Strong women are not to be feared.

When I first began nursing, I was in an overcrowded, outdated building. There were over 40 patients to one nurse. It is definitely the hardest nursing job I have ever had. Handling the unit was enough to give anyone premature grey hairs. Enter nurse Jeanette. She was feared by staff. She always had a sarcastic retort to every question. She could silence her team in one look. Everyone had warned me about this woman. They said things like “Don’t worry, she is just a B!tch to everyone” “don’t take anything personally” and so on. Basically expect nothing but evil and you won’t be hurt or disappointed. Well when I got to know Jeannette, it was blantly obvious that she was an excellent nurse and one that could mentor me. So instead of fearing and avoiding her, I did whatever I could to help her. I stocked the cups on her medication cart, I would gladly get her supplies from another floor. If she was sarcastic to me, I’d explain that I just needed to know the right thing to do and she would change her tune from mean supervisor to awesome mentor and sometimes even friend!
Jeannette taught me one of the most important lessons in life. It is all in the way you approach someone. If you’re defensive and unkind, you can pretty much expect a negative outcome. If you approach a situation with the best of intentions and give someone a chance to be kind, then you can generally expect good things.
I never fear the “bully” or the “B!tch” anymore. Instead I view them with respect. I know they are a head strong individual and I know that there is a way to get along.