My bad attitude

[jessiern]

This might get a little long, and windy. I am sorry. I'm going to start off by explaining last Sunday that I worked, as I feel this is the main problem. It was the 4 or 5 really bad shift for me. We started with 8 patients/nurse (very very extreme for our floor). And ER started calling for admits. The oncall MD was rounding, and I made the offhand comment to him that it was too much to deal with, and I didn't feel it was safe for the patients. This put him in an uproar. Next thing I knew he called the ER doc, informed him he would not except any more admits to our floor, and he also called the admin on call, who he demanded come help us. She had worked the previous night due to call-ins.

Now, the friday before was my yearly eval. I was graded as a "role-model" employee, and my manager offered no compliants at all about my performance. I was also given a 5% raise due to my high quality work. I was also told my co-workers enjoyed working with me, and patients had good things to say about my care.

Now, let's fast forward to Tuesday, my first day at work since "black Sunday" as we are calling it. It is a much better day. Four patients that I can pet and pamper all I want. And I'm happy. At 4pm I was called to the DON's office. There sits the DON, and both assistant managers, including the one that just praised me Friday. These are the things I was told

• "A large majority" of my co-workers on my floor complain about my poor attitude, and state I always complian
  
• "All of the ICU nurse" hate to have to call me about a patient, because I never take care of the situation, and I am rude.
  
• I had received numerous complaints from patients. When I pushed further, they were only able to name one patient's WIFE, who was only in room with the patient for twenty minutes after his admit. She informed me when I first entered the room that we were terrible nurses, and she would be talking to the DON--all before I ever opened my mouth. I immediatly informed management.
  
• I was told the MD from weekend had informed them I was rude, and constantly complianed about the worked load. Well, maybe I was a little ill, and maybe I did complian. So did the other two nurses and everyone else on shift. Who wouldn't complain with 8 patients, 4 total cares, and not a tech in sight to assist?
  
• Also, was informed I had no right to complain about "bad shifts" that were shortstaffed because its wasn't the norm. Those days were to be expected.
  
• Made the comment that "some people will complain if you give them two patients. We think you might be one of those people, and it will not be tolerated".
  
• Also stated "all the unit sec" said I was "snappy" when they called to report patient needs". We only have two sec, and one is my mom. The other says she has never complianed about anyone, much less me.

Now, since then I have spoken to many of my co-workers, including 5 ICU nurses. They have all been shocked by what was said, and stated they have never had a problem with me, and never heard anyone else complain about me. The MD stated he informed them I was "nervous and frazzled" which "wasn't my usual", and he was concerned about the staffing level, and he expressed that he was not happy with them leaving us like that.

Also, I have complained very rarely to management. The only other time I have complianed about staffing was a couple of weeks ago when we had 7 patients with no tech, and the supervisor had not attempted to find any help. Our manager helped us, and I thanked her--we even give them a thank you card for their help.

This just really upsets me. I have always been more then willing to help when I could. I have worked my tail off to be the best I could be, even when shorthanded. And I get along with everyone; I have talked to some about leaving, and they have begged me to stay. I just don't understand why this happened. I felt attacked, and I felt like my character was picked apart. It was very degrading. I have worked there 4 years without a single problem. I'm just a little lost right now.

[bagladyrn, RN]

It is shocking and sad to see how many nurses have dealt with this.

Management has a plan for any nurse willing to advocate for what is right and speak her opinion.

1. Call them in for a meeting or ambush them at their yearly review with the news that they have a bad attitude and basically no one wants to work with them. This is from many of the staff they work with and keeps coming up. However, no specifics are given and of course, no names.

2. The nurse approaches her fellow coworkers, assuming she/he still has the self esteem to approach them at this point. They look shocked and deny the complaints.

3. The nurse still wonders if everyone dislikes her and doesn't want to work with her. After all, management told her so.

4. The nurse has two choices. Continue at current position, but keep her head down and mouth shut or get another job.

5. Either way, problem solved.

And then of course, there is #6:

Other unit nurses observe the treatment given to Nurse "A" and hunker down, don't complain and take all the crap dished out by management for fear of being the next target.:angryfire

[SaintsFan1]

Hi Jessie,

I just read your thread and couldn't believe how closely your situation mirrors mine! I have been in nursing over 23 years and have always had great evals, employers have written me recommendations when I have changed jobs, co-workers tell me they love me. However, a few weeks ago I was fired--for the first time in my life. And you want to know why? Because one of the male charge nurses took a dislike to me-our personalities clashed, but I was always professional toward him; anyway one night I had an admission to do, ours are very lengthy, on top of 4 critical care pt's. He decided I wasn't doing the admission fast enough--I had 12 hours to get all the paperwork done. I was trying to make sure the needs of my other 4 pt's were met as well. He decided to start SCREAMING at me in the hallway. We had a few words and and tension-filled night followed. The next morning I reported him. I had several other nurses come to me at different points during the night and tell me that his behavior was so much more than inappropriate, it was way over the top. Well, I am getting lengthy so to make a long story short, an investigation was supposedly done by HR--even though several staff I talked to that were key witnesses said they were not consulted--and I was called in to my manager's office and told that they had found that he was actually within his parameters as a charge nurse and that they were letting me go. I won't go into what all was said, but suffice it to say, that he made that job so stressful that I probably would have left eventually--there were other issues as well, but I will not let this consume me, and I hope you won't either. I'm sure you've heard the saying about when we hold grudges or harbor ill will toward someone, it is like swallowing poison ourselves and expecting someone else to be sick. It's not healthy. I know I am an excellent nurse and I'm sure you are, too. This is, as many others have posted, simply a "manager's game"! Thank you for sharing, it reminds us that we are all in this together!

[Mersa59]

I know where your coming from.

1: start keeping a running document of everything you do with dates.

2:have coleagues initial things that they witnessed you do.when you write them up.keep them for your next eval, and for future reference.

been there,

accused of not caring since I huffed and puffed at times, was sob. ended up in hospital myself , severe anemia.

so document document document. everything.

management does not like hearing from attendings that nurses are complaining about safety issues.

I agree they are useing you as " an example" a scapegoat.

hope all works out for you.

mersa

[Bugaloo]

You have my sympathies. In 2005, the year started off with a bang! The hospital I had worked for since 1999 began having some problems, staffing issues arose and the work atmosphere on our floor became a nightmare almost overnight. On top of that, I was the charge nurse on an extremely busy floor with a supervisor who sat on the phone or computer all day ignoring the needs of her floor.

As I tried to advocate for safer patient ratios and care, overcome the increasing obstacles in my path, my uncle was dying a painful death from esophageal cancer. The weekend after my uncle died, I was still grieving, but I went to work anyway. That day, I was pulled into the office, and put on a 90 day suspension for a "made up" tale by an employee in another department who had made advances towards me, and been rebuffed. I had never before received a disciplinary notice of any sort. I was not given an opportunity to tell my side of the story, and when I took it above my supervisor's head, they took her side.

From there, things only got worse. I was told repeatedly that I was abrasive and rude, that I goofed off. I was demoted from the charge nurse position. It was obvious that I was being blackballed and that it was not going to get better. I was so stressed out that I became physically ill, and my physician took me out off work for a while. As I recovered and started to feel better, I began polishing up my resume', and found another job.

When I came back off of sick leave, I turned in my two weeks notice. I will never again allow myself to be abused and tormented in that manner. It took me a year to realize that the mind games that they played with me made me think that I was a bad person, a bad nurse, and sometimes just plain crazy.

My advice to you: Start looking for another job. They will not let this go. They will make you miserable. You stood up for your patients, which makes you a great nurse. Do not let them tell you otherwise. Hospital administrators love to play head games. Don't let it be your head they play with.

[bob7rob7]

Next time, just call Medicare, state, or whomever the proper authority is, and have them come out for a surprise inspection. That way, only supervisors are to blame.

[LadysSolo]

You might try working agency for a time while you look for work. You can check out staffing ratios, management attitude (how happy are the regular staff, Pay , etc.) This has been very good for me - I had applied to an organization, went there agency, and then declined an interview - wouldn't work there after going once. Kind of a "rent to own!!!"

[sparketteinok]

In the previous job that I worked for seven years (in a completely different profession), there were many such meetings as this. What it amounted to was one person's agenda, which led to my eventual railroading out of there, my considering a hostile work environment lawsuit (which my lawyer said I had a very good chance of winning), and 2 years of pure you-know-what. The advice you have received is very good: document, document, document!! And, if this is a place you like working, after all the smoke clears, forgive but don't forget. Don't become bitter and angry, just remember what they're capable of.

[TraumaNurseRN]

I think you should file a rebuttal and take it to human resources. This way it is on file and they "have" investigate it. Your employee manual will describe the steps needed to file. You should be an advocate for yourself and your nursing license. Keep this process to yourself...not telling any other co-workers......but list these people as a contact person in the rebuttal. Goodluck!

[RN1982]

Jessi, I hope you are looking into getting a new job. It's just not worth it to stay. The people who advocate for their unit and it's conditions seem to always get the brunt of managements irritation and get blackballed. Save your sanity, your license and get the hell out of there. Yes, you could file a rebuttal but would it be worth it? Probably not. It's best you leave on your terms and not their's. Start putting in applications, go for any interviews, when you find yourself another job, put in your two week notice and just keep your head off the radar for your remaining time. Good luck.

[AuntieNursey]

I have just quit a job related to the same type of BS. Short-staffing (perpetual), no or negative response from management, lousy raises, and no quality assurance or employee evauation process (the "joy" of working for a small, privately owned facility). It's almost enough to make me want out of the profession. I was going for my RN on line, had even paid for the classes I need upfront, but I am very discouraged and am ready to go to asking "you want paper or plastic". And the kicker, when I spoke with the administrator about my concerns about staffing and how I believed it was unsafe for all concerned, he started yelling that I was the only one who had an issue with the staffing levels (untrue) and told me "you're fired" (thinks he's the Donald). Well, I had already passed in my resignation, gave him a month's notice and this happened 2 weeks into the month. Looking back over my "career" at this facility, I realized he had fired, or let go, all but one of the staff members who had given their notice, before the end of the time they had allotted. So, the power trip is his problem, not mine. But it's still a massive blow. I've only been fired from one job in my life and I was 20 and a bit of a party girl. So, thanks for listening/reading and I'll probably be over it by the end of the week. I hope. I don't think it deserves any more of my thoughts and energy.

[BlueEyedRN]

Whatever happened to the management philosophy, "If you take care of your employees, they will take care of you." Why is it that with nurses, the philosophy is to beat them into submission? It makes me so angry, especially since many managers were bedside nurses themselves and know how it feels. Seriously, a lot of the managers that I've seen just don't know what they are doing. It seems like they are either nurses who got promoted and don't really have leadership training, or they are basically business people who have no idea what it is like to be a nurse. They make this huge effort to make the hospital a healing environment for the patients, remodeling the lobby, buying a grand piano and hiring a pianist, installing a Starbucks, making all the rooms private, buying flat screen TVs. But then they treat their nurses terribly, overwork them, understaff the units, and don't understand why their satisfaction scores are still low. But there is a piano in the lobby!!!

[RN1982]

Oh my goodness, BlueEyedRN, that sounds exactly like the hospital I used to work at with the exception of the piano. They did have a starbucks too.