i cursed somebody at work, somebody overheard and filed a complaint. what can i do?

Nurses Relations

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so there was a very mean employee im calling on the phone for my patient. After I hung up, I said ***** and an employee overheard me. This happened a few months ago and She reported it to the manager. And the manager wants to talk to me now. I feel sorry aboutit , I know I shouldnt have. It was at the end of the day and I was very stressed with high acuity patient loadand I needed to make sure the painet will be okay but she's hanging up on me. I have always been soft spoken and I would never do this again. I'm so sorry I said this.

Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
this whole thread can be used as evidence that our education system is a failure. when someone has to utilize profanity to communicate, it is often the result of a rather low vocabulary. it is kind of hard to claim to be a professional when one has a habitual problem with using a potty mouth.......:)

you know what? sometimes an expletive is the only appropriate response to a truly stupid and frustrating situation.

*****!:lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2:

Specializes in OB/GYN.

Grrrrr.....why is it that nurses eat other nurses? Thats one of the problems in our profession....no one supports others. Rather than asking you if you are okay and assessing the situation its always about one upping and being the golden child of the group. Man up fellow nurses. Support each other. We are all human and it will happen to everyone of us that we are accused of being unprofessional. Our mouths sometimes get the best of us and believe me, we are sorry that it happened. We love our careers, our patients, and need our fellow peers to help us through those moments. As long as patients weren't involved, apologize and move on. It'll make for a tense working environment knowing that someone in your group has done that and that is not good for everyone. The tension is contagious and depressing.

Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

When the manager asks about it, you should say "ARE YOU ******* KIDDING ME, YOU *****?!" really loudly.

Specializes in ER.
This whole thread can be used as evidence that our education system is a failure. When someone has to utilize profanity to communicate, it is often the result of a rather low vocabulary. It is kind of hard to claim to be a professional when one has a habitual problem with using a potty mouth.......:)

she wasn't communicating- she wasn't speaking to anyone. She was just blowing off steam for a millisecond. Geez, can you unclench just a little and let people be human?

Bortaz- You da MAN!

Specializes in Hospice, ONC, Tele, Med Surg, Endo/Output.

They never tell you the good stuff!!! Come on!!

Specializes in Medical Surgical/Addiction/Mental Health.

I see your point. In conversations with doctors, nurses, other instructors, the dean, and lawyers the occasional curse word slipped including my personal favorite, the F-word. It doesn’t make them any less intelligent. Rather, I think it is because they feel comfortable enough around me to relax and not focus so much on word choice. I think you bring up another good point. Our educational system is failing. The reason it’s failing, in my opinion, is because we don’t set the standards high for our students. However, I would much rather have the potty mouth employee who can critically think during difficult situations versus the kid with a large vocabulary who can’t critically think her way out of a wet paper bag (although she might be gifted enough to speak her way out of it).

I am sorry, but I think ones vocabulary isn’t a direct reflection of intelligence.

Here is a joke a patient told me on Sunday…

What is the difference between a snowman and snowwoman???

Snowballs!

There are so many nurses who are out to get each other. It is what I hate about this profession. I don't think tatletalling on my co-workers is professional at all. And whoever had a problem with you cussing under your breath must be unbusy enough not to be doing HER job. It is one thing to cuss AT people, cuss IN FRONT of patients, cuss IN THE HALLWAYS......another totally to cuss UNDER your breath in a staff only area. Just know that you are on the radar when you are counseled for stuff like this....and know that there is at least one nurse you work with who is jealous or feels threatened by YOUR competence and will hand you over on a silver platter so that HER incompetance will go unoticed. It really is lousy that we have to be so careful with co-workers when we ought to be more supportive. You don't see physicians picking on each other this way. They are always protecting each other...yes...to the point that many incompetent ones continue to practice for YEARS.......I am not saying we need to go THAT far...but really....RNs...STOP being catty, jealous, and STOP acting like little goody two shoe children....and START being HUMAN towards each other. Seriously, these little snitches at work make the workplace hostile....not the nurse who has to cuss occasionally under her breath or in a staff only area....PLLLLEEEAAAASEEEE.

There is a much bigger issue happening right now.

ANYTHING that has not been addressed , until months after the fact.... indicates you are under scrutiny for other reasons.

Take time to evaluate the REAL picture,, what ELSE is going on?

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