Avoiding Gossip One evening at dinner, Sarah, a new graduate, ate with an LPN and a nursing assistant from her unit. The nursing assistant said, “I get so tired of Jennie [another LPN] always showing...

Avoiding Gossip

One evening at dinner, Sarah, a new graduate, ate with an LPN and a nursing assistant from her unit. The nursing assistant said, “I get so tired of Jennie [another LPN] always showing how smart she is!” The LPN replied, “I know just what you mean—you would think she was the nurse manager or something. Sarah, haven’t you noticed how bossy and controlling Jennie is?” Sarah replied, “I feel really uncomfortable discussing Jennie behind her back. It seems unfair. I guess if it is a problem for you, maybe you should try to talk to Jennie about it.” She then introduced a new topic of conversation. Sarah has not labeled the others but has indicated she will not participate in gossip and laid the framework for others to expect that she will not gossip about them.