The pipeline of “mean girl to nurse”, is a phrase that has gained much traction online. It theorizes that high school “mean girls” tend to pursue careers in nursing. Videos on the topic have over half a million views on TikTok, and audiences speculate why this may be the case, with many individuals agreeing that they know “mean nurses”. Here’s a look into the professional lives of nurses, and why they may be unfairly labeled as “mean”.
First, the phrase itself is unfair to women. Although nursing is a female-dominated field, this phrase focuses on women as being the “mean” ones to worry about. This may come across as misogynistic.
Nursing is known for having a culture of bullying. Have you ever heard the phrase, “nurses eat their young”? Many young nurses may experience hazing and bullying from older nurses. A bully may ignore requests for help from another nurse, or assign too many patients for one nurse to handle. New nurses are often told to ignore or accept such behaviors from coworkers or higher-ups.
Bullies may not be fired due to staff shortages. If a nurse does well at their job and has not broken any rules related to harassment, there may not be a reason to fire them. Victims of bullying are often driven to leave their positions or the nursing field entirely, which negatively affects nurse retention.
Increased instances of bullying may be due to the harsh working conditions nurses face. The job is physically demanding, and nurses are regularly exposed to contagious diseases. They care for patients who feel vulnerable and uncomfortable, and patients may also harass or lash out at nurses. Nurses must work as a team to save lives, but bullying prohibits such collaboration.
Nursing students at Grand Canyon University have heard the phrase before. “A lot of people on my For You page on TikTok talk about it,” one student remarked. “Nurses are talking about how their coworkers did something to them, but what am I supposed to do about it? I’m trying to pursue that career and when I see those behaviors, I feel discouraged.”
Another student stated that they feel like calling nurses “mean girls” is an unfair assessment to make. “It can be hard and people get stressed with so much pressure, even now. For nursing majors in school, it is competitive. There seems to be a hierarchy of power sometimes.”
One student mentioned a family member in the medical field who experienced bullying. “My aunt used to be a nurse. She went through the whole bullying thing and then moved to a higher position. That seemed to stop the bullying for her because she gained more power with that position. She saw how it affected her, and she does not want new people to feel the way she did.”
Nursing is more than just a job; it is a difficult commitment. People’s lives are in the hands of these caregivers, and the hurtful phrase only seems to discourage prospective and current nurses. Because of this, nurses need support and increased resources for bullying prevention. People should also feel respected to thrive in their professional lives, especially with a job that involves such high stakes and close collaboration.