At my wit's end with this nursing assistant...

[KSU-SN]

I have been an RN for over 2 years now...I started as a nursing assistant and was one for 4.5 yrs on the same floor I work on now at the hospital (Med/Surg.) I worked alongside another nursing assistant who is about double my age. We always got along ok until I became a nurse....its gotten really really bad the last 6 months though. I really feel like she is out to get me. My nursing director has told me twice that someone has complained that I dont help out my coworkers enough. I feel like I was wrongly accused the first time because I frequently ask others what I can do to help them....but after the first time I was reprimanded I made sure I constantly asked my coworkers if they needed help before I ever sat down to chart. And even after that my boss said that someone said they still see me sitting at the desk. It made me really upset because I feel very wrongly accused....I really think its this nursing assistant that is telling her this because she is very well known to go running to our nursing director and complaining about things.

Shes CONSTANTLY complaining that us nurses dont help her with baths or answer call lights and if she sees us sitting down charting she gets furious. She is always and I mean at least twice a shift making snide comments to me...for instance she called me the other day to help her with a patient and I got to the room pretty quickly. In front of the patient she said to me "Oh you got here quick, im sure you were just sitting at the desk." Then today before I had passed any of my meds or done any vitals I helped her do a complete bed bath and as I was in the process of helping her she was saying to me "alls you nurses do is pass meds and then go sit down and chart, even Dr. ***** said so." I bit my tongue so hard I thought it was going to bleed. I swear she delegates more tasks to me than I do to her...I'll be walking down the hallway to go into a patient's room and she will poke her head out of a room and tell me to do something or she will be walking down the hallway and hand me something to take somewhere or tell me to change a bed. Anytime I ask her to do something she literally flips out....once I asked her to take a patient out for me because he was discharged and I asked very politely and said she could do it when she had a minute, it was no rush. She went off on me about how busy she was and why cant I just do it myself? That same day I was in the middle of giving a patient his discharge instructions and explaining things to him and she INTERRUPTED me to tell me to get her linens for the other patient in the room. Another time I was entering a STAT lab into the computer and I had just logged on when she came around the corner of the nurse's station and huffed and puffed and threw her arms up and in front of everything said "are your arms broke?? do you think you can answer that call light?!?!"

I have tried to be assertive but it just makes things worse because then she goes running to the nursing director and gives you an even harder time whenever you ask her to do something. I really cant take it anymore....its come down to me just doing things on my own that I probably shouldnt be doing all by myself because I get yelled at by her if I ask her to help me. I have spoken with the charge nurse and nursing director but nothing has changed. I really dont want to get even more on her bad side because she will make my life even more of a living hell. Im at a loss of what to do and would appreciate any advice....

[Psychcns]

Any support from your coworkers? If you have support a few of you could approach your director. She needs to understand that you and she have different jobs..you can do her job..she cannot do your job. You should probably document her lack of teamwork and

meet with the director regularly till this is resolved. And charting is part of your job...

[Seas]

Have you actually written her up or just talked to your supervisors?

I guess I would go very firm and remind her her and my roles. I can't believe she can get away with this attitude.

Reading these type of posts make me feel blessed that I have very respectful co-workers.

[brandey28]

Hi, If you can't get the Charge Nurse or anyone else in authority to help resolve the issue, then I would simply start looking for a new job but I would definately let my supervisors know that it has become a very negative and unhealthy work environment and why. If people can't work as a team then everyone suffers and the patients are the first this will affect negatively.

[Lynx25, LPN]

Hah- do you work with me?

We have the same issue here. I actually had an aide have a full on tantrum, wad up her schedule and stomp out on her shift because she didn't want to clean the resident's fridge.

Administration wouldn't do anything with her.

I'm looking for a new job. -.-

[KSU-SN]

Yesterday I was on my lunch break and she had been floated to another floor to work there for the shift. She went on her break and came into the break room and started telling me how one of the nurses on the floor she was working on told her that one of the patients asked for a bath. She was like "I cant believe she said that to me, why didnt she just do it herself?? I cant believe how lazy some of the nurses are." I sat there for a second and said "well at least you get out on time every single day, we are stuck here hours after our shift to do our charting...you're forgetting I used to be an aide and it was easier and less stressful than being a nurse. We have a lot of responsibility and a lot of things we have to get done during our shift too." She kinda stuttered and said "oh I know, I give you nurses all the credit in the world, I wouldnt want the responsibility that you guys have." I just thought to myself "yea right, whatever."

I am going to try one more time to talk to our nursing director and let her know how volatile the work environment is when she is around. I would write her up but I dont think theres a way to do that at our facility?? I think only the nursing director can write someone up. I've never heard of a co worker writing another co worker up. And I dont know where I would document her behavior at either? Is it just something I would write down and hold onto until I have a bunch of documentations and then bring it to my nursing director?

[Psychcns]

HI...Generally you are expected to chart during your shift unless it works for you to stay late--overtime etc...She should be helping you get out on time. Who reviews her assignment--she seems to feel she needs a lot of help. What is she expected to do during her shift.

To write her up, just write a memo to your nursing director and keep a copy for yourself. It would probably be better if you have support from coworkers, ie if 2 or 3 of you go to director together...otherwise you may become the problem for complaining...

She appears to have the ear of the director--weird but things like this happen....if this is the case you need to get the director to support you....do you supervise this asst? does anyone?? she seems to have a strong personality--doesn't mean she cant be supervised...how can you support her assets and get her to do her job....it might be easier to look for another job while you are trying to work things out with her..and now that you opened the door by talking to her you may be able to talk to her further about what you need from her so you can both provide good patient care--and you do have to document which involves sitting down--.....good luck..

[caliotter3]

Your first paragraph told me all I needed to form this picture: the nursing manager is reprimanding you for complaints coming from someone that she will not identify to you? What is wrong with this picture? I am sorry, but speaking from personal experience with the very same type of workplace behaviors, it is clearly time for you to move on. This is one very good example of why it is sometimes not wise to remain working at a place once one moves from CNA to licensed nurse.

[finallyfound10]

Get out now. This is craziness. The NM has shown where her loyalty is- with the CNA. Go to to another floor or hospital ASAP.

I totally and completely agree wth caliotter3 who said that once an RN it is not wise to remain the same place that you were a CNA. This is a perfect example of the wacky, unexpected fallout that can ensue. I am a CNA in nursing school and would not go to work as an RN on my current floor- ever. The RN's ask me all of the time if I am going to work there after I graduate but I say no and some are shocked (and some a little offended) as to why I wouldn't go to a ready-made job where I know 'everything' about the floor already. I get the pros but the cons are too bad to even risk it IMHO.

Good luck!

[mz.snuggly1]

I would go to the DON or whom ever is in charge and scedule a meeting between you, her, and DON because you have more to lose than she does. You don't want it to get to the point where you get stuck between a rock and a hard place or you get reported to the state! You already know that she has been reporting you and you have no proof on what you have stated to us. So what she has said has been reported and yours isn't. You don't want them to use that against you. If that doesn't work see if you can get an oposite shift or floor..........If that doesn't work find another job!!

[butter1st]

I had the same problem...but I realized that everyone has a boss..including your DON...you can write her up because part of your job description is delegation. She fails to follow a directive and has a less than productive attitude..each write up I would also send to the administrator and/or corporate...look for another job as well... this is sooooo not a good look for you..