Charge nurse hates me? and overall nasty attitude of coworkers

Nurses Relations

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I just need some serious input here (and please no rude comments, I've seen enough of nurses jumping all over each other on this website).

First off let me say this, I am most definitely NOT a mean person, at all. If anything I'm probably too nice. I am a hard worker and while I am a new nurse (8 months in), I'm sure I have plenty of flaws but I do everything to the best of my ability and try not to leave anything unfinished. With that being said, let me get to the story.....

There is one particular charge nurse who I feel just hates me. Everyday I work that she's there I have a horrible day, can't keep up to save my life, I have the worst group of pts, endless new admissions, etc.....when the other charge nurses are working I don't have this issue.

**What is the policy where you work if they send a nurse home early??? for example, do they have a certain amount of time to finish up their work before they leave?***

Once before my name was in the drawing to go home and I "won". I had a few meds due and I didn't wanna leave my coworkers with anything more to do than I had to so I gave out my meds first (I had seen plenty other nurses do this before so I figured it was custom to tie all loose ends before you go). Well it took me about 40 minutes or so to finish my charting, give a few meds and give report to the nurses getting my pts. She blew up on me and said from now on if I have anything to do to let her know and she won't put my name in the drawing.

Well today I was picked to go home. All meds were given PRIOR to the drawing and I was ready to go except within the last hour an order was entered for a catheter on a pt. After I found out I was leaving I figured, no problem that never takes long I will do that before I go. Well I tell my charge nurse that I'm all caught up and ready, just going to do the catheter before I go. She tells me no, I need to go immediately and to get the other nurse to do it. Well I guess the nurse wasn't too happy about that so she complained to the charge nurse....who then proceeded to let me know that if I had anything to do I didn't need to have my name in the drawing. (let me just point out that there is ALWAYS always something to do, every nurse that's sent home early gives meds that were due or starts IVs before they go, etc...just anything they needed to finish before they left) and it seems I'm the only one she jumps on for doing this. I could have easily put in the catheter before I left and have it done in plenty of time, without making the other nurse mad at me and leaving her with it.

Not only that but 15 minutes or so after I left she called me and told me I left out something with my charting and it's against policy and blah blah blah and I have to come back and chart. I ALWAYS chart everything....everything. I checked over and over to make sure nothing was left out so it was an honest mistake. Its something that I've seen many nurses forget to do before and I've never known of them being called in to finish it. I don't wanna go into too much detail to give myself away but does this sound right to anyone? Several of the nurses I had to give pts to were talking about me with each other (some others I work with heard), I just feel like there's been alot of unnecessary meaness going on.......

Frankly, if she has a problem with when you're clocking in and out, she needs to take it up with the nurse manager. It's not the charge nurse's job to worry about budget.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

One way to handle such a person is to let them feel like they are making the decision. Ask the mean Charge Nurse ...."This is my situation at the moment ... blah, blah, blah ... this is what I still need to do ... blah, blah ... What do you want me to do?" And be sure to say that in front of a witness. Get clear instructions that are witnessed by someone else and then follow them. If that means having to ask another nurse to do a task tell that other nurse that "ABC told me that I need to leave now and am not allowed to do XYX. I am sorry to be giving this task to you when you are busy, but that is what ABC told me I had to do. You can ask Witness if you want to verify that. I don't have any choice in this situation."

Let the mean Charge herself by following her directions to the letter. Learn to play the game and she will let you alone. Bullies mostly target people who don't push back. So push back by doing exactly what she tells you to do and force her to live with the consequences of her actions.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Somebody actually suggested I keep a journal of it. I'm new so I still have a hard time determining what is right or wrong....like as far as what others ask of me or what is expected of me, what duties shouldn't be mine to do, etc. If that makes sense.

I never feel it's appropriate to take anything up the chain of command, I guess mainly bc I'm afraid they will say "well she was right in doing this, and you have no reason or right to report this" plus I don't like being that way.

Another example, one day I started out with 5 Pts, immediately had 2 dc. She sends a nurse home and gives me 2 of her Pts (which was completely fine, I can easily handle 5-6 pts). Directly after she gives me a direct admit from a dr office, and within 15 minutes a transfer from another unit. Then I had 2 more discharged and she sends another nurse home and also gives me 2 of her pts. With all these new pts and discharges and transfers and orders coming left and right I was about to die so I'm just thinking oh we are really busy. Then I see that many seasoned nurses are sitting around with 4-5 pts and hanging at the front desk while I'm struggling with 7. Is something like that worth taking up with my manager or just documenting? That's when it started occurring to me that either it's bad mgmt or she doesn't like me lol

oh and one of my pts was discharged from the system and put back in as a new admission under inpatient hospice. So in the middle of all this she informs me I have to re-do this pts admission again. So needless to say I was at work a few hours late. Wouldn't the charge nurses duty be to either maybe help me out some with at least that part? Or have another nurse help me out? I don't know how that works really but it just seems like she could have done something to make it more possible for me.

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Is seven patients the "policy?" Or is it five patients?

If it's five, then why were you given an additional two?

I'm just trying to get a sense here of what is "normal" on your unit.

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well this sound terrible... part of the charge nurse duties is to help with the paperwork, so the nurse can concentration on new admission assessment/med pass/tx etc. the next time she call you off, I would say directly.. I understand I have 30 minutes, I have xyz left to do.. what do you want me to do and what should I pass on? And you can always request a meeting with her AND her manager, to simply "clarify" some things as your being new and all... get it?????

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Well ill they have recently changed us to "team nursing" where we have one PCA per RN so we used to have 5 pts, now we can have up to 7. but we are always short staffed with PCAs so we usually have to end up sharing a PCA with 1 or 2 other nurses :/

Is seven patients the "policy?" Or is it five patients?

If it's five, then why were you given an additional two?

I'm just trying to get a sense here of what is "normal" on your unit.

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Be that as it may, OP, it's not appropriate for you to have seven and a bunch of other nurses have 5. You should have had 6 and someone else 6, but frankly it would have been more appropriate for the charge to given those two to someone who either didn't have admits or discharges or hadn't already had to pick up additional.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

I can tell you from management experience, have witnesses to her behavior. Also, your manager should be able to see what your patient load is by the assignment sheet, which the CN is hopefully filling out correctly. Request a meeting with both if them and lay it out. Not going up the chain is wrong, especially if you feel you are being singled out.

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Specializes in MCH,NICU,NNsy,Educ,Village Nursing.

Sounds like the hospital in which I last worked at the bedside....very hard, especially when others talk about you behind your back (However, I wonder how good your "friends" are who tell you that others are gossiping about you). Hang in there until you can leave. Continue to press on, doing the best you can. Some people are just unhappy and mean and "pickers"--they "pick" on people for whatever reasons.

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Splitting hairs here, but if I'm reading correctly, you actually had 11 patients.

Multiple discharges/admits/transfers can be much more difficult to juggle than simply walking into a (5-7) patient load, and caring for those same patients all day. There is an ever-expanding amount of jots and tiddles to take care of in coordinating that level of patient turnover in one shift.

I am "not there," and I don't know you, so I can't take sides one way or the other. Given the little I have to go on, however, if it were me I'd be planning ahead-- if you catch my meaning.

At the very least I'd be asking myself a lot of questions.

Welcome to the crazy world of nursing. :)

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First off, please remember this is work, not your personal life, so a charge nurse "hating" you is not in the realm of things. This is not personal, it is professional.

I would inform the charge nurse of the tasks that you need to finish, and if she wants you to do that, or to just report off and go. If the other nurse is upset that she needs to do things for your patient that you are handing off, then that is something that nurse needs to bring up with charge. It is not your choice at that point. And I would be the first to say "I am giving you report and leaving, per charge RN".

Your patient load does sound outrageous. But again, I would ask for the charge nurse's assistance if you need help. "Could you put these orders in for me" whatever you need.

If charge is less than helpful, I would go to the manager. You should not be afraid to go up the chain of command. Patient safety is paramount in any unit, and this seems like it could be patient safety issue if you have a lot of things happening all at once.

Good luck

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
Somebody actually suggested I keep a journal of it. I'm new so I still have a hard time determining what is right or wrong....like as far as what others ask of me or what is expected of me, what duties shouldn't be mine to do, etc. If that makes sense.

It would behoove you to ask for clarity; SBAR if you need and state "to be clear" as ways to acknowledge what is being asked; as well familiarize yourself with P&P; you NEVER go wrong when you have an idea of the P&P; even review with the nurse manager for the ultimate feedback.

I never feel it's appropriate to take anything up the chain of command, I guess mainly bc I'm afraid they will say "well she was right in doing this, and you have no reason or right to report this" plus I don't like being that way.

What do you mean "that way"??? Advocating for yourself?

One of the things I find is once one advocates for onself, things do get clearer, as well as issues become less, especially when it comes to procedures and issues that do come up, becomes less newbie or expert, as well as become a solution to a potential problem.

It also prepares the nurse for any future interpersonal issues; because THAT doesn't go away at another workplace; one may encounter that ANYWHERE one goes; it takes practice to engage effectively with personalities, and that includes patients, peers(doctors are peers too)

and administration; it can be successfully done-for the safety of our patients :yes:

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