Coworkers that act like spoiled brats...discuss

Nurses Relations

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  • Specializes in long term care, alzheimer's, ltc rehab.

Hey all,

I was gonna post this in the "things you would love to tell coworkers" thread, but I thought "gee, I can't be the ONLY one that works with people like these!" OK, I'll go first.

I had a couple instances last night with the same coworker (CNA). The first one was when she called and asked if our float aide was available to help with a patient. I explained that he was not available at the present time, but that I would ask him to go over as soon as he was free. She gets rude and irate telling me "I didn't ask as soon as he was free, I asked if he was available. You are rude and disrespectful blah blah blah blah..." I politely asked her not to talk to me that way and repeated that I would let the float aide know to come help her. She got huffy and hung up.

Second incident happened a couple hours later at shift change...She had left her papers and napkins and stuff cluttered on my desk area. Again, politely, with no raised voice or anything of the sort, I asked her if she would please pick up her stuff so everything was clean when day shift came in. She again got rude and irate, saying I was disrespectful and "I am not your child...you have no right to talk to me that way!" and then starts putting her finger in my face.

The kicker was a few minutes later she tells the charge that a maintenance request needed put in. She says, "you need to ask Mikey for that" Then she gets pouty and says "Oh, then it just won't be done. I said "Nope, it sure won't!"

VENT:

Dear 50 year old CNA that acts like she's 2...do not, under ANY circumstances, call me rude and disrespectful when I have been anything BUT that to you. If you EVER stick that dirty, nasty, crusty-nailed finger in my face again I WILL snap it off at the knuckle!! It is NOT my job to clean up after you, and if you insist on ACTING like a child, you will be TREATED accordingly!!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN

102 Articles; 27,612 Posts

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Some persons might take offense to my views. Unfortunately, the solution often involves playing hardball: you need to send insubordinate CNAs/techs home.

CNAs are not the most handsomely paid employees, and some depend on a full paycheck to cover the bills. Hence, a short paycheck can mean the difference between remaining afloat or falling behind on the rent.

The strategy is to strike the mouthy, disrespectful workers where it hurts (read: their paycheck). After suffering a couple of blows to the pocketbook, the affected worker will start following your directives and complying to work rules without giving you lip.

I'd like to mention that all of us who punch time clocks that do not belong to us for a living must follow our employer's work rules and be compliant, or else we will not be employed for long. If these are concepts to which some of our coworkers take offense, then the solution is to stay home, be their own bosses and start businesses so that no one else has authority over them.

An individual who is playing childish games and not doing his/her job effectively does not deserve to continue to remain on the clock for not fulfilling work duties. This is called living in the real world of adults. Those of us who are serious about being paid for the services we render will complete the work necessary to receive our paychecks. Our childish coworkers who do not comprehend the adult world in which we live can either get with the program or go home.

As harsh as it seems, I stand by my idea to send insubordinate CNAs home. It is a tried and true technique that works wondrously in prompting mouthy employees to drop the child's play and start doing their jobs.

Nola009

940 Posts

She sounds like a weird one. I have a CNA who gets buddy-buddy with a lot of the nurses. When I politely delegate, sometimes I get a look like 'why are you asking meee?!' Have another one, a nurse, who will tell you what she thinks of this and that, why and how much she hates our facility, etc, etc, but gets huffy when I say 'when did suchandsuch have their last pain med, or ok, they exhibited anxiety/agitation.. did you give them their prn ativan??!' I hate working with that nurse. Even though she's new, she refuses to learn/grow.

Can't imagine why you are putting up with this.

(Napkins.. why is she eating at the desk)?

TheCommuter has the answer, send her home for insubordination.... she'll get that message.

I had that authority as charge nurse in the facility I worked at. I don't want to assume that you do.

If not, get the nursing supervisor to do it STAT.

Julie Reyes, DNP, RN

14 Articles; 260 Posts

Specializes in pediatrics, occupational health.

I work days, but in my picu, we have a night tech that does not do much. I often come in to find my carts empty, my sx canister filled up, our warm blanket heater diminished....I am not sure why the night charge or managment does not take care of this situation, but i think that they are afraid of him (he seems kind of scary).

Therefore, I have made it my business to make friends with him, and he is very respectful to me now. Since then, I have my carts filled with necessary items to care for my patient, and MOST of the time, my sx canister is MOSTLY empty (glass half full kinda gal here). He is always willing to do something for me now, if i need it, before he leaves his shift.

I know that not all people are like that - where you can get results by becoming friends or earning respect, I just got lucky with this. I agree with The Commuter, send the tech/CNA - whoever it happens to be - home. My husband uses this ALL the time with his employees (not in the med field) and it works like a charm. When a person lives paycheck to paycheck, they cannot afford to crunch hours, and the attitude is usually adjusted.

Specializes in Anesthesia, ICU, PCU.

I show up to this floor - that apparently was so desperate for staff that I needed to be pulled - and 3 of the 4 RNs there were sitting, having personal conversations, and ignoring me. I politely interjected "am I getting a patient from one of you?" amidst a conversation about vacation destinations and didn't even turn a head. Later, the one nurse said "oh well the assessments are all done on your patients so you'll take an admission."

What I wanted to say: "Whatever. Your patients are easy and so are your admissions. I don't need to be here."

What I actually did: smiled and said "sure!"

I proceeded to toilet three of their patients, medicate one, draw labs on another, and answer their call bells while they sat and checked their emails. My thing is don't let others' vices turn you into them. Let them be a reminder of your own virtue.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.

The very first thing I thought of when I read the title was this:

... for those of us who remember who this is. :oldman:

Julie Reyes, DNP, RN

14 Articles; 260 Posts

Specializes in pediatrics, occupational health.
NurseOnAMotorcycle - THAT made me LOL!!!

Mikey31079

82 Posts

Specializes in long term care, alzheimer's, ltc rehab.
Can't imagine why you are putting up with this.

(Napkins.. why is she eating at the desk)?

TheCommuter has the answer, send her home for insubordination.... she'll get that message.

I had that authority as charge nurse in the facility I worked at. I don't want to assume that you do.

If not, get the nursing supervisor to do it STAT.

As much I would have loved to have been the charge nurse (tongue in cheek), I'm the unit secretary. When she called about the float aide, she was calling me on med surg from ICU. The reason I asked her to pick her stuff up was because it is everyone's job to keep the units and nurses stations clean and also because I was not the one that left it there and she has been known to leave where ever she sits a mess.

and to TU RN: I love Linda Richman, for some reason I was channeling her on the way home lol

Mikey31079

82 Posts

Specializes in long term care, alzheimer's, ltc rehab.

Oops...I meant NurseOnAMotorcycle...sorry, I'm not fully awake yet lol

caliotter3

38,333 Posts

Can't imagine why you are putting up with this.

(Napkins.. why is she eating at the desk)?

TheCommuter has the answer, send her home for insubordination.... she'll get that message.

I had that authority as charge nurse in the facility I worked at. I don't want to assume that you do.

If not, get the nursing supervisor to do it STAT.

This is the solution, but when you are not given the authority and the nursing supervisor refuses to do it, then you are in a bind. And the nasty insubordinate coworkers are only too well aware of their special status. They will laugh at you out loud. These "employees" never leave a facility unless someone in upper management gets a wild idea.

anon456, BSN, RN

3 Articles; 1,144 Posts

I agree with TheCommuter!! I know you are the secretary but you are still a co-worker and this CNA needs to treat you in a civil and respectful manner. I once had a CNA who forgot to do Q4H BPs for one of my patients. It was a med-surg unit so usually BP was only done once in 12 hours. It was about 8 hours before I realized the BPs were not being done-- we were slammed that night, and it was totally my fault as a new nurse to have trusted her to do this, as she had been on the unit for a very long time. I thought that maybe she had just not charted the BPs yet but it turns out she had not taken them at all. I had been doing a good assessment on this patient and they seemed well-perfused, but kids can compensate well and then crash. So the doc comes in and yells at me, and I apologized said he was right, I should have been on top of this. The CNA watches this exchange and then tells me the doc could "kiss her behind" (she put it more crassly but you get the point) and said some other choice words, instead of apologizing to me and admitting fault for her part in this situation. I disliked her from then on, and never trusted her again with anything, be it vitals or diaper checks (with good reason).

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