I work with a DUMB nurse!

Nurses General Nursing

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i hate to say anything bad about a fellow nurse, but i work with an incompetent nurse. i watch her and listen to her "stories" about why she is doing something and i just cannot believe she was passed through nursing school. to make it even worse she has the personality that does not know how to say "i don't know" so she makes up crazy stories. i thought maybe i was exaggerating her story telling but one day i made up a disease process and she actually started talking about it as if she sees it all the time. aaaahhh! i really do not know how to handle this. i watch her access ports without any caution to sterile technique, give wrong patient education and lie to the don about medication she had given during the day. i reported what i have been seeing to the don, but i felt like a total a**! there was no way i am going to let her harm patients. when i am with her i feel like i have to watch her every second in case she does something stupid and then tries to hide it.

has anyone else had to deal with something like this?

thanks for reading my gripe!!

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i hate to say anything bad about a fellow nurse, but i work with an incompetent nurse. i watch her and listen to her "stories" about why she is doing something and i just cannot believe she was passed through nursing school. to make it even worse she has the personality that does not know how to say "i don't know" so she makes up crazy stories. i thought maybe i was exaggerating her story telling but one day i made up a disease process and she actually started talking about it as if she sees it all the time. aaaahhh! i really do not know how to handle this. i watch her access ports without any caution to sterile technique, give wrong patient education and lie to the don about medication she had given during the day. i reported what i have been seeing to the don, but i felt like a total a**! there was no way i am going to let her harm patients. when i am with her i feel like i have to watch her every second in case she does something stupid and then tries to hide it.

has anyone else had to deal with something like this?

thanks for reading my gripe!!

this probably won't make you feel any better but i can relate! i've seen several people in my daily dealings that have an answer to everything and a story of how they or their friend or family member has seen or done, or knows the exact same thing.....the ironic thing is that i'm sitting here writing a post about how i've experienced the same thing as you! :rolleyes:

an old bf of mine from when i was a teenager spent a lot of time trying to tell my mom how he had done this, or done that, etc...my mom was talking about how she was on meds for endemetriosis and this boy had the nerve to tell her he had been on those meds for the same reason.....:lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2:

of course later that same night, he also told my dad he needed to work on his 57 chevy because the "gas was boiling!"

anyway, these kinds of people are frantically trying to compensate for something they feel they are lacking in; whatever that might be...it's best to let it roll off your back and let their ignorance shine for everyone else to see...unless of course (as you've said) it effects patient safety.

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oops thats too bad really....if she does not know something...shoud rather admit and ask for help!!!Gosh...giving excuses is soo irritating man!!!

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Specializes in ICU, ER, EP,.

Since you've already spoken to the DON, ask "her" how she would like the situation handled. Each facility may have a different protocol. We do QCC's in the computer. When I see a peer not using sterile technique I have gone in the room with supplies and said "saw you needed these here you go, can I give you a hand?".

Then after I have said to nurses in private... "first warning face to face, next one is in print, you can't risk our patients".

Many nurses are uncomfortable with this, some just don't feel it's their responsibility to address it. I"m not here to make friends, and I need to sleep at night.

So either address it face to face or follow the DON's instructions. You'll find this through your entire career, the problem simply never goes away on it's own.... sometimes these are the very people that get promoted:eek:

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It is so frustrating when people are overconfident, make mistakes and do not have the sense to admit when they have made a mistake. People's lives are at risk with such nurses

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Actually I wouldn't exactly call her actions dumb. Those actions are very deliberate. Perhaps as a compensation for something she feels lacking. But that is not sign of being dumb...she knows EXACTLY what she is doing and perhaps has become so caught up in it, that now she just does it. But she knows.

It's more of an insecurity and trying to get a one-up over the next person. Not so good.

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this type makes me nuts. actually i have one or two family members that spout off medical advice, and say, "my sister is a nurse..." like it's rubbed off on them somehow. they will also cross me and tell me no, no that's not right. lol! had a classmate one semester who had been a working cna for all of one month, and she'd try to nod and agree like she was an old sage each and every time my poor instructor would try and relay a patient scenario she once had for a class example.

a friend of my coined this just right. she says that the offender has obviously gone to the

university of

i know everything

:grad:

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Specializes in ICU.

before i even read any of the replies to this, i wanted to put in a quick reply myself. you must be pretty new to nursing, or new to hospital/bedside care.. because almost always there is atleast one nurse on the team that has a few tools missing out of his/her shed. the trick to is,, and this is what you should be asking us is... how to deal with it without compromising patient care, team morale, and without stressing you out. sometimes things are just out of your control, but just figure out what you can do to help the situation, and not make it worse.

then,,,, come back here and vent. lol come back here and vent about all the stupid things you see him/her doing and you will feel so much better... (thats my own advice, probably not the best advice) i always try to make light of stressful situations such as these. i'm sure most nurses here have worked with a coworker like this one...

document all the things,, date, time , patient initials and medical record number, document all of the mistakes and questionable things that you see going on... give them to your manager and keep a copy for yourself so you can keep adding on to it.. because i promise you, it will not go away right now. it takes several stupid incidences for management to do something about it. .. this is from my experience.

i hate to say anything bad about a fellow nurse, but i work with an incompetent nurse. i watch her and listen to her "stories" about why she is doing something and i just cannot believe she was passed through nursing school. to make it even worse she has the personality that does not know how to say "i don't know" so she makes up crazy stories. i thought maybe i was exaggerating her story telling but one day i made up a disease process and she actually started talking about it as if she sees it all the time. aaaahhh! i really do not know how to handle this. i watch her access ports without any caution to sterile technique, give wrong patient education and lie to the don about medication she had given during the day. i reported what i have been seeing to the don, but i felt like a total a**! there was no way i am going to let her harm patients. when i am with her i feel like i have to watch her every second in case she does something stupid and then tries to hide it.

has anyone else had to deal with something like this?

thanks for reading my gripe!!

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Specializes in ICU.

One more thing,, there are some people in this world that can be taught the correct way over and over, but I guess in their mind they already KNOW what they THINK is the correct way and will NEVER listen to you. So you might as well be banging your head against the wall. Unless she asks and seems receptive, I would leave it to the manager or education manager to teach this nurse.

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Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.

The true reason why standards for passing NCLEX should be harder.

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Specializes in ICU, ER, EP,.

Another course of action as you learn is to watch who lives up to the highest patient standards and ask them to mentor you. There is nothing wrong with "hey, I still have alot to learn, can I tweak your ear through out the shift tonight"... but don't dump on this person, in exchange for their time... offer to do an am blood draw or two, a med pass, something to show your willing to give back. Training is very time consuming and when I have someone willing to reciprocate for my advice..... and it frees up some time, it's a blessing, although I'd do it without the offer, the offer shows what a team player you are.

when you can give up that tunnel vision and jump in more, others are willing to jump in to your mess, does that make sense?

Along the way you can feel each nurse out and hope this is an oddity with this nurse and follow the others lead.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

you can't do much about "annoying" except to suck it up and deal with it. there's always going to be at least one co-worker who annoys the everlivin' daylights out of you.

about unsafe practice -- document, document, document.

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