I was assigned to "work with" a new RN in my LTC last week; I'm an LPN. She is almost off of orientation and is moving to the 3-11 shift and they wanted me to show her the routine on two assignments, so we were together two nights - one easy assignment and one busy assignment. I've been a nurse for about five years, but vividly recall being hyper-conscious of safety - the new nurse anxiety to not kill someone, lol. I emphasized my personal philosophy - safety before speed, speed comes with time. I think that she got off on the wrong foot because she didn't listen to report, and just wrote down the pt's names; we got report from a great nurse who pointed out who needed blood sugars, vitals, etc. She tried to give a cup of pills to the wrong pt without verifying who they were; drew up the wrong insulin (humalog instead of lantus); poured morning meds instead of evening meds. In each case, I allowed her to go only so far before asking her if she was certain that she was doing the right thing and gently pointing out where she was going wrong when she insisted that she wasn't. Before hanging an IV, I asked her if she was certified and comfortable with our procedure, and she replied yes. She didn't wash her hands, didn't wear gloves, gave the hub a two second swipe, and tried to use the same saline flush to flush both ports. When I tried to draw her attention to each of these items quietly so that the pt wouldn't become concerned, she blew up and said that she saw things done this way by "nurses more experienced than you" when she was a CNA. I said that when we were working together that we would follow policy and she could do as she wished when she was on her own, but hopefully she would review central line infections first. That wasn't well received. I offered praise for everything that went right, and encouragement when things didn't. I haven't been to work since that night, and frankly dread going in tomorrow. I'm a pretty quiet person and not popular, and can't imagine that this will help my reputation at all. *sigh*. I"d be appreciative for ways in which I could have handled this situation better.