If you will remember, I couldn’t understand why I was being disciplined at work. Now I know. If you will recall, the last time I was written up was because a charge nurse had botched a stroke patient’s care. Less than a week later, I received my semiannual evaluation, and it read “Exceeds Expectations” across the board. I just couldn’t understand what was going on. Now I know why.
I am a Board Certified Emergency Nurse, Critical Care Nurse, and a Board Certified Nurse Manager. I have multiple degrees in medicine and in management, including an MBA in Health Care Admin. I am by far the most experienced and qualified nurse who works there. That’s important, as you will see.
The manager for my location is being transferred to another ED. That leaves a vacancy in the management spot for the place. I made the mistake of mentioning to her that I would be interested in applying to fill the vacant position.
There is a policy in the company that you cannot be promoted if you have received discipline in the past 90 days.
The charge nurse who was in charge of the stroke patient? Yeah, she has an associate’s degree in nursing, and has no qualifications beyond working there for a long time. She was the one, it turns out, who was complaining about me being too slow, not taking enough patients, and not taking proper care of the stroke patient. The outgoing manager is her long time friend. They worked together to have me take the fall for the incompetent charge nurse, so they could propel her into the management spot.
That’s right- the same charge nurse who botched a stroke patient’s care is now the manager of the entire ED, after spending three months making sure that it wouldn’t be me.
This is why I dislike working with women. The scheming and backstabbing is endemic.
22 Comments
Grumpy51 · September 18, 2026 at 5:07 am
Your call, but worth a discussion with someone from C-suite?? (orsimilar)
Divemedic · September 18, 2026 at 7:54 am
LOL. HR isn’t there for employees, it’s there to protect the company. Employees don’t mean shit to them.
TCK · September 19, 2026 at 1:56 am
Well, the two of them did botch a patient’s treatment in a way that left the company exposed to liability, then covered it up in an easy to uncover way any decent lawyer would be able to get them on.
Of course I’ve never worked in health care before and some of your previous posts suggest that even my cynical self has underestimated how fucked the system is these days.
Rob · September 18, 2026 at 7:39 am
Women run HR departments.
90% of jobs went to women last year
Billybob · September 18, 2026 at 12:44 pm
Who is John Galt?
Chris · September 18, 2026 at 7:55 am
Repeal the 19th. Poast haste.
neomunitor · September 18, 2026 at 8:07 am
It’s all “Chimpanzee Politics”, from the book of the same name by a famous primatologist.
Thomas · September 18, 2026 at 9:40 am
I feel for you.
But, you’ve been around Hospital administration enough to know how they work.
I’d have thought you would have read the rule book in minute detail.
Not trying to bash, but maybe it’s time to think more seriously about calling it quits.
There is no upside to how you been treated by your last few employers.
I wish you well.
Fred · September 18, 2026 at 10:02 am
I would find another position with another organization if you haven’t already. And whenever your path crosses the path of one of those two individuals make a point of publicly disengaging in a professional fashion as rapidly as possible. No matter what the cost! And when asked, just say: I have a massive trust issue with this individual. “So much so that I cannot work with them in any capacity. I’m sorry if that doesn’t fit with your program, but I must engage in self preservation.”
And then wait. Eventually people that witness it will see a manipulative act, a twisted account of a conversation or a deceptive action and those individuals will soon be convicted in the court of public opinion. And that will last a lifetime.
Himself · September 18, 2026 at 10:32 am
I was going to mention that piping up about wanting the position is what got you in trouble the last time, but you mentioned it was a mistake. It’s an uphill climb against the sisterhood.
It’s so time consuming to figure out the female social circle at work and try to navigate around it. After my company was bought, I went from working for an alpha to working for a gaggle of aunties. I really need to get out from under this mess, even if it’s to go shovel shit somewhere.
I’d have never applied for this job and I’m bummed it happened to me at this late stage of my career. I’ve passed on many a job after an interview with the woman hiring manager. I’ve never met one that wasn’t a mother hen or a queen bee.
Steve · September 18, 2026 at 10:39 am
Heh! Welcome to the club. I sympathize with you. Something similar got me pushed out of case management during covid. All you can do is BOHICA (bend over here it comes again). Or you can exit to another facility.
SP RN · September 18, 2026 at 11:13 am
My wife explained it to me. She calls them ‘the mean girls from high school.’
I worked in four hospitals before I retired, staying for 35yrs at the first, 7 months at the next, then 12months at the third, where I quit at the end of workday, handed in my tag and walked out, zero notice… buh bye) and 11yrs at the last, where I gave my dept five months notice of my planned retirement. It’s easy to see which were run by ‘the girls.’
University of Saigon 68 · September 18, 2026 at 12:46 pm
Chicks in charge. Never a good idea – unless it’s Margaret Thatcher.
Stealth Spaniel · September 18, 2026 at 3:47 pm
80.9% of all emergency department registered nurses are women, while 19.1% are men.Right now, you need to see an attorney who specializes and WINS!- sex discrimination suits. They did not even let you apply, and the reason that you were written up is so “it could stay the girl’s network.” It IS obvious and maybe your need to pad your retirement.
And don’t think that those mean girls are not just as vicious to women outside their circle. If I was a white male, I would be filing civil rights suits up the yingyang.
Wayne · September 18, 2026 at 7:12 pm
The other possibility is the management knows she is incompetent and figures she will be able to cause less trouble as a manager than as a charge nurse.
If you can’t fire someone incompetent, then promote them to a position where they can do less harm.
Is it right? No. Does it happen? Yes.
Seamrog · September 19, 2026 at 6:30 am
I think you messed up telling a woman your plans. Better to be silent about anything serious until you’re ready to make your move. Talk about stupid stuff all day so they learn to not fear or mistrust you, but never anything serious or of consequence for you.
That said, I’d also consider going into private care. With the aging population, it seems there is a good market for that. Find a market for others who are like you, and you could end up like the guy who is very likely to be the next governor of Georgia.
Divemedic · September 19, 2026 at 7:11 am
1 Telling her didnt matter. She was the one doing the job interview.
2 Home health nurses are largely used as maids. No thanks.
Toastrider · September 19, 2026 at 3:21 pm
So they deliberately mishandled the treatment of a patient, to ensure you couldn’t be promoted.
And you’re still working there.
You know better than that, DM. I KNOW you are smarter than that. You better have an exit plan.
Divemedic · September 20, 2026 at 6:24 am
It wasn’t that the patient was mishandled deliberately. Its that the patient was mishandled due to incompetence, and the blame was deflected away from the incompetent person about to get promoted.
OldToolFool · September 20, 2026 at 10:21 am
I thought one of the requirements to be an RN was a BSN and pass the nclex? Does the ER use LPNs?
As with other posters it’s a valid complaint. I understood you were thinking of leaving so, probably not worth it. It is a pta for them though.
Divemedic · September 20, 2026 at 1:38 pm
You have to attend an accredited RN program and pass the NCLEX, but there is no requirement for any degree of any sort. About 53% of registered nurses have a bachelor’s degree, 17% a master’s degree, and 3% have doctorates. The remainder (27% or so) have an associate’s degree or less.
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