Inappropriate nurses?

Julius Seizure · May 9, 2017

I might have responded with a smile and, "I dont think weve met. Im Julius, I'm floating here today." And just ignored the question completely until we at least knew each others names. :sarcastic:

(But then I would have told him how many patients I had)

Ambiguphobia · May 9, 2017

This has got to be a joke. You were inappropriate by escalating it. You know how when people tell their side of a conversation - they'll downplay how they were and they'll demonize the person. The actual conversation was probably even more benign than this.

You might have too much free time on your hands if this gets you bothered.

SummitRN, BSN, RN · May 9, 2017

OP's colleague was possibly abrupt.

OP massively overreacted for who knows what reason.

Hospital Administration responded OP's ridiculous email by pumping midzolam into the ventilation ducts.

Everyone wins.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · May 9, 2017

I agree with everyone else but because I suspect you probably email management a lot I would like for you to consider something.

I really wish that we would think twice before emailing management. I have a friend that works as an ANM and when visiting her once she was showing me the amount of emails she gets every day and the types of complaints and it is so absurd. We are grown adults that are supposed to be mature enough to handle sick and dying people. Yet we can't handle benign conflicts with co-workers. Not only does it bog down management to deal with petty absurd stuff, but these are peoples careers and jobs you're putting on the line and over what?? Because you didn't like the way someone asked a question? I mean we need to accept that there are people we are going to clash with and not get a long with. But unless they are directly threatening you, or putting patients in harms way or something serious. Let's either be adult enough to go to THEM with our issue and try to work it out. Or accept that you're never going to be friends and keep it professional. Because I have seen cases where it was easier for management to just run off the employee that some people just didn't like, rather than deal with the constant busy bodies that seem to have so much time to constantly email management .

That persons job could have meant everything to them and they could have had a whole lot on their plate but because they weren't super personable they didn't deserve a job? Anyway just something I wish people would consider.

In my 6 years I think I have emailed my management 2 times about a nurse. One time I was voluntold to because the other nurse was out of line and the charge nurse and house supervisor said it needed to be officially reported. The other a nurse physically threatened me and it was witnessed by patients and another nurse. Even then I wouldn't have, I would have just met her outside like she wanted. :sarcastic: but I could see why they felt it needed to be reported. But since becoming a nurse there have been tons of times other nurses have annoyed me or ticked me off. If it's something that I can't let go I confront them privately. Usually the problem gets resolved after that.

Insperation · May 9, 2017

Sounds like nursing small talk.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · May 9, 2017

Would there be anything else you would have done?[/Quote]
Yes -- acted professionally and appropriately from the start.

Julius Seizure · May 9, 2017

pumping midzolam into the ventilation ducts.
Everyone wins.

Wouldn't this make work so much better.... :yes:

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · May 9, 2017

So, I'm a Float pool nurse, and last night, I was pulling meds when a Staff nurse comes up to me. Without so much of a "hello", he snaps, "How many patients do you have?"
My eyebrows raise. "Are you Charge or Resource nurse?" I ask.
"No," he answers
"Then it's none of your business," I respond.
"I have five patients tonight. How many do you have? Are you taking any admits?" he continues to press.
"Again, it's NONE.OF.YOUR.BUSINESS. Take it up with Charge if you have a problem," I retort.
"Oh, I'm just making conversation," he sneers.
"No, you're being nosy. And I don't have to deal with it!" I reply.
I told the Charge nurse about her Staff nurse's wildly inappropriate questioning. Charge said that "she would deal with it. At the end of the shift, Staff nurse had not apologized for his behavior, so I emailed his manager about the incident. The manager did not email me back.
Would there be anything else you would have done?

I say this will all kindness, but I think you overreacted. A. Lot.

Asking about your patient load is not inappropriate. Asking about religion, politics, sex: now THOSE are or can be inappropriate questions. But patient load? Not even in the same ballpark!

Nor, based on what you said, did it appear that he was ordering you around or making your patient assignment either. He asked about your patient load and whether you were taking admissions. All appropriate questions to ask of float staff. All appropriate for float staff to answer. And had he tried to assign or task you with something, you could have referred him to the charge RN, told him you'd check with the charge to see if you could do it, or said "sorry, I can't help right now."

Also, not all nurses are the warm and cuddly type either. I wasn't there so I don't know exactly how the words were exchanged. But some nurses are brusque and to the point, especially if they have a crisis going on (or potentially going on) and are seeking help. Brusque and to the point doesn't necessarily equate to rude and inappropriate. Case in point: if I have a crisis going on, I'm not going to spend 5 minutes exchanging pleasantries with you before asking if you can help. The crisis may NOT be able to wait 5 minutes while I get to know your name, how you're doing, what your favorite color is, etc. I'm going to cut to the chase and immediately find out if you can help me or not. The "getting to know you" can wait until downtime.

So while there's a possibility he could have been a little more pleasant/polite in his approach--again, I wasn't there so I don't have tone, body language, etc. to go on--being direct doesn't necessarily mean he was being inappropriate.

And as your responses pretty much iced him, you can't honestly expect him to thaw to you after that. A simple "I can't/don't want to talk right now, sorry" would have sufficed. Going on about how he has no right to know since he wasn't charge/resource/etc. wasn't the best choice of words on your part.

Switch shoes with him for a moment: how would YOU have reacted if he had said what you did to you? Some food for thought for the future. And honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he complained to the charge about how you treated him as well.

IMO, escalating it to the manager is probably not to get you that apology either. Charge RN and manager are likely thinking that there really has been no harm, no foul.

Of course, one way to solve this problem is to refuse to float to that unit again. Then you don't have to deal with him.

Though to be honest, I don't see you being asked to float back to that unit any time soon as, based on what you write, your words and attitude came across as being far more hostile than his. And managers and charge nurses don't want that hostility around as it impairs teamwork and morale. So they may end up resolving the problem for you by not having you back if they can help it. More food for thought for you.

Sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear.

hgraves64 · May 10, 2017

This Staff Nurse who doesn't know me, came on with a very blunt, prying attitude. Had he been like, "I'm having a rough night - can you help me out?" I'd been "Of course!" But he shouldn't had been taking his frustrations out on me, a complete stranger who was completely new to his unit. Attitude like his deserves a Nunya, as in None of your business, take it up with your Charge. And no, I was dealing with my own high acuity assignment. A little "hi, how are you? My name is..." will go a long way for a new Float nurse like me;

hgraves64 · May 10, 2017

This floor has lots of turnover from the other Floats I talked to, likely due to the poor management and staffing. Are Floats allowed to refuse to work certain floors? I didn't know that was a possibility...

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · May 10, 2017

This Staff Nurse who doesn't know me, came on with a very blunt, prying attitude. Had he been like, "I'm having a rough night - can you help me out?" I'd been "Of course!" But he shouldn't had been taking his frustrations out on me, a complete stranger who was completely new to his unit. Attitude like his deserves a Nunya, as in None of your business, take it up with your Charge. And no, I was dealing with my own high acuity assignment. A little "hi, how are you? My name is..." will go a long way for a new Float nurse like me;

LOL A prying attitude? Your patient load is supposed to be a secret? Based off your original post, the person that had a very rude harsh response was you. You just ASSUMED his reasoning for asking, you assumed a lot and answered with those assumptions in a a rude blunt standoffish way.

I bet you're a real peach to work with. :sarcastic:

BSN16 · May 10, 2017

This Staff Nurse who doesn't know me, came on with a very blunt, prying attitude. Had he been like, "I'm having a rough night - can you help me out?" I'd been "Of course!" But he shouldn't had been taking his frustrations out on me, a complete stranger who was completely new to his unit. Attitude like his deserves a Nunya, as in None of your business, take it up with your Charge. And no, I was dealing with my own high acuity assignment. A little "hi, how are you? My name is..." will go a long way for a new Float nurse like me;

is this really such a big deal to you? I'm just not seeing why this is an issue