Why Community is Essential for Surviving the Profession of Nursing

By Dr. Ali R. Tayyeb, PhD, RN, NPD-BC, PHN, FAAN

My wife told me today about a nurse she knows who recently moved to a management position, and the organization is treating her very poorly. Which made me think about not only my own share of this non-sense over my lifetime in the profession but the decades of talks about nurses eat their young, nurse bullying, middle management woes, academic mistreatment of faculty, and my healthcare “F” word - “RESILIANCE”, and the list goes on and on… Nursing is more than a job; it’s a dynamic and demanding profession that stretches across hospitals, clinics, universities, boardrooms, research centers, and policy tables. It’s rooted in service and knowledge, advocacy and action. But no matter where you find yourself in the nursing world, one thing becomes clear with time: this work is hard, and doing it alone makes it even harder.

While the public may view nursing as a deeply collaborative profession, the reality behind the scenes can be quite different. Nurses can be supportive, uplifting, and united, but they can also be competitive, dismissive, and, at times, cruel. Whether it’s the bedside nurse ignored by leadership, the academic overlooked for publication credit, or the administrator caught between unrealistic expectations and staffing realities, the struggle for respect, belonging, and recognition is felt throughout every level of our profession.

In clinical settings, nurses often contend with lateral violence, gatekeeping, and burnout. The phrase “nurses eat their young” still echoes in many units across the country, a tragic reflection of a culture that sometimes mistakes toughness for mental well-being. But these same dynamics exist in academia, where publishing pressures, tenure battles, and institutional politics breed exclusion. In leadership, nurse managers are frequently isolated, having to advocate for both staff and executive priorities without the psychological safety to express their own concerns.

It’s not just the workload that drives nurses away from the profession, it’s the culture. And when the culture lacks compassion, support, and collaboration, it becomes unsustainable.

That’s why finding your people isn’t optional. It’s essential.

Community is what keeps you grounded when systems fail you. It’s what reminds you that you’re not alone, that others see you, value you, and are fighting alongside you. It’s the faculty mentor who shows you how to navigate academia without losing yourself. It’s the colleague who has your back when you speak up in a leadership meeting. It’s the policy partner who understands the language of both care and legislation. These connections aren’t accidental; they’re intentional acts of resistance against a profession that too often isolates those trying to make a difference.

Real community in nursing fosters safety, not just physical, but psychological and professional. It offers a place to test ideas, admit mistakes, and speak truth without fear. It allows for mentoring and sponsorship that elevate others rather than hoard opportunity. And most importantly, it creates a foundation of shared values where we can collectively advocate for the future of our discipline.

You don’t need to be in the perfect organization to build your community. Some of the most powerful professional relationships are formed across departments, institutions, or even time zones. They come from shared values, mutual respect, and a willingness to show up for one another consistently.

Whether you’re new to the profession or decades in, whether you’re in direct care, education, policy, or leadership, you need people around you who not only support you but challenge you to be better. Nursing doesn’t thrive on individual heroism; it thrives on connection and human kindness.

The work ahead, of transforming care, advancing equity, shaping policy, and creating sustainable futures, can’t be done in isolation. It will take networks of nurses who trust each other, invest in each other, and believe in the collective power of their voices.

So if you're reading this and feeling exhausted, excluded, or like you’re constantly fighting uphill battles in silos, know this: there are others like you. Find them. Build with them. Protect each other fiercely and just be kind to each other. There is enough going on in this world that we shouldn't have to worry about being backstabbed by our own!