Is he annoying you?

[goodcatholic]

My friend has just started as a support worker in a disability/mental health wing of a hospital.He related a minor incident to me and I thought I would like to see what others thought about it.
He was chatting to a patient, a female patient it must be said. A nurse came up and joined the conversation. She asked the patient: “Is he annoying you?”
When I first heard this I thought what a strange thing to say. She had no reason to say it. The patient was fine. He did not complain to the nurse and told me that he had experienced similar rudeness from other staff in other situations in the first week.
Is bullying and harassment common in hospitals? I just cant believe that new staff have to suffer such rude behaviour and not be given the dignity and respect they deserve.
I couldn’t put up with it myself. I would probably get myself fired for saying something immediately back the nurse like “Excuse me , can I have a word with you in private?” Then saying later to her “I don’t like being humiliated in public. Please don’t do that again”.

 

[guanophore]

Is bullying and harassment common in hospitals? I just cant believe that new staff have to suffer such rude behaviour and not be given the dignity and respect they deserve.

Unfortunately this kind of hazing is far too common in a variety of venues. I have experienced it also in medical settings, as well as other settings. It is unprofessional. He should keep a careful record of these events, including names, dates, circumstances and specific quotes of what was said. They should be documented immediately when they occur, and kept at home, not at work (I had a supervisor confiscate a journal from my office once). If it ever reaches a point that his job is threatened, he will have this documentation to help support the hostile work environment case.

 

[goodcatholic]

It is unprofessional.

Exactly. And it shouldn’t matter if you are on the bottom of the food chain. (lowest ranked worker). No one should have to put up with it.

 

[goodcatholic]

I have experienced it also in medical settings, as well as other settings

so you survived all that eh. Credit to you.

 

[RandomAlias]

Your friend should not worry about it. The nurse sounds like a mother hen who believes that the female patients need to be protected from a new fellow who seems to be getting friendly right off the bat. Women look out for each other in social situations, I am told. If this was her intention, she should have been more discreet. For example, she could have observed from a distance, or she could have spoken to the woman afterwards.

Another possibility is that she is the alpha nurse and just has to let it be known.

If I was the new guy on the job, this would not bother me, but then I have a high tolerance for rude behavior and disordered personalities, having lived with and worked in the presence of some world-class examples. Present company excepted, of course!