mean nurses

In ER we work in a sometimes abusive environment. The other day some clown cussed me out at the triage window.  With that in mind, why are we as nurses mean to each other?

I have worked in the same ER for a long time. In the last few years I have watched it change. We have a fair amount of just plain mean people working there. Sometimes its like high school, people talking about each other. Cliques.

Its really discouraging to see nurses treat each other badly. I've been the subject of it myself a couple of times. It makes me feel like leaving. I mean seriously, it gets to be too much.  The job itself is hard enough, let alone seeing nurses be so mean. We are own worst enemy.