Workplace bullying, AIBU to take this further?

[NotExactlyProfessional]

Hi all, I've name changed for this as I don't want anyone connecting the dots with my old posts - this is likely to be very outing if the wrong person reads it!

I'm in professional NHS training, something similar to training as a midwife. For context, we have placements at various healthcare services and teaching in university. Our year are a small group (

I'm an HCA, I've come across bullies like this , student nurses are especially awful to other student nurses for example & I've had to comfort one woman who's been the subject of terrible gossip.

Report all the way!!

This is really awful.

It would be far better for each person to submit a complaint.

Yes write and sign collectively. However I would if it's worth each of you writing down specific events beforehand individually (without discussion) so "evidence" can be accused of being malicious?

If teaching is at a university I would think there is support available to guide you through this formally.

I have a horrible feeling you might be training in my profession. If so, you'd be employed as well as students, so HR should be playing a key role here.

NHS is rife with bullying. I've heard it myself too. These are people in caring roles and can treat their fellow humans fucking appallingly.

I wouldnt want any of these people treating me if this is who they really are.

I'd complain all the way to the top. Fucking cunts they are.

You absolutely need to approach your Course Tutor at the University, with as many of your bullied peers as possible. Your Outreach tutors should be doing as much as possible to stamp it out too and can escalate if further to the University.
In my profession there are Student fitness to practise proceedings also.

I've seen so many people like this in the NHS that I've wondered if its deliberate policy to flood the NHS with them.

there should also be a link tutor within the trust if it's like midwifery - may be worth bringing them into it too - its going to be affecting the victims placements too

Are they already registered with the likes of the NMC? As yiu say they already had to have a professional degree? If so you may want to report direct

Thank you for all of the helpful advice. I think a couple of posters have recognised my profession, which I'm happy to hint at and those in the area will no doubt recognise it. I'm only not confirming in case of sharky DM types

The sad thing is that the other cohorts (first and second years) are well aware of what's going on, and that the university have not acted despite knowing there's a problem. I've made a lot of friends in the cohorts in lower years, as people in my profession are generally pretty nice and those cohorts don't have any issues like this! They're really shocked at what's happening, and have witnessed some of it themselves (e.g. two of them have seen the ringleader blank me on separate occasions in a professional context - I thought he was going to do a full on Exorcist neck twist to avoid making eye contact). I've also been in a situation where two of the bullies lurked glaring on the other side of the work canteen while I talked to my placement colleagues, making exaggerated angry faces at me. At that point I hadn't actually realised they had a problem with me and laughed, thinking they were being silly as it was so dramatic and put-on. On that occasion it was because the ringleader, who had already done many of the things I noted in the OP, had texted me demanding help with a piece of coursework while my dad was going into a care home with terminal illness. I didn't reply to the message and now he's openly rude to me.

The really frustrating thing is that it's about their insecurity, not because any of their victims has done anything wrong. The people they generally pick on are intelligent, high achievers, who communicate well, get on with the course and placement staff, and are keen to make a difference. I get picked on because of the "characteristic" I mentioned in the OP, which makes me very good at one component of the course which many struggle with (but worse at others). I don't talk about it among the group, after week one when we introduced ourselves and our backgrounds, and one of the now-bullies attacked me openly because it wasn't fair that I'd find part of the course "easy". They now slag me off for enjoying this particular component and doing well at it, which I put down to jealousy. On the other hand, the bullying group is composed of people who have failed assignments, failed placements, can't maintain a relationship with the course staff and one of them was in fact kicked off the course over the summer and won't be back.

Gosh sorry to write so much. It's a relief to get it off my chest!

Just wondering if any of the behaviour you've witnessed meets the standard for criminal harassment? It might be worth bearing in mind that the best way to do this may be to give these bullies several miles of rope to hang themselves with - if professional colleagues won't listen, there's just a chance the police may take an interest.

What about sourcing help in the students union to force the academics to step up?

I endured something similar on a professional course. A group who made people’s lives a misery and caused several students to drop out in favour of postponing the second term until the following year (without the group).

We did as a pp had suggested and sent a formal letter, including a log of the more serious incidents, signed by approximately 60% of the cohort. We sent it to the course leader and copied in the head of the department plus our professional regulator.

The regulator was the one who really got the ball rolling for us as it clearly had the potential to impact on all of our performances at assessment. Also, importantly, a bully is not the type to welcome into such a profession so things moved pretty quickly once they were involved.

I hope this could apply to your situation too as I honestly don’t think we’d have all made it to the end of the course without that intervention.

Anyone got any theories why you get such bullying in the NHS?

I've experienced seen this via a friend who is a mental health nurse, the way she describes her colleagues, you think it may be the staff who are the ones with phycological problems!

Oh my actual goodness! And these people are training to be professionals??? Well once they're out in the big wide world, they won't know what's hit them! They need to grow the fuck up and stop acting like they're still in the playground!
Report,report,report.....and keep reporting! Do not be scared of them- they're the ones in the wrong not you! Someone needs to stand up to them before they do any more damage.

And,OP, it is jealousy. Same happened to my daughter at school in yr 11. Group of girls turned on her.......every single one if them struggled academically and they all failed their GCSE'S. My daughter passed hers and is enjoying the course at college that she's always wanted to do.

Unfortunately bullying like this is not uncommon in the NHS, but that doesn't mean it should not be challenged. Absolutely you and the other students MUST make a FORMAL complaint. You should do this jointly as a group and have each others backs.

If you all write your own experiences ( with dates, places and what exactly was said/ done etc) of the bullying and then show how they overlap, ( as they will), then no one person can really be singled out for making the formal complaint.
Hopefully this will make any backlash from the bullies non focused, as well as highlight exactly what bullying behaviours have happened, to whom and when they've happened.

You should all be members of a union (if not, then join asap at student rate). You need to tell your union/s what has been happening, and ask for their help and input, as well as their presence at any meetings with lecturers or mentors in placements about the bullying.

You also need to (as a group) request that during the formal complaint procedure, non of you are in a placement with or have to collaborate on a project with any of the named bullies.

Basically, get all your ducks in a row as individuals and as a group, then ask for a formal meeting to raise a formal grievance / complaint against each individual bully individually and also as a collective group of bullies.

I hope you get this appalling behaviour stopped and that you all get the full support of the teaching staff, the placement staff and the union/s to help you do it. NONE of the bullies should EVER be in a public facing job where they have access to sensitive information and access to vulnerable client groups.

I'd definitely put in a formal complaint. I've been bullied in the workplace and it was horrendous. Maybe if you and other people from the course do it then you will be able to support each other and hopefully it will be taken seriously.

I'd also worry about these people bullying patients and getting away with it. They are obviously all cowards and a vulnerable person would make the perfect target for a coward.