Locker dilemma

Nurses Relations

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Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.

SOOO long story short, my unit is sharing a floor with another unit while the hospital does some remodeling/renovating.This AM, a nurse I've never seen before came up to our nurses station, asking, who is HalfMarathoner? I turned around and said, I am. She says, you took my locker. I said, I did? She says that she has had that locker since she worked in the hospital. I said (my unit just recently moved) oh I'm sorry, there wasn't any one's name on it, I didn't think it belonged to anyone. She said, well, my name was on it. So she looked exasperated and left. Turns out... she is a nursing supervisor on the weekend!!! OOPS. The nurses I was working with said oh she's always like that, but when I asked if I should go move my stuff they didn't say yes or no. Should I move my stuff? Honestly, we were told lockers were cleared for us, and it didn't have a name label, belongings in it, or a lock. It's not even prime locker real estate. I'm wondering if I should suck it up and move my stuff, or (since her unit is moving soon) I should just forget about it.Obviously I should have offered to move my things, but if she had been a little nicer or even polite about it, I would have. Also it was the end of my 12 hour nightshift, and i was feeling more than a little sleep deprived so my social skills were at a critical low. Now I'm scared of what could happen! Any advice?

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i think she needs to harden up.

honest mistake, immediate, sensible apology, no harm done.

there is absolutely no reason to behave like she did. unless you're lying to us and you really tore her name off the locker, cut off her lock, pulled all her stuff out of the locker and peed on it..

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Be the bigger person, move your stuff.

We're blue collar shift workers. Some of us have awful manners.

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Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.

Seriously.... I've worked there 1+ years and this is the first time I've ever laid eyes on her. If it was someone I saw often, believe me, I would have been MORTIFIED! Guess I will move my junk when I go in tonight :-/

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

Eh, I'd just find a different locker if you can. No big deal. Nothing worth arguing over.

You act like a nurse supervisor is someone to actually be afraid of.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

she was rude and inappropriate, but it's really not worth making an enemy over. move your stuff, tape her name to the locker so no one else moves in and leave a brief note of apology inside. a nursing supervisor isn't really anyone to be afraid of, but her best friend may be the don. or will be next year.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

The supervisor need to get over it. Keep your stuff where it is, put a lock on the locker, and go on with your life. If you move your stuff now, you'll be declaring yourself a pushover, and everyone will "claim" you new locker until you don't have one.

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The supervisor need to get over it. Keep your stuff where it is, put a lock on the locker, and go on with your life. If you move your stuff now, you'll be declaring yourself a pushover, and everyone will "claim" you new locker until you don't have one.

This is what would happen in a couple of the places where I worked. And the others would snicker and laugh about you behind your back and even to your face.

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Specializes in CAPA RN, ED RN.

She was really rude but probably doesn't know how bad she sounds. It is telling if the nurses she works with say she is always like that.

You could stand up to her and refuse to move, you could just move your stuff, you could give her some feedback - Kathleen Bartholomew, you could go to her boss, you could create a war between the 2 units, you could find a better locker, the possibilities are endless. There is no one best answer, just the one that fits you.

BTW, I love Kathleen Bartholomew. She is looking for ways to promote teamwork and overcome many of the negative issues in communication between nurses. She has a large following just because of the types of incident you describe.

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Specializes in CICU.

I might decide to move my stuff, but label "her" locker and apologize? For what?

Actually, I probably wouldn't move my stuff. Did he or she grow up on Mars? How else could you not understand how things like this work?

In a former life, working in an office building... People would accuse others of parking in "my" spot... And yes, most of us, myself included, generally parked in the same area everyday. However, only the owners (just 5 or 6 people) of the company had assigned parking... So, NO, I did not take your spot.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

If it were me, I'd probably move my stuff to another locker. Then again, I'm secure enough in myself that I don't need to stake an invisible claim on an unmarked locker.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
This is what would happen in a couple of the places where I worked. And the others would snicker and laugh about you behind your back and even to your face.

The reverse would have happened at my old facility: the supervisor would have been the butt of the jokes and snickers for getting herself all worked up over a locker.

Different places, different work cultures, I guess.

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