HELP!!! Genuine bullying/harrassment - mentor refused to sign my practice document

do any nursing students feel they are being treated unfairly. for example:
1. staff nurse on duty being rude, unfriendly from the moment go.
2. staff nurse deliberatly getting you in trouble.
3. staff nurse/mentor telling lies to academic staff, other nurses. saying you had abonded patient. when they clearly know that you hadn't.
4. not signing your practice placement documents for what ever reason

as a student your in an akward position in regards to bullying...and i personly refuse to be bullied or intimidated. as a result am being failed on my practice placement document. so i been told; will find out after xmas

lies, and more dam lies. nurses are so bitchy. as a man in nursing, i am bullyied and harrassed. i feel like hitting something. why is it when ever you try to do the right thing, you are screwed over by those very people who should have your best interest.

reasons why theyre failing me: mentor FEELS that i haven't mastered basic nursing care. she has a F..... FEELING + has and began to question my motives of why i wanted to become a nurse. saying i dont look right as nurse.

yeah i considered leaving my training, but i still want to have a fair shot at being a nurse. i feel belittled when they speak to me in a condescending manner. yeah theres anger, but am professional...and bigger than that.

so far, what ive seen of nursing, isn't all that gud. nursing is so insular, at times they are hardened to suffering...speaking as some one new the job.



any thoughts would really be appreciated.........am glad its the hoildays..need 2 chill a little.

do any nursing students feel they are being treated unfairly. for example:
1. staff nurse on duty being rude, unfriendly from the moment go.
2. staff nurse deliberatly getting you in trouble.
3. staff nurse/mentor telling lies to academic staff, other nurses. saying you had abonded patient. when they clearly know that you hadn't.
4. not signing your practice placement documents for what ever reason

as a student your in an akward position in regards to bullying...and i personly refuse to be bullied or intimidated. as a result am being failed on my practice placement document. so i been told; will find out after xmas

lies, and more dam lies. nurses are so bitchy. as a man in nursing, i am bullyied and harrassed. i feel like hitting something. why is it when ever you try to do the right thing, you are screwed over by those very people who should have your best interest.

reasons why theyre failing me: mentor FEELS that i haven't mastered basic nursing care. she has a F..... FEELING + has and began to question my motives of why i wanted to become a nurse. saying i dont look right as nurse.

yeah i considered leaving my training, but i still want to have a fair shot at being a nurse. i feel belittled when they speak to me in a condescending manner. yeah theres anger, but am professional...and bigger than that.

so far, what ive seen of nursing, isn't all that gud. nursing is so insular, at times they are hardened to suffering...speaking as some one new the job.



any thoughts would really be appreciated.........am glad its the hoildays..need 2 chill a little.

I've been thinking about your post for a while now and I have to say that you come across as very angry and aggressive. Now you could just be venting here and are not like that in real life or you could be showing clearly why your mentor is feeling wary about you.

As a man, it is very easy for you to come across as overbearing and cocksure and I'm sure that many nurses would find that difficult to deal with, especially as you are in an inferior position to them. You find it condescending when the staff speak to you. So far as they are concerned, you are a student, effectively the lowest of the low, and you probably know nothing. Their job is to see that you do the things that you are told to do in the correct way. And the correct way is the way they tell you to do it.

As a student you must expect to be dumped on by the nursing staff. It comes with the territory. Getting offended and disgruntled is a waste of time and will always backfire on you, as you have already found. Are you absolutely sure that you are being bullied or are you interpreting perfectly normal requests as harrassment? My advice would be to smile sweetly, apologise for your faults and promise to improve your skills, thank them kindly for dumping on you and then go home and take it out on the dog!

You must not appear aggressive or defensive when you next speak to your tutors and show that you still want to be a nurse. You have no choice if you really want to be a nurse.

Once you are qualified, then it is open season, however!

You call that advice! Whatever a person does in such a situation you will get blamed! Mentors are staff nurses, from experience from working with them they don't always do things properly, if you are looking for the idealistic methods then I don't see how the mentor situation really helps, I would imagine placement gives you a chance to practice your skills under supervision it does not mean what the mentor is 100% true or the staff nurse might also be lacking in skills! For your information the few male nurses I know are actually in general more clinically skilled than their female equivalent.

That's my point. The OP is in a no win situation. If he kicks up a stink then that would act as verification of what the mentor is saying about him. He has no choice other than to to just smile and play nice if he wants to continue his training. That's the way it is in the real world.

As for clinical skills it is ridiculous (and sexist) to say all male nurses have better skills than female nurses. Regarding the staff nurse/mentor's own skills I would quote a very old saying 'do as I say, not as I do.' In the real world (again) there are good and bad male and female nurses. In either case it is not the student's responsibility to decide whether their mentor is a good or bad nurse. It is their job to do as they told, when they are told. If they have a problem with their mentor they should take it up with the Charge nurse or their supervisor from university.

First of all I didn't say all male nurses! I consider your comment of "As a man, it is very easy for you to come across as overbearing and cocksure and I'm sure that many nurses would find that difficult to deal with" is a very sexist false statement.

You seem to have an attitude about nursing in particular with regard to males in the profession, its dominated by bitchy back biting females at all levels so perhaps some diversity in the profession might sort out of the management and the aggressive staff nurses, that are hated by their patients (rightly or wrongly) and can't work effectively as a team.

My point was that men are generally physically bigger and stronger than women and it can be intimidating to have one of them glowering at you because you have asked them to do something. That's all.

Or he could do what you are doing and go in all guns blazing, slagging off his mentor and calling everyone a bad nurse. I'm sure that it will be a great comfort to him when he is kicked off his course, that at least he made his point!

If there is any attitude here I think it is yours. I have no problem with males nursing, why would I? The only male nurses I have met was when I was ill and in hospital for several weeks, and they were all charming, lovely men. You seem to have a problem with women though.

You are making assumptions again. It can also be intimidating to have some hormonal woman making bitchy comments about you due to them feeling inadequate or whatever they're pathetic excuse is.

If you actually read what I said I did not mean or say that. Just because I dare argue with the rubbish you are saying.

I have no problem with female nurses in particular, I have problems with bitchy people regardless of their sex its unprofessional. You are no doubt one of these types! Instead of having sympathy with the person posting your are just shouting your mouth off, how does this benefit anyone?

I too have watched this thread with some interest and feel that I`d like to make a point.Bullying is not acceptable. It doesnt matter where you are or what you are doing. Male or female, student or consultant.Yes you learn to take advice about your strenghs and weakness, within both placement and university, but that is constructive criticism. I for one would not allow anybody to treat me with disrespect, and I wouldnt give a stuff who there were.I am training to be a professional and I expect to be trained by professionals.

To the OP, I hope that things have being sorted out and that this hasnt put you off training. Your next placement may be completely different and a real success. I personally didnt think you sounded any more angrier than I probably would have sounded If I had been in your situation and this is a forum, where people sometimes say things that they wouldnt dream of saying (or doing )in real life.xx

At last someone with some common sense on this site.

Some of my comments have been misintereperated. However its unacceptable for people to say just because of your age, you are either unable to control your temper or should become some doormat or are unable to tell the truth or unable to make a decision. A professional nurse in real life its accountable for their actions and will get criticised by other nurses, doctors, relatives etc...... I have learnt the best thing to do in these situations is to gather evidence, do not go on the attack or criticise anyone until you can prove it. Then its time to make comments.

I wish the original poster all the luck I understand the distress these situations put people in.

It's a pity you didn't put it this way in your earlier posts.

And you still miss the point that it is not about age or sex, it is about professional status in nursing. A qualified nurse's opinion and judgement will in almost every circumstance be considered superior to that of a student, particularly one in the early stages of training.

I have highlighted the part of your post which is exactly what I said in my first posting. Basically, tread softly and remember that the mentor is not the one on trial. The student is.