I asked one simple question...

[TLSpaz, ASN, RN]

Me: "Where can I find saline for a wet prep? There isn't any in the drawer."

Co-worker: "I'll show you. What's all that for?" (Pointing to various implements presently being held by me with gloved hands)

Me: "For the patient in room ###. The only thing I couldn't locate was the saline."

Co-worker: "Ok, so what you do is, when you go in the room, you...(blah blah blah arrogant lecture about how to set up and assist with a pelvic exam)...and you only need a couple of drops of saline for the wet prep, and these swabs...(takes two swabs resting in a glass tube from the tube with her un-gloved hand and shoves them back into their original plastic tubing)...are for the chlamydia test.

Me: "Ummm....yeah....we've already DONE the pelvic. I know what to do with this stuff. I just needed some saline."

Co-worker: "This stuff is already used?!"

Me: "Yeah. All I asked for was some saline. I worked in an OBGYN clinic and three other ERs before I came to work here. I know how to do this."

Co-worker: "But this isn't how we do it here."

Me: "What?! I have the specimens. I just need to get them to the lab so we can get this lady out of here. She'll be ready to go as soon as these results are back. All I needed was some saline."

Co-worker: "Well I don't know how you did stuff where you used to work, but here we do it different. I'll show you when you get back from the lab."

Me: "Better go wash your hands."

The thing is...this co-worker (who is, despite her young age and relative few years of experience, quite knowledgable and competent) is constantly "correcting" my technique. For the past five weeks, since I began this new job, she has tried to "coach" me on things like IV starts and collecting blood specimens; EKG lead placement and even bedside manner! Never mind the fact that I learned to do EKGs and start IVs and draw blood when she was 5 years old, and have been honing my bedside manner since she was in diapers.

By the way...the lab results miraculously appeared in the system, despite the fact that I didn't do it the way "they" do it.

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

You really need to act bored and say sarcastically thanks but I have done this before.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Inquiring OB/gyn minds want to know - did the patient have trich?

[TLSpaz, ASN, RN]

No trich, no yeast, no hyphae, no clue cells...

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

I don't know what it is...what is wrong with people?? I suppose when I was younger I would be offended.

After almost 20 years in nursing in the Midwest...I moved to the East coast. I had more experience than ALL (yes all) of my co-workers. My experience was more intense due to the acuity of my experience at a level one trauma center, years in the ICU and trauma flight. Okay whatever Okay. I kept my mouth shut (a special feat I might add) and my head down.

I smiled and said thank you whenever directed about how they "do things here". I smiled and thought...whatever. I thought orientation will only be so long and would someday be over...I kept my head down and smiled.

One day we had a code come in that died. They said it's your patient yo do the post mortem care (bag and tag). I smiled and said Okay. I thought how hard can this be? I was wrong.

Let me preface this with....In 20 years I have never done post mortem care, outside of school, except bag and tag traumas. The funeral homes where I came from came right away and took the body right to the funeral home...they came with their own bag...heck we didn't even have a morgue. We had some cold storage for limbs and such but no real morgue.

So I cleaned the patient up...it was not a coroners case so I removed all the lines and what not. I thought "Well...they can't berate me over this one"...WRONG! They were disgusted that I had "not done any post mortem care" when I asked what was that....they looked at each other ....rolled their eyes and audibly sighed in unison...I thought......."Oh Lord here we go:sarcastic:".

They said "I thought you came with experience...go get him a different Johnnie". Since the patient was already spit shined in a new patient gown and "The John" and "Johnson" was a nick name for the restroom, the place where we dumped bedpans was the Johnnie hopper, and male nether regions...I went and got a commode. WELL!!!!!! THAT WAS A MISTAKE.

Here the deceased needed a specific PATIENT GOWN for a body bag. Who Knew? I didn't.

As they preceded with their version of post mortem care...tied the hands and ankles together...toe tag and wrist band with teeth taped to the chest...and zipped this poor man in a plastic bag. They berated me with disparaging comments about my ineptness and ignorance. They went on to say that they seriously doubted me competence over all.

WHAT? I tred to explain that I have never done this their way and that my experience, although extensive, didn't include post mortem care of how to speak the language of Massachusetts.

This was one of many such faux pas. They of course wrote me up. I got counseled. They extended my orientation. Whatever. I smiled and collected my paycheck and went home.

I use my "In a hundred years is this really going to matter?" Nope...I smiled and moved on.

Why do people act this way? I think it is insecurity and the need to dominate when threatened.

((HUGS))

[OCNRN63, RN]

No trich, no yeast, no hyphae, no clue cells...

​Something your patient and co-worker apparently have in common.

[EasterRN]

​Something your patient and co-worker apparently have in common.

:rotfl:

[Susie2310]

My experience has been that there are some people, who for reasons of their own, wish to see us and treat us a certain way, and are desperately looking for an opportunity to launch forth with their own projections and agenda. The nurse in the OP's situation appeared to have a specific agenda of her own, i.e. wishing to find that the OP was not competent as a nurse in some situation/s, and as soon as the OP asked a simple question, it triggered the nurse's desire to launch forth with her "superior knowledge" on the wishful assumption that a simple question by the OP must indicate that the OP must actually have a far greater knowledge deficit, and was in need of teaching by a more "knowledgeable" nurse. Never mind that the "teaching" the nurse gave the OP was completely unrelated to the OP's question. The nurse in question satisfied her desire to appear superior, and (in her mind) undermined the OP's competence, and elevated herself (more knowledgeable, helped the OP understand what she needed to do). It is quite sad that people exist who have the need to do this. Some of these people are just very insecure or feel threatened, and some are actually malicious. Perhaps just saying "thank you, I've got my answer," and then walking away from their diatribe, would be a solution here.

[HappyWife77, BSN, RN]

I think I've worked with that same nurse....at least we get opportunities to practice patience.

[ktwlpn, LPN]

QUOTE>>>Why do people act this way? I think it is insecurity and the need to dominate when threatened.

That is the answer to almost every question asked on here regarding interpersonal issues. People project their issues onto others -it's up to you to either reflect them back and remain unaffected or react and waste a lot of your good energy in a negative way.

[itsmejuli]

I could be a burger cook at a McDonald's and go cover a shift at another McDonald's. I can guarantee I'd be told "that's not how we do it here"

Happens in every job.

[amoLucia]

I could be a burger cook at a McDonald's and go cover a shift at another McDonald's. I can guarantee I'd be told "that's not how we do it here"

Happens in every job.

Truer words were never spoken!!!