As a woman who has dedicated my career to working in the healthcare industry, I’ve seen my fair share of cattiness, drama, and outright bullying from my fellow female coworkers. It’s an unfortunate reality that many women in positions of power or authority within the medical field tend to wield that power in the most petty and vindictive ways, using it to systematically undermine, sabotage, and make life absolutely miserable for other women who dare to work alongside them. And it’s not just my own personal experiences – I hear similar horror stories from friends, colleagues, and acquaintances across every corner of the healthcare sector, from hospitals and clinics to private practices and administrative offices.

Why is it that so many female healthcare workers, whether they’re nurses, doctors, administrators, or anything in between, feel this overwhelming compulsion to be so needlessly cruel and spiteful towards one another? Is it deep-seated insecurity, a desperate need to feel superior and in control? Or do they simply get some twisted, almost sadistic thrill from making someone else’s professional life an absolute living nightmare? Whatever the underlying psychological drivers may be, the sheer volume of pettiness, backstabbing, and outright sabotage that I’ve witnessed over the years is truly staggering.

I’ll never forget one particularly egregious example from early on in my career, when I started a new job at a large regional hospital. From the moment I walked through the doors on my very first day, I could immediately tell that I had been marked as the target of an older even the younger ones, more experienced nurse who seemed to have taken an instant dislike to me. Whether it was “forgetting” to provide me with crucial information, deliberately dumping the most unpleasant and overwhelming assignments on my plate, or publicly nitpicking and criticizing my every move, these women made it their mission to make my life an absolute living hell.

The worst part, though, was how they would act all sweet and friendly to my face, putting on this sickeningly saccharine facade of camaraderie and support. But the moment my back was turned, they would immediately drop the act and start viciously trash-talking me to our shared manager and the other nurses on the floor. It was like they were engaged in some sort of twisted performance, pretending to be my ally and confidante while actively working behind the scenes to undermine me and make me look as incompetent as possible. And of course, our manager just ate up every word of their lies, completely buying into the false narrative they were spinning and making my job exponentially harder as a result.

I wish I could say that this was an isolated incident, but the sad truth is that I’ve seen this exact same dynamic play out time and time again, not just in my own workplaces, but across the healthcare industry as a whole. Women who are supposed to be on the same team, working together collaboratively to provide the best possible care and outcomes for our patients, instead view each other as mortal enemies and direct competitors. They’ll gleefully team up with their little cliques and cronies, strategizing ways to systematically sabotage the new girl, the pretty girl, the ambitious girl – anyone they perceive as a threat to their own power and status.

And it’s not just between nurses and other clinical staff, either. I’ve witnessed doctors treating their nurse colleagues with utter disdain and condescension, administrators bullying and belittling the receptionists and medical assistants under their purview, and even medical assistants turning on each other in petty, vindictive ways. There’s this pervasive, dog-eat-dog mentality of “I’ve got to look out for myself, because no one else in this cutthroat environment is going to do it for me.”

It’s like the beautiful, empowering concept of “women supporting women” just goes straight out the window the moment you step foot into any kind of healthcare facility. Rather than lifting each other up and working together to elevate our collective status and influence, we’re all too busy trying to claw and fight our way to the top, even if it means stepping ruthlessly on the backs of our fellow female coworkers in the process.

I wish I could say that this is just an isolated problem confined to a few bad apples, but the sad truth is that this toxic, bullying behavior seems to be rampant among women in positions of power and authority within the healthcare industry. Whether it’s nurses, doctors, administrators, or anyone in between, there is this pervasive culture of cattiness, pettiness, and competition that just seems to be endemic to so many medical workplaces. And as long as we continue to perpetuate and normalize this kind of behavior, I fear that it’s only going to get worse over time.

So what can we do to try and address this issue and make positive change? I think it starts with all of us, as individual women working in healthcare, making a conscious effort to acknowledge the problem and actively work to be more supportive, collaborative, and kind to our female colleagues. We need to check our egos at the door, put aside our petty rivalries and status hierarchies, and start treating each other with genuine respect, empathy, and kindness.

After all, at the end of the day, we’re all in this together. We should be lifting each other up, not tearing each other down. Who knows – if we can learn to work as a true team instead of against each other, we might just be able to make some real, meaningful positive changes not just in our individual workplaces, but across the entire healthcare industry as a whole.

But until that day comes, I’ll just be over here, trying my best to dodge the latest round of catty drama and backstabbing. Wish me luck!