Bully?! Help,I need good comebacks!

Nurses Relations

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I just started working PRN at an urgent care. Im an RN and there is usually only one nurse on duty (me) , a rad tech, lab, doc and front desk. We are usually busy..Lately, I noticed one of the rad techs keep telling me to put patients in a gown so she can do the chest x-ray. Now, Im new so I'm not sure of how they really do things there, but the other rad tech never asks me that, she gets it herself.

Of course I don't mind doing that to help her when she's busy but the thing is, I'm the one always busy since I see ALL patients and she only sees people who need x-ray. I'm mostly in patients' room so I'm not usually the first person the doctor tells if he needs an x-ray (especially chest, since it's not as predictable as extremity injuries) and so it creates a delay because she waits for me to put patients in a gown. Really?!

I asked another nurse and he said that is part of their job. We can help, sure, but they shouldn't be waiting for us to go get the gowns. Apparently, he never gets asked to do that, just me. So now I'm thinking, I might be getting bullied for being new. I really need good comebacks the next time she orders me to do something she should be doing. I'm young and kinda shy and is such an easy target for these, I admit. Please help! I love this job so far and I don't want to lose it.

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You don't need comebacks, you need to be direct in communicating with the tech.

Pull him/her aside and say that you understand that s/he gets patients in gowns when other nurses are working and that while you are happy to help when you have time, you expect him/her to not delay patient care when it's just a matter of getting the patient in a gown themselves.

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Just tell her straight out, "You will need to get the gown."

I don't think right-then-and-there would be the best time to give the big talk about roles and her holding up work, but I would say that we can discuss it further when the work flow slows down (ha-ha).

Snappy comebacks are inspired by the moment and are hilariously funny on TV or on break... but maybe not appropriate in this case.

I think if you are trying to assert yourself, you must be direct, to the point and dead serious. Weigh your words.

You don't have to be "mean", but be serious.

It's frustrating, I know.

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Specializes in ED/ICU/TELEMETRY/LTC.

"Is there somewhere in the Xray room you can store some gowns?"

"Let me show you where the gowns are stored."

As above, be serious.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

"There's a gown in the cabinet right beside the exam table..... Let me know if you have any more trouble finding it! I'll be in room four."

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I'm in a similar situation. Just started working as a nurse part time in a clinic setting. There's a new person there training to be a Medical assistant. They are a total know it all. They're always trying to make me look stupid in front of the doctors, & trying to set me up for failure. I'm really getting sick of it. I work hard there, and do the best I can as a nurse. I'm kind of shy too, & very easy going as well. Definitely not a trouble maker, and hate confrontations. But this person has pushed me too far! I'm just about to tell them to "stick their opinions where the sun doesn't shine," or I'm going to talk to the office manager about their behavior. In your situation, I agree with the others... Tell her that is has come to your knowledge that "fetching" gowns is a tech job, not nursing. Tell her to go get it herself! lol

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Just be straightforward . I also agree w/ hiddencat let the tech know that you love to be part of the team and willing to help ie. if they happened to get busy . But for tech to delay x-ray because you haven't put on a gown is just plain stupid.

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Specializes in nursing education.

duplicate!

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Specializes in nursing education.

It's a walk-in clinic, right? The patients walk in- chances are they can put on their own gown with no assistance once they have it available. No-brainer for the tech to do it. I agree with the above posters- be serious, SET LIMITS, and enhance the tech's self-efficacy. :cool:

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I can be a little more obnoxious about this sort of thing. I'd pull that tech aside and say, "Here, I know you are asking me because for some reason you don't know how, here's how... see???? it's simple! Pat on the head and off you go!" (I'd actually say that). This should serve to humiliate, but, it's needed sometimes.

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Hmm. Seems to me that I was gowned by the persons doing the tests. Nobody expected the intake personnel to do that part of the job, especially since the intake person is not normally centered in the test room. Does not make sense, except the xray tech is getting some kind of joy in pushing you around. Take the advice already given, and put it back on the tech, where the task belongs.

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I can be a little more obnoxious about this sort of thing. I'd pull that tech aside and say, "Here, I know you are asking me because for some reason you don't know how, here's how... see???? it's simple! Pat on the head and off you go!" (I'd actually say that). This should serve to humiliate, but, it's needed sometimes.
That's a terrible idea.
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