Eh... talking behind my back? That's been done since Day 1 when
I entered Nursing School, just because I was glaringly different
due to my background and circumstances. 
I'm not their 'typical' kinda nurse, so I had it tough with the
'powerful' seniors ganging up on me when I first started work.
I tolerated some, I
fought back some, I gave as good as I got at others... in the end,
they realised that I'm a fighter and no one could outtalk me, so,
they more or less left me alone and accepted me into their
fold.
And then, just when things were peachy, they had to transfer me to
a new ward, where the whole drama is starting all over again!
And, nope... if I ever get a Masters / PhD, I'll still wanna roll
up my sleeves and do clinical nursing. 
The only
difference would be that to meet the expectations of my superiors,
and/or to satisfy my own career objectives, I might have to delve
into submitting research papers.
