Nurse Ratchett gets vulnerable!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

There is a nurse Ratchett at one of my jobs, she is a day nurse in our one nurse ER in a tiny hospital. Fortunately, I only interact with her for an awkward 1/2 hr at time during shift change. She is invariably unfriendly, she's a very closed off and negative person. She's an older gal, in her mid 60s. It's not personal I know. She's an information hoarder. Her whole career has been in this little hospital where she had more clout at one time.

I've tried to be friendly, but she just won't loosen up, so I'll go get coffee, go say hi to the acute care nurses, go check the schedule, while she finishes up her charting and patient care. I always ask if she needs help, but she likes finish up her patients on her own.

So, the other day, after returning from vacation to see my new grandbaby, she was there at shift change. I was showing my pics, so asked her if she wanted to see them too. Of course she rudely rebuffed me, saying she was charting. The float RN for the night came in, we like each other a lot and are confidants, so we went in to clean a room together and caught up on stuff.

When we came out, Nurse Ratchett turned to us and said "I want you to know that my feelings are really hurt by you going in the other room and whispering together".

Say what? We were both blown away! My friend immediately walked out of the room in disbelief. I apologized, telling her that we were not talking about her (We weren't).

You never know about people. Maybe she's in counseling and has been told to open up about her feelings? It seemed like an emotional breakthrough of sorts. I'm proud of her in a way, although I expect the next time I see her she'll probably be her old self. But, where there's life, there's hope.

Farawyn

12,646 Posts

How did she respond to you apologizing?

Specializes in Registered Nurse.

It sounds like she is very serious. Maybe she is having problems with her eyesight and work and possible mistakes scare her. Maybe she is sleep deprived. Several things run through my head. None of them are your fault, of course...not at all. As for her now expressing her feelings...it is hopeful. Like you said though, I wouldn't expect her to lighten up all that much or for long. I am a serious person too- at work. I like chit chat, but only when I am having downtime (or a really *good night). I am different than many of my co-workers in that way. Maybe they are more organized than I am and have time for lots of chit chat. I rarely seem to have that extra time. Just my two cents!

P.S. Congrats on the new grandbaby!

It's Nurse Ratchet. Us older gals know that. "she finishes up her charting and patient care". She does not want to hear your baby stories.. she has work to do.

You need to respect Nurse Ratchet and get to work.

Farawyn

12,646 Posts

It's Nurse Ratchet. Us older gals know that. "she finishes up her charting and patient care". She does not want to hear your baby stories.. she has work to do.

You need to respect Nurse Ratchet and get to work.

Maybe.

Then again, if she was so dedicated to the task at hand, she would not have been "hurt" about the "whispering."

Emergent, RN

4,242 Posts

Specializes in ER.
It's Nurse Ratchet. Us older gals know that. "she finishes up her charting and patient care". She does not want to hear your baby stories.. she has work to do.

You need to respect Nurse Ratchet and get to work.

Oh, she's a sourpuss when the ER is empty, believe me. She's had so many people complain about her, it's ridiculous. I hear administration had her on an improvement plan because of her inability to work well with others...

Specializes in Registered Nurse.
Oh, she's a sourpuss when the ER is empty, believe me. She's had so many people complain about her, it's ridiculous. I hear administration had her on an improvement plan because of her inability to work well with others...

Okay. Maybe she is Nurse Ratchet. I was giving her the benefit of the doubt. lol :laugh:

Emergent, RN

4,242 Posts

Specializes in ER.
Okay. Maybe she is Nurse Ratchet. I was giving her the benefit of the doubt. lol :laugh:

This job has a lot of down time. One thing that is a constant, however, is that Nurse Ratchet is mean to people.

One morning we got a patient at shift change. She laid into both the tech, who'd come over to help, and me, in front of the pt and her husband. I went out of the room to enter the patient into the computer (no admitting clerk at night) and overheard the husband say "Oh I remember you, you were our nurse before, and I don't like you!" The husband and patient had been really nice to me when I was in the room.

I was interviewed about that incident, which got back to our director by a pt complaint, plus the tech complained.

No, this gal is a cranky one.

This job has a lot of down time. One thing that is a constant, however, is that Nurse Ratchet is mean to people.

One morning we got a patient at shift change. She laid into both the tech, who'd come over to help, and me, in front of the pt and her husband. I went out of the room to enter the patient into the computer (no admitting clerk at night) and overheard the husband say "Oh I remember you, you were our nurse before, and I don't like you!" The husband and patient had been really nice to me when I was in the room.

I was interviewed about that incident, which got back to our director by a pt complaint, plus the tech complained.

No, this gal is a cranky one.

Understood. Nurse Ratchet is never going to change, administration is never going to make her change.. YOU need to stop:banghead:

bagladyrn, RN

2,286 Posts

Specializes in OB.
Oh, she's a sourpuss when the ER is empty, believe me. She's had so many people complain about her, it's ridiculous. I hear administration had her on an improvement plan because of her inability to work well with others...

So she is in her 60s, has never worked anywhere else, and administration has her on a "plan". What a scary place for her to be if she can't afford to retire and can't see herself job hunting at her age. It doesn't excuse her negative behavior but it may change your perspective on it. You don't know what else may be going on in her life to contribute to her attitude.

Emergent, RN

4,242 Posts

Specializes in ER.

Good news. Nurse Ratchet more personable and open today. She saw it was safe to open up about her feelings and be vulnerable I hope.

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