THE CASE of THE
BITTER BACKBITERS
Rosa is a BSN-prepared nurse who has worked for several years on a
med/surg unit. She has always had a dream of becoming a nurse practitioner and recently
decided to make that dream a reality by pursuing an online master's degree program. She
continues to juggle her shifts at the hospital with her courses, clinicals and tests.
When Rosa told her colleagues about her exciting plans, she was surprised to get a neg-
ative reaction, even from her manager. "You think having a master's degree will make you
better than us?" the manager sneered.
The other nurses are giving Rosa the cold shoulder. Suddenly, they're unable to switch
shifts to help accommodate her classes and study time. Rosa feels they are not only being
unkind and unsupportive, but are intentionally sabotaging her efforts.
What's going on here, and what can Rosa do about it?
BY RENEE THOMPSON, RN, DNP, DMSRN, CSP ILLUSTRATION BY JASMIN MORA
HEALTHY WORKFORCE
