Lions, Gazelles, and Nurses: The Herd Mentality at Work

Nursing has a hierarchy of power and experience just like any other profession; in fact, it also has a hierarchy that sometimes feels akin to the laws of survival on the savanna or in the jungle. Have you ever observed that the less experienced and more vulnerable nurses frequently get left on the outside, often falling prey to bullies and " predators " ? This is the herd mentality at its worst, and many novice nurses are taken down by bullies and power-hungry colleagues who eat them alive when they ' re demonstrating the slightest weakness.Protection and Predation Out on the African savanna, herds of gazelles keep watch for lions, one of their most fierce predators; the culling of the herd is a natural phenomenon, and lions need to eat just like anyone else. The thing is, some naturalists notice that the sicker, older gazelles are left on the outside of the herd, vulnerable to predation and outside of the safety of the circle. Young gazelles are naturally kept on the inside, their parents and elders protecting them and keeping them close, with the innate understanding that they are the carriers of the gene pool who need to survive into adulthood so that the species can  thrive into the future.  In the healthcare environment, we often see a herd mentality, as well; in this scenario, the experienced nurses make up the bones of the innermost circle of safety, and survival of the fittest is frequently the name of the game. But what about the newer nurses? Where...
Source: Digital Doorway - Category: Nursing Tags: career healthcare nurse nurses nursing Source Type: blogs