how can I repair the damage

Nurses Relations

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I started my new job about 2 monthes ago and now i'm having a problem with getting along with co-workers. One of the PCA asked me a question and instead of explaining to her I answered her briefly and it sounded like I didnt want to be bothered. so she called our manager telling her she cant work with me that i'm not answering here question, etc... I knew it was my mistake and i regretted it but the damage was already done. A next shift nurse came and this PCA told her about it and this nurse I can tell she wanted to provoke me. Later I heard her talk to somebody I assume our manager about what I said, what I did etc.. So now I'm worried that my is on the line and I've lost trust from my co-workers. I'm also worried that I might be terminated. Is there anything I can do??

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Specializes in Cardiovascular, ER.

If this is all there is to the story, don't you think your coworkers are being a bit oversensitive?

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Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

Something tells me that if this one curt response was out of character for you, the PCA is not going call the manager or another nurse isn't going to be out to get you. More than likely this is a chronic problem with the way other staff perceive your attitude.

First step, apologize to the PCA and explain that you were not trying to be mean and you do welcome her questions.

Second, speak to your supervisor about the issue. Tell her that you'd like some constructive feedback about the way you communicate with other staff members and you'd like some advice about ways to improve. Be open to receiving her criticism and honestly work on ways to change how you respond to other staff.

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Specializes in LTC, Psych, Hospice.

Good advise, Ashley! I can't see the PCA and another nurse getting so upset about a one time boo-boo. I know that I have been short w/ my CNA's a couple of times, but they know this is not my normal behavior. I quickly make amends and it's all over. Everyone has a bad day every once in a while.

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I started my new job about 2 monthes ago and now i'm having a problem with getting along with co-workers. One of the PCA asked me a question and instead of explaining to her I answered her briefly and it sounded like I didnt want to be bothered. so she called our manager telling her she cant work with me that i'm not answering here question, etc... I knew it was my mistake and i regretted it but the damage was already done. A next shift nurse came and this PCA told her about it and this nurse I can tell she wanted to provoke me. Later I heard her talk to somebody I assume our manager about what I said, what I did etc.. So now I'm worried that my is on the line and I've lost trust from my co-workers. I'm also worried that I might be terminated. Is there anything I can do??

this clearly is not an isolated incident...

you've stated you're having problems getting along.

i'm just not understanding your problem.:confused:

if this has been an ongoing problem, then being terminated is warranted...esp w/you knowing you were wrong yet continued to alienate yourself.

*dopeslap* followed by whatsa matter with you!!!:

i mean, seriously dude.

leslie

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Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

OP, the world has not ended because you were brief in your response to a PCA. Breathe IN, breathe OUT...ahhh. OK, now to address the problem:

You CAN repair this damage. First of all, you didn't look her in the eye and stated that you thought she was ugly and that her first born should be the poster child for illiterate children. You were short in response to a question. Let's not blow things out of proportion. There is plenty of drama in the workplace without assuming that X is gossiping to Y about you and that you will land in the manager's office with a pink slip.

At the start of your first shift, take the time to pull this co-worker aside. Apologize to her. Do it in earnest and take every single bit of responsibility for your actions. Your integrity will be apparent, and you will gain the respect of your co-workers.

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Just do your job and be more attentive to how you act toward others going forward. What else can you do? You can't make their behavior go in reverse any more than you can reverse your behavior, so settle for striving to act better. Good luck.

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this clearly is not an isolated incident...

you've stated you're having problems getting along.

i'm just not understanding your problem.:confused:

if this has been an ongoing problem, then being terminated is warranted...esp w/you knowing you were wrong yet continued to alienate yourself.

*dopeslap* followed by whatsa matter with you!!!:

i mean, seriously dude.

leslie

It isn't clear to me that this wasn't just a one time problem. She might have meant she's having trouble since this happened, not that there was already a problem.

Yes, people are so touchy these days, what with all the political correctness we have to endure and display, all the "you hurt my sensitive sensitivities, wah, wah". I'm just so tired of it all. I know I'll probably get burned for this attitude, so I'll ask everyone to be sensitive and tolerant toward me.

For OP - talk to the aide personally first. If you think you should talk to the other nurse, do it, also your manager.

If you've only been there 2 months, and if you're doing ok otherwise, I think you'll be alright.

Do NOT let it happen again. Learn how to say something like "Give me 5 minutes because I have to catch Joe because he's falling out of bed and then I'll be right with you". In fact, drag her with you to catch Joe.

I hope it turns out well.

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Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

Yes, people are so touchy these days, what with all the political correctness we have to endure and display, all the "you hurt my sensitive sensitivities, wah, wah". I'm just so tired of it all. I know I'll probably get burned for this attitude, so I'll ask everyone to be sensitive and tolerant toward me.

Korky, your paragraph above reminds me of an incident that blindsided me last week. We had an incredibly busy day last week, and I had to handle many things at once. I was literally addressing 5 issues at one time: finding a replacement for a sick employee, answering a random question from a sales rep, on hold with an administrator after a nurse asked me to call the legal department regarding a consent issue, miming to another nurse to go ahead with a previously delayed procedure, and listening to a doc give me information regarding his next case. I didn't want to drop the ball in forgetting this doc's instructions, so I asked the unit secretary for the census printout (that she happened to be making notes on) so that I could write down the information that I had just received. She threw the printout at me and said, "I thought that we were no longer indentured to you people. I guess I was wrong." I was in shock. I have always had a good relationship with this employee, and her comment caught me off guard. I said, "I CANNOT believe you just said that." I stopped what I was doing, hung up the phone and just waited for her to reply. She did not. I asked her if she was upset by something that I did, and she ignored me. I asked her if she wanted to take a break with me to decompress, and she ignored me. I apologized for being abrupt in asking for the census printout, and she ignored me. I tried the tactic of humor and she ignored me. Finally, I asked her to tell me what I did that she found offensive so that I could understand my mistake and learn from it. You guessed it...she ignored me.

I know that we all say things that we don't mean when we are under stress. When things started to settle down, I surmised that she would address her comment in some way. She never addressed it, continued to give me the cold shoulder and did not speak to me the next day. All because I asked for the printout that she was writing on. I am still very hurt by her comment, and furthermore shocked that she actually verbalized this horribly twisted outlook regarding a simple request.

In short, I understand your frustrations. To the Nth degree, in fact!

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I'm sorry - I'll probably get flamed for this, but - do you think stuff like this would happen if the staff were all male? Seriously......

:sofahider

It just sounds like jr. high school mean girl stuff, sometimes...

mc3 ;)

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Specializes in Infectious Disease, Neuro, Research.
I'm sorry - I'll probably get flamed for this, but - do you think stuff like this would happen if the staff were all male? Seriously......

:sofahider

It just sounds like jr. high school mean girl stuff, sometimes...

mc3 ;)

Hahaha! I don't know about "better", its just "different".:D Yeah, I can see this being a one-time incident. IME(granted, I am a guy) is that if you are consistently courteous and polite, it will die its own death. Cats will just take the apology as, "See! I was right...!" But, female social dynamics do have different levels of play, so FWIW...

Probably because I'm in this field, and because the cat and I were the sole males in a household of 6 for a long time, psychology is my favorite study.:jester: I recommend these all the time. Most of it is stuff you know, subconsciously. Its being able to recognize the patterns, and use them, that makes this info valuable.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_6?field-keywords=ariely+predictably+irrational&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&sprefix=ariely

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Profiling-Reading-People-Right/dp/0963910337/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317234132&sr=1-1

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i'm sorry - i'll probably get flamed for this, but - do you think stuff like this would happen if the staff were all male? seriously......

:sofahider

it just sounds like jr. high school mean girl stuff, sometimes...

mc3 ;)

another misogynist heard from.

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