set up how do i proceed to work with these people

[RNOTODAY]

How do you handle working witha scrub tech that you do not get along with, plus, whom is not above lying about you and reporting you.

without getting into details,there is a huge attitude problem with this one surgical tech, and she reported me , along with another nurse ( who is the sister of another nurse who is a *PROBLEM*...Resulted in me being counselled about this by a manager, a patient services manager, and the two people, plus the original scrub tech that was involved in the case. I dont believe i did anything wrong, with the exception of go to lunch. long story short, there were NO raytechs being used in this case, and when I got back from lunch, there was a big deal about raytecs being found in the garbage!!! so counts were wrong, the scrub tech LIED and said she gave me raytecs to get them off her field, and "she continued to do her job " and doesnt know what i "did" with the raytecs. i have a great memory, and believe me, there were no raytecs given to me from the field, and if they ever were, i know better than my name even during the busiest cases not to throw them in the trash!!!!

I am beside myself. I try my best to help others out, would never lie about another co worker, despite my feelings for her/him....

I was just "counselled" had a convo with the people involved, and assured I WASNT GOING TO BE TERMINATED.

No harm to a patient was done, this was not an open case. an xray was taken, negative.

words of advise? wiasm how should I handle these co workers of mine? i wil probably look bad if i request not to work with them again, right? nobody believes there were no raytecs when i left for lunch. I thought i had no real enemies where i worked, but i am really wrong. how do i proceed? i know in managements eyes, its over, tho i am positive they are keeping a close eye on my counting practices now, since this tech said "this has happened before with her" which is a lie, because this is the first time i am hearing about it.

just feeling really , i dont know, screwed right now. please, newbies and vets...please give some advice.....

ps, just an aside note...this particular tech is at least 15 minutes late coming to the room to set up all the time, i mean all the time.... i dont report her, because basically, i am not a "reporter" i have a sense of loyalty to my coworkers, even if i dont really care for them personally---- would you, as a nurse, strt reporting on her every little infraction she makes, no matter how small she is lazy as he day is long, puts on gown and gloves, and barks to the circulator to get her stuff she should have been helping get.

i left work in tears. i believe i was completely set up, and i cant say that to managers, because really, who are they gonna believe? they are going to believe who went to them first about this "incident" period.

help i just want to quit and never come back

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

OP, I know where you're coming from...sabotage is a frequent danger in some ORs, and some techs carry a huge chip on their shoulder. Even worse, management does nothing about it.

[caliotter3]

I would request not to work with these people.

[caliotter3]

Write her up. Continue to write her up until she folds or gets fired.

This is also good advice. After all, her behavior toward you screams out that she wants your attention, so give it to her.

[PetiteOpRN]

Yes if someone did this to me I'd be coming down on them like a ton of bricks. Are you supervising this technician? I don't understand how it works with techs because thankfully we just have nurses in the OR and a clear heirarchy. If you are supervising them and it sounds to me like you have the responsibility for the count and not her then it's time to put her in her place.

If someone want to play games with me in my theatre I can play games as well. Next time she's scrubbed get a witness to watch your count and clarify exactly what is on the field. Make it clear that she's not trustworthy and you do not wish for another incident.

In most ORs, circulators do not supervise the scrub tech any more than they supervise the anesthetist or the surgeon. Techs are equals with nurses on the hierarchy. I have never heard of an OR where the scrub techs are subordinate to the RNs.

I've worked with difficult scrubs too. There was one who's favorite thing to do was hide the surgeon's favorite instruments after the circulator threw them. When the circulator went out to get the patient, the scrub would typically put them in the basin that came in the pack and cover it with blue towels. They are under the mistaken impression that making you look bad makes them look better.

It sounds like the scrub is not the only problem...you mentioned a couple of other nurses that are problematic. Without knowing the details, it's impossible for an outsider to know what's really going on.

When the political crap interferes with a job that you love, many people sign with an agency. It's easier to deal with these kind of people if you know you can leave in a few weeks.

[jessrene, LPN]

IMHO it all comes down to patient safety, so yes I agree with a previous poster who said that if u r working with someone untrustworthy, do whatever u can to make yourself safe, including bringing a 3rd person over to the table to count. Everyone wants to be fast and efficient AND accurate, so if that's what it takes to do your job well then everone should understand that u are trying to make it work and be glad to help.

[Scrubby]

In most ORs, circulators do not supervise the scrub tech any more than they supervise the anesthetist or the surgeon. Techs are equals with nurses on the hierarchy. I have never heard of an OR where the scrub techs are subordinate to the RNs.

I have two questions.

Who is ultimately held accountable for the surgical count? If the answer is the RN then as far as I'm concerned they are supervising the process.

My other question is are technicians unlicensed personnel? If so then why are nurses allowing unlicenced staff to be equal with them on the hierarchy?

[PetiteOpRN]

I have two questions.

Who is ultimately held accountable for the surgical count? If the answer is the RN then as far as I'm concerned they are supervising the process.

My other question is are technicians unlicensed personnel? If so then why are nurses allowing unlicenced staff to be equal with them on the hierarchy?

Every count is charted, along with everyone involved in the counts. If there is a problem, everyone involved is really held equally accountable. But they do not write anyone up unless someone is grossly negligent in counting. For instance, if a case is long and requires a shift change, both scrubs must be present to count. If one leaves before the count is resolved, they are likely to be the only person written up (if anyone is).

And the vast majority of scrub techs are certified, not licensed. And yes, at my facility they are equals with the nurses although they have different tasks. The nurses do not have the authority to "allow" this, it is just the nature of the job. I don't delegate to my scrub. If anything, it's the other way around. It's the scrub who is up at the field and I rely on him or her to tell me what's going on and to anticipate what we might need that I can't necessarily see.

Maybe the attitude that scrub techs are subordinate to nurses is the reason why scrubs are hostile to some RNs.

[Argo]

your hospital has serious issues if your scrub techs are not subordinates to your RNs. They do not hold a license that they can loose for the issues you will get into for any problems that arise. I have been involved in law suits and it is always the RNs and MDs that are held accountable in the court system. The scrub tech is there as a witness. There is a chain in the OR and the scrub tech is at the bottom of this chain. There is no reason for the RN to act like a totally jerk to the techs all the time but the techs need to know that the circulator is a link above them. If and when I have scrub techs that dont understand this, I will make them understand or I will replace them with someone that does. Overall everyone needs to and does work as a team but when it comes down to it, RN is over CST.

[Future O.R. Nurse]

That is a different way of seeing things, but, at times unreasonable...

I say this because there are cases where it can take over 7 hours plus! So, what I am saying is, the last thing you ate would be before the day starts (0630) then the next thing you eat is at 1500. That is unreasonable.

There are times when you would have to leave the case. What I am saying is that if you don't have to leave in the middle of the case, then don't. Ofcourse this can't be done 100 percent of the time nor on certain procedures. I always kept crackers, or a sandwich, just something to put on my stomach in between cases. It worked for me.

[OR_BSN_OBrien]

I agree with Argo...Write her up. Continue to write her up until she folds or gets fired.