Liked the job, the money, and the patients...hated the co-workers

[imenid37]

For about 6 months, I was working prn in addition to my full-time job in staff dev/cns role which is away from the bedside. It was on the "maternity" unit of another local hospital. Mostly I was on postpartum, but did orient in L&D for several days in the summer. I had 3-4 days of L&D orientation and observed 1 C. section at the beginning of my orientation. I got one day of postpartum orientation and had been working there for the rest of the time. Several weeks ago, I quit. I was assigned to an active labor patient after not having one for several months. It was busy. Other people did not have time to back me up. Another nurse on postpartum said she'd swap with me.

The charge nurse got "in my face" when I asked to swap. She had to ask someone else if they would swap their patient from the prior night. She was obviously miffed that I did not bow to her authority. I do not want anyone to be unnecessarily inconvenienced, however, safety comes first. A person did swap with me after a "dramatic" meeting of the minds in the med room. I would not have taken the unsafe assignment, so drama or not... it wasn't happening. I was a charge nurse for years and would never have stuck someone with an assignment like this. Many times, I answered question after question, juggled assignments and backed people up all night long. That's the job. That is why they pay the extra dime/hour or whatever they get for being in charge!

I emailed the manager I quit and never got a response. In my interview, she seemed very nice. Maybe she is just too weak or not interested in getting a handle on the "environment" in this unit. I really liked doing bedside care again. My email described the situation and my unwillingness to be bullied into an inappropriate assignment. I would love to find a similar position with a different environment. Though the charge nurse is especially nasty, most of the other nurses were not friendly. No small talk or smiles! The doctors were nasty, nasty, nasty! I was questioned..."Why do you have this job if you have a full-time job." I was told... "I need "one of the regulars" to take care of my patients." Foul and impatient.

Certainly, part of the response I got was because I am in my fifties and was somewhat slow. I was honest that I have not been doing bedside care for almost 4 years! However, I did give good care and documented thoroughly. I was only working one day a week as I do have a full-time job, so I was picking up their routine, but not as I would if I was 25 and working there full-time. My frustration is with people decide they will treat others like dirt. Is it worth looking for another position? Am I crazy to think that there are people who will be patient with me?

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

You emailed the manager that you quit? You didn't follow up with a phone call, a visit or a business letter?

Yes, there are people who will be patient with you, but it is unlikely that a good manager will want to hire you to work just one day a week when you've been away from bedside care for four years. Usually, they want you to work full time through an orientation period and then place you on a day shift, week day position where they can "watch" you to make sure that you are indeed competent and fitting in.

If you've been away from bedside care, you may not be the best person to judge whether you were giving good care and documenting thoroughly. It's entirely possible that you were consistently missing something basic, either in your care or your charting. I will admit to missing a few basics when I first came back to work after a six month medical leave, so it is not inconceivable that someone who has been away from the bedside for four years may do the same. You admit that you were slow; other nurses were probably having to make accommodations for your slowness and for your unfamiliarity with the unit and the patient population. Perhaps that accounts for some of the difficulty you were having in getting along with your colleagues.

Needing someone who is familiar with the unit and the patients to take care of certain patients is neither "foul" nor "impatient." It's just one of those facts of patient care. You say that the other nurses weren't friendly to you -- were YOU friendly to THEM? If you weren't, perhaps that's why you had difficulty in getting along with them.

I'm sorry you've had a bad experience with your prn position. But not resigning in a professional manner is just one of the red flags in your post. You've stepped away from the bedside, you're out of the routine. It's admirable that you want to regain some of your bedside nursing skills. I wonder, though, if you're thinking that your position as CNS or nurse educator automatically confers bedside skills upon you.

[imenid37]

Actually in my end of orientation review, I was recognized for thorough charting and thorough assessment. I had a patient complement me on one the surveys about help with breastfeeding. I brought food to share on several occasions, always said hello, and tried to make small talk with co-workers. Others from a former job I had have also worked there and give the place mixed reviews. I am not working in an unsafe place and that is it. I don't think emailing the manager and also notifying HR about my resignation was unprofessional. Perhaps I should have sent a registered letter? Maybe with a box of chocolates. It was like pulling teeth to get someone to show me where something was or provide me with information about where the physician call lists were etc. I only asked for this stuff once. I was not asking for the call list more than the first time. From one time to the next, I did remember, I was actually pretty acclimated to post-partum. Apparently, most of the staff don't like it so I figured that is where they would be putting me. When they pulled the L&D assignment on me with such a long time between the orientation and on such a busy night, I think it was not reasonable and not safe. If it was slow and I had someone to go to, I would have been ok with it. I know I am slower than other staff because of my time away from the bedside and limited availability. I will say that I certainly followed others and found that there were things full time staff had neglected to address in patients to whom I was assigned. My issue with the charge nurse was that she was just plain foul. She got in my face, rolled her eyes, and then went on to orchestrate the drama in the med room. When you make an assignment, you should do it based on who you have and what they can do, especially when it is busy. You don't do it to prove a point or be a bully or assert your authority. She could have put me on postpartum and not had to worry with me at all. Instead she decided to be very nasty. If I would have had to take the patient to C/Section it would have been a hassle for HER as much as me. I am not stupid enough to think that I have some magic skills by virtue of my other position! In fact I tried to downplay my other job and did not really discuss it with other staff. Believe me they did not ask. They only asked me to relieve them for lunch breaks and if I could work for them for this or that weekend shift.