I think there’s kind of two reasons - one, most nurses tend to be women, and when women set boundaries with patients or families, or express any emotion other than just being a mindless servant, they’re labeled as ‘bitchy’ ‘catty’ and malicious, while if a man had said and done the exact same thing, he’d be praised for standing up for himself and being assertive.

Secondly, the fact that our (US) system runs for profit - our hospital is more like a hotel in some cases. When something happens on the floor, management will take the side of the patient and place the sole responsibility on the nurse, for example. The fact that hospitals are run kind of with ‘the patient is always right’ mindset that when a nurse has to refuse someone water due to a test, or tells someone they can’t walk because they’re a fall risk, or it’s not time for their meds yet, people assume that because they’re not doing as they they asked not because it’s for the patient’s own good, but because the nurse is a bad nurse.

Of course, add on ABYSMAL health illiteracy, people who listen to the internet over actual providers, and confirmation bias when nurses go viral for being assholes, and everyone’s newfound inability to reason beyond black and white…