Why ‘eat the young’ hurts every generation in the workplace, and how we can all make a change
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Workplace culture can make or break a career—especially in high-pressure fields like healthcare.
One junior nurse has sparked widespread conversation after shedding light on a troubling trend she says is plaguing her industry.
What she shared has resonated far beyond her hospital walls, exposing a deeper issue that many claim is all too common.
A junior nurse has opened up about the pressure and bullying she faced in Australia’s hospital system, accusing the profession of harbouring a toxic culture fuelled by tall poppy syndrome.
In a video shared to social media on 25 May, the nurse—named Saida—claimed she had been relentlessly targeted by her colleagues, leaving her in tears and dreading her return to work after her honeymoon.
‘I have prepared my uniform, my meals for the rest of the week,’ she said.
‘I’m just full of anxiety because tall poppy syndrome is so prevalent in the nursing field.’
Saida explained she had started her career with enthusiasm, saying: ‘I came in bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, optimistic, wanting to learn everything that I can learn; like, asking all the questions.’
But her optimism quickly faded after she became the target of bullying from those around her.
She described being berated for mundane things like going for a walk on her designated lunch break, and said one colleague even questioned why she took a break at all since others typically skipped them.
‘I was like, you know what? I think you have a lot of pent-up energy because you’re hungry,’ she said.
‘You get no sunlight and you have no movement.’
Saida said she refused to accept this kind of culture as normal, stating: ‘I do not want to keep perpetuating this cycle of this nursing culture, that you think is like this. It’s not essential to who we are or what we do.’
Despite raising her concerns, she claimed they were brushed aside and she was told it was just how things worked in the industry.
Looking for support, she spoke to an older nurse she trusted.
‘There was one nurse who was so lovely, and I was like, “listen, I’m having these issues, like I don’t know what this means, I don’t know what I should do”,’ she recalled.
‘She’s like, “No. You’re just doing really well, that’s the only problem”.’
The young nurse said she found this explanation deeply unsettling, given the professional responsibilities nurses hold.
She added: ‘They’re all very cliquey, nobody is nice.’
‘I’m genuinely scared that by being in this environment for long enough that I will become a by-product of my environment and I’ll become a bit of a b**** as well.’
She offered advice to new nurses entering the field: ‘If you are a (graduate), if you’re new in the nursing world, take your walks, take your meals, take your break.’
‘You do not have to be overworked and burned out.’
‘You do what you need to do, you make sure that your patients are safe, you do all your documentation, [ensure] your meds are done correctly, [but] no one’s paying you to be overworked and underappreciated.’
Source: TikTok/sighdaa
Her video sparked widespread discussion across social media, with many users echoing her concerns.
‘I’m a student nurse and I had to stop my placement because my teacher and some registered nurses were so rude…[it] scares me even though I want this career so bad,’ one user shared.
‘I knew I was getting bullied during placement when a patient told me she felt bad for me with the way the nurse was talking to me and that she saw I was about to cry,’ another commented.
A third wrote: ‘“Eat the young” is so deeply ingrained and culturally normalised within nursing through hierarchical bullying.’
Some international users said their own countries had similar problems.
‘So nursing is toxic worldwide? Noted!’ one person remarked.
Others offered a glimmer of hope by sharing more positive experiences.
‘Depends on what hospital in Australia. My current hospital is brilliant with students and new grads,’ one user wrote.
‘I would’ve loved to have been a student there but agree as a general rule horrible with students and juniors.’
The challenges faced by nurses like Saida highlight a wider issue within the healthcare system that deserves more attention.
Watch the video to gain deeper insight into how tall poppy syndrome affects professionals on the frontline.
Source: Youtube/Sick Theories
With such a strong spotlight now on bullying in nursing, how do you think the healthcare system can change its culture for the better? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
One junior nurse has sparked widespread conversation after shedding light on a troubling trend she says is plaguing her industry.
What she shared has resonated far beyond her hospital walls, exposing a deeper issue that many claim is all too common.
A junior nurse has opened up about the pressure and bullying she faced in Australia’s hospital system, accusing the profession of harbouring a toxic culture fuelled by tall poppy syndrome.
In a video shared to social media on 25 May, the nurse—named Saida—claimed she had been relentlessly targeted by her colleagues, leaving her in tears and dreading her return to work after her honeymoon.
‘I have prepared my uniform, my meals for the rest of the week,’ she said.
Junior nurse exposes bullying in Australian hospitals. Image source: Pexels/Cedric Fauntleroy
‘I’m just full of anxiety because tall poppy syndrome is so prevalent in the nursing field.’
Saida explained she had started her career with enthusiasm, saying: ‘I came in bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, optimistic, wanting to learn everything that I can learn; like, asking all the questions.’
But her optimism quickly faded after she became the target of bullying from those around her.
She described being berated for mundane things like going for a walk on her designated lunch break, and said one colleague even questioned why she took a break at all since others typically skipped them.
‘I was like, you know what? I think you have a lot of pent-up energy because you’re hungry,’ she said.
‘You get no sunlight and you have no movement.’
Saida said she refused to accept this kind of culture as normal, stating: ‘I do not want to keep perpetuating this cycle of this nursing culture, that you think is like this. It’s not essential to who we are or what we do.’
Despite raising her concerns, she claimed they were brushed aside and she was told it was just how things worked in the industry.
Looking for support, she spoke to an older nurse she trusted.
‘There was one nurse who was so lovely, and I was like, “listen, I’m having these issues, like I don’t know what this means, I don’t know what I should do”,’ she recalled.
‘She’s like, “No. You’re just doing really well, that’s the only problem”.’
The young nurse said she found this explanation deeply unsettling, given the professional responsibilities nurses hold.
She added: ‘They’re all very cliquey, nobody is nice.’
‘I’m genuinely scared that by being in this environment for long enough that I will become a by-product of my environment and I’ll become a bit of a b**** as well.’
She offered advice to new nurses entering the field: ‘If you are a (graduate), if you’re new in the nursing world, take your walks, take your meals, take your break.’
‘You do not have to be overworked and burned out.’
‘You do what you need to do, you make sure that your patients are safe, you do all your documentation, [ensure] your meds are done correctly, [but] no one’s paying you to be overworked and underappreciated.’
Source: TikTok/sighdaa
Her video sparked widespread discussion across social media, with many users echoing her concerns.
‘I’m a student nurse and I had to stop my placement because my teacher and some registered nurses were so rude…[it] scares me even though I want this career so bad,’ one user shared.
‘I knew I was getting bullied during placement when a patient told me she felt bad for me with the way the nurse was talking to me and that she saw I was about to cry,’ another commented.
A third wrote: ‘“Eat the young” is so deeply ingrained and culturally normalised within nursing through hierarchical bullying.’
Some international users said their own countries had similar problems.
‘So nursing is toxic worldwide? Noted!’ one person remarked.
Others offered a glimmer of hope by sharing more positive experiences.
‘Depends on what hospital in Australia. My current hospital is brilliant with students and new grads,’ one user wrote.
‘I would’ve loved to have been a student there but agree as a general rule horrible with students and juniors.’
The challenges faced by nurses like Saida highlight a wider issue within the healthcare system that deserves more attention.
Watch the video to gain deeper insight into how tall poppy syndrome affects professionals on the frontline.
Source: Youtube/Sick Theories
With such a strong spotlight now on bullying in nursing, how do you think the healthcare system can change its culture for the better? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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