How to tell the experienced nurse to slow down

emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Aug 15, 2015

Without disclosing identifying info, you'll need to provide some details on what happened.

BrandonLPN, LPN · Aug 15, 2015

I'd have have to know the context.

Is their not-correct-ness something like forgetting one of your facility's forms that need to be filled out when a fall occurs? Or not knowing all 17 different places a pneumonia vaccine needs to be documented per your facility policy? Those sorts of things you should feel free to point out to her, as those are the sorts of things that are going to vary so much from place to place, she won't feel offended if she's corrected on them.

But I would tread carefully if what you feel is incorrect is this person's actual practice as a nurse. Are you actually witnessing unsafe and harmful technique?

MendedHeart · Aug 15, 2015

Thanks for responses. It was more like a sterile dressing change that the nurse was rushing through, he was changing a CVC dsg. Pulled the line out a notch or two, then kinked it around the biopatch. I ended up having to redress because it was causing line occlusion.

OCNRN63, RN · Aug 15, 2015

Thanks for responses. It was more like a sterile dressing change that the nurse was rushing through, he was changing a CVC dsg. Pulled the line out a notch or two, then kinked it around the biopatch. I ended up having to redress because it was causing line occlusion.

If that's the only thing, then I would hold my tongue. For all you know, that exp. nurse may have chosen to overlook an "oops" moment you were unaware of.

NicuGal, MSN, RN · Aug 16, 2015

I would have, nicely, pointed out that the dressing needed redone. Central line dressings need to be done correctly. I don't care if you have 6 days experience or 60

years experience, if something isn't done correctly I will

point it out nicely and explain why it is wrong and needs redone. Nothing wrong with that.

DarkEyed · Aug 17, 2015

I agree that you need to pick your battles. Every nurse has done some mistake. Maybe you caught him at a bad moment. If this becomes a habit..I'm politely say something and be respectful.

dudette10, MSN, RN · Aug 17, 2015

I would have, nicely, pointed out that the dressing needed redone. Central line dressings need to be done correctly. I don't care if you have 6 days experience or 60
years experience, if something isn't done correctly I will
point it out nicely and explain why it is wrong and needs redone. Nothing wrong with that.

Yep. If it's wrong, it's wrong. I've asked questions of nurses with less experience than I have because they have had exposure to a skill that isn't done too often, and I haven't had that exposure. My ego doesn't get in the way of wanting to do something correctly or understand an unusual diagnosis.

I don't understand this tip-toeing around a nurse who has a lot of experience but is on orientation. Be nice, be professional--as you would for anyone--but no one is doing a nurse any favors by letting stuff slide just because they've been a nurse forever.

Julius Seizure · Aug 17, 2015

I agree, be tactful but its your job to orient this nurse to the unit right? That includes being oriented to the expectations of how dressing changes need to be done there. But yes, tact is KEY.

FlyingScot, RN · Aug 17, 2015

You an always fall back on the old " I'm sure you've done this a million times before but let me show you how we do it here. Just to keep everything on the up and up."

And could you clarify the "pulled it out a notch or two"? I'm thinking if your lines are like ours a notch is a centimeter and two notches could very well mean a mal-positioned catheter. That's a very big deal.

NicuGal, MSN, RN · Aug 17, 2015

It really is not a battle to pick. If you are precepting, it is your job to make sure the person is doing things correctly and according to policy/procedure. Just because someone has 20 years experience doesn't mean they know how to do something. I have 30 years experience and would not take offense if someone told me I was doing something incorrectly.

BonnieSc · Aug 17, 2015

I'm an experienced nurse and orientation can be frustrating as my preceptor tells me how to do things I know perfectly well. But I keep quiet, ***** about it at home, and let it go. It's normal. If I'm doing something wrong or differently, I EXPECT to be corrected. Damn right I would want you to tell me I kinked that cannula. Maybe I've done a cvc dressing a million times and I just was nervous and uncomfortable being watched, or maybe I really didn't know the technique well.

The trick is, when you're relatively new and have only worked in one hospital, you only know one way to do most things. There are often many correct ways. The policies at one hospital will be shocking to nurses at another. Every time I go to a new hospital I find things they're doing better and things they're doing worse than the last one. So--keep this nurse's mistakes or variations between the two of you. Don't tell your co-workers that you have doubts about the new hire or omg the new hire is so unsafe, listen to what he did.