Nurses bullying med students
Hi guys, making my posting debut cause I seriously need advice. I'm on rotation in the labor and delivery ward and I absolutely love it. But everyday I find myself sick to my stomach before going in because some of the nurses are so horribly mean.
I know there's good and bad everywhere you go (and some of the nurses have been incredibly amazing) but a lot of them have been quite mean. It's subtle enough that you almost find yourself second guessing it all. But things like making fun of wrong answers you gave to your preceptor, continuously "forgetting" to call you for cases when you're on call and then snickering about it, being very exclusive in every conversation.
I completely understand that we're lacking a lot of the knowledge and hands on skills that many of these experienced nurses have and its probably very frustrating for them to have us around. I completely empathize with them (and I was actually a nurse before medical school so I really do get how busy it can be), but I just can't ever imagine myself acting in the way they do towards anyone, including other students.
I have tried to just be as kind and helpful as possible. I offer to help with any tasks, always trying to help clean up, bring stuff to patients, do any tasks they ask of me with a smile. But it's almost like the harder I try the more annoyed they get with me and I'm not sure what else to do at this point.
The unfortunate thing is the way they talk about patients is also really sad for me to see. I know burnout is real but its hard for me to understand acting in that way.
I'm wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this and has insight or advice into how they manage it? It's my favorite placement so far yet its hard for me to enjoy because of the bullying. Thank you in advance.