication from the cart stationed by the patient’s door (which was an error on her part). Rather than pull her aside and discuss this mistake, the nurse she was paired with angrily called her out on it in front of the rest of the staff and the patient. She went on to say ‘I’ll just do it myself – obviously you don’t know what you’re doing’ and, with a frustrated show, took control of the patient’s care. My peer was absolutely devastated and incredibly embarrassed – she felt inept for the rest of the shift and was uncomfortable around that nurse for the remainder of her placement.

Taking care of patients is one of the scariest things in the world when first starting out and having someone teach you patiently, listen to your concerns, and give appropriate helpful feedback, validates your experience and helps you feel secure in your new role. I have seen and experienced the difference that a supportive, encouraging preceptor can have on a clinical experience. Alternatively, when treated with impatience, intolerance, and a sense of being unsupported, the experience is often detrimental to future performance and self-esteem as a new practitioner. I had a preceptor in my final year of nursing education who took the time to introduce me to every single staff member and actively sought new learning opportunities for me in order to expand my knowledge and skill set. She allowed me to practice autonomously but was always there to support me if I needed it. She trusted me and treated me as if I were a valuable resource to their organization. I cannot express the self-confidence that this nurse inspired in me by believing in me and sharing my accomplishments with other team-members. It is nurses such as these who will, by role modeling, help to positively shape the next generation of nurses! I know that I will bring what I learned under her wing into my future nursing practice and will certainly be the better for it.

by Vanessa Somos