Advice needed for coworker problems!!!

mkahnlpn · Jan 19, 2011

wow.

This is a really bad situation. You are completely right, as the nurse on that unit, it it your choice whether you delegate or not. And who you delegate tasks to. You are risking your license here, and I think that you could be right about the PCA doing it. (messing with machines)

It sounds like she has a problem dealing with authoritive roles. I have a CNA on my unit with the same problem. We cant help it that we are the nurse, and they are the pcs/cna/whatever. They are very valued, and deserve respect, but in turn, we deserve it to! I mean, if she is messing with vents and feeding tubes, she is endangering those patients' lives! That is huge! My cna hasnt went that far yet, but she is one that doesnt do what I ask (she usually pretends like she "misunderstood" me).

Something has to change here. This is going to come to a head, and probably on you. I would suggest having your supervisor transfer her to another unit? if there is one. Or work another shift. Sometimes people just dont get along, and this is not the place to just brush it under the rug. I really hope that you get this worked out. I am currently trying to work through my own situation as well. So I know JUST how you feel. Follow your intuition, if it means getting a different job to protect you license, do it. Good luck! :)

llltapp · Jan 19, 2011

That sounds like a total nightmare. You have several choices as I see it. None of them include keeping with the status quo :)

1. Send written incident reports about finding machines tampered with and your "objective observations" about who was in the room, etc. to both the manager and risk management.

2. contact your EAP for some counseling on the matter

3. If you have unusual behavioral observations about this CNA, such as, anger outbursts, inability to follow directions, patient safety concerns, you can report this behavior to the board. They investigate CNA psychological/behavioral problems just like they do nurses.

4. Quit and find another job. Life is short. This can rip your soul to shreds if you let it :)

Good luck to you and let us know how things go

kidnurse98 · Jan 19, 2011

I agree, something has to change. I do feel it will be at my expense and there really is NOTHING I can do about it. I have been awake for almost 24 hours and I am an anxious mess! The manager and her are very good friends. It is mainly her and this one manager that are really giving me grief. This manager has lied in emails about other things (she cc the director in an email she sent saying she had tried like 5 times to go over my eval w/ me, it was once and I was extremely busy that day, I had no time) The manager makes it a point to let everyone know on the unit whenever she wants to see someone in her office.

I have been researching workplace bullying, I think this is what I am going through. I mean, who wouldn't be short or curt after two years of dealing with this?? I mean, if I ran to the office and tattled everytime someone was nasty to me, I would never leave the office!

This PCA cannot pass the state boards (thank u God!) and when I started there I had A TON of praise from all the management staff, other nurses, pca's etc. I guess she couldn't stand it and then this is when all of this started.

There have been a few other nurses who have either been fired or quit over some of the same things. Now, I am the target......I have never been in this situation in my life! I was going to transfer and then I got a warning for attendance. One of the days the manager added was a tardy.....I was not tardy, someone stayed over for me and that time was covered. I asked for this to be investigated, but of course it never was. I just want to be able to transfer, but the eval I got and the written warning will prevent me from doing this.

I am going to research as much as I can over the next few days. I have worked too hard and for too long to let some psychopathic nuts ruin me. I will go to an atty, hr, whatever I have to in order to keep my job. I just did not expect something like this from the place that I work......it is a hospital that just about everyone has heard of.....so much for innoative and cutting edge medicine.

greenfiremajick · Jan 19, 2011

Hostile work environment...........It's a soul sucker and should be reported....Sorry you're going through this.

I've been a nurse for 11 years and I have been in my current position for two. The last 6 months have been VERY stressful and I do not know how to deal with it. I have been feeling like I have a huge target on my back and that feeling was verified today.
When I first started this job, everything seemed to be o.k. The people are totally different than @ my last job. I honestly do not feel close to anyone, and this is two years later. I tend to keep to myself, do my work, my charting, etc. Working in peds you spend a lot of time in the room, esp. if there is no one else there with the kid. I ALWAYS offer to help people who need it, as long as I have time to help, I will. I provide excellent patient care, follow all policies, procedures, attend rounds, get my meds administered on time, collaborate with the MD's and NP's, etc. I feel that I am professional and have had nothing but awesome comments from parents and the kids.
The issue at hand actually started when I took this job. There is one PCA on our unit who thinks she is above doing anything you tell her to. You can delegate tasks until the cows come home and she does not do them. She used to correct me and other nurses in front of kids/family members on NURSING tasks. After a while I got tired of her doing this and I went to my manager about the problem. Later, I found out that my manager (who I rarely see or work with) and this PCA are very good friends outside of work and hang out on a regular basis. The manager had her come and talk with me, yadda yadda, all was well after our conversation....or so I thought!
Over the last several months I have had at least 5 nurses tell me the things she says I do/say to her! I overheard her talking to another nurse about me one day and I stood and listened to what she was saying. It was all lies, but people (the same ppl who complain about her as well) seem to be listening and believing her. I now have this rep. of being a total you know what, rude, crass, curt, etc. This is not me at all. I work hard, truly care about my job, attempt to do my very best while at work, I am working towards my mater's, etc.
Today, my manager came onto the unit and went to the "charge nurse" very loudly told her that she needed to watch my patients while I went with her for a meeting with her and the other higher up manager. I found this to be very unprofessional, but she really seemed to enjoy letting anyone who was nearby that I was going to the office. I knew that this was more than likely more issues with this same girl.....I was right! I went to the office with the two managers and was told that I have terrible body language, I do not delegate to the "PCA's" and that "several" people have complained about me!!! I could not believe it.....not only was I shocked but I was also very deeply hurt. I tried to speak up for myself but they did not listen to anything I had to say. They just went on, for an HOUR, with this and even said that I am not helpful when other nurses need help! This is a total b.s. LIE. I always help others when they need it. I rarely sit down all day, but I will help anyone at any time. I was also reprimanded becasue I do not delegate properly.......After the 1st time my "manager" said this, I asked ALL the PCA's that I work with how they felt about my delegation, etc. They all said that I was their favorite nurse to work with and that I was the only one who ever helped them with patient care.
The manager then told me that one of the patients said that they "heard me" say something bad about this PCA.....I never take care or even see this patient. Again, lies. Am I going to say I have never said anything bad about her? No, I have. Usually to my family or to a friend who I can vent to. I do not run and "tattle" like SOOOO many nurses do on my unit. If I see something that someone is doing wrong, I say it to that person-in a professional and constructive manner. After a while I got really really tired of what my "manager" was saying and I tried to speak up for myself......I told them both that I have had issues with people there, who have been EXTREMELY nasty and disrespectful to me, and I just ignored it.....and went on with my day.
This PCA has truly F****D with my job and two recent events have made me wonder if she is not messing with my license. One patient's vent settings were completely changed (the pt. was gone from the room for a long time that day and was not on the vent while gone. The only person I saw in the room was this PCA!) and I found another patient's tube feedings running through the gtube and not the jtube.....someone switched them! I am sure of this because I had already assessed this and I went back in to do the bath (that she was supposed to do) and found it.
I have a very strong intuition and can read people very well.....this chick is just crazy! I truly feel that she messed with both the feeds and the vent, idk-maybe hopng that something would happen and I would get into BIG trouble. When this did not happen, she has started an all out smear campaign at my expense. Idk why this girl hates me so much, but it is obvious. Not only to me, but to several other nurses and pca's who have said things to me about the way she speaks to me and treats me.
I got in trouble for not delegating, but after a while, wouldn't you stop deleg. if the person u deleg. to does not do their job or flat out LIES about it? Or if you cannot find her the entire shift? It is MY RIGHT as a LICENSED REGISTERED NURSE to delegate or not to delegate......am I right??
I just do not know how to handle this....I am very tired of it. I really love my job, not the ppl, but I am there to work. The more I think about this the more po'd I get! I do not deserve any of this and I have no idea what I have done to this girl. I TRULY believe she suffers from a personality disorder. Many other nurses complain, the other PCA's complain, the unit secretaries complain.....but nothing is ever done.
Any advice would be appreciated.....how do I deal with this? BTW my evaluation was great.....except for the part that my "manager" had to include about the things this nut has said. ALL of my peer evals were excellent, patient/family evals=EXCELLENT. I really feel that no matter what I do I will not come out of this o.k. Should I contact someone at HR?? I mean, isn't this some sort of slander or something along those lines???
Thank you for the help. Sorry this is so long, I just needed to vent!

allnurses Guide · Jan 19, 2011

I'm sorry you are going through this kidnurse98. I had only one job with those horrible dynamics. Other jobs where I had issues with a few, but management was fair. When management isn't fair, or actually contributes to the problem, there aren't too many options available to you.

To me one of the saddest aspects of it is that it is in peds. I worked at a peds hospital and found that the fact that our patients were children seemed to bring out more of the best in people, and I mean all people, doctors, nurses, ancillary services etc. Hope it gets better for you. It's awful to go through.

whatdayoftheweekisit · Jan 19, 2011

Any way you can switch shifts? Sometimes it helps to go to night shift - away from the crooked manager and away from this territorial, rotten individual. You only have a few options...

1. Switch shifts and make it clear you don't want any more trouble.

2. Stay on your shift and fight - document everything - talk to HR - talk to administration.

3. Leave the unit/hospital.

Sometimes we just don't fit into a certain unit for some reason. If there is a lot of laziness in general going on there...the nurses and techs that are currently there find a gung-ho, hard-working newcomer to be a threat. They get jealous for whatever reason instead of picking up the pace and doing their own jobs. They don't want anyone making them look bad. It sounds like you all may need an open-forum staff meeting with director, manager and HR there to mediate. Maybe getting it all out on the table and revisiting why you all do what you do would help?

Good luck but don't let it eat you.

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Jan 19, 2011

Oh hold up. She is using PATIENTS as chess pieces? She needs to go!

laughing weasel · Jan 19, 2011

If she gets away with this she will endanger other patients next time get another job and report this person to the board. If nothing else so that there will be a record the next time she kills/hurts a patient.

KyPinkRN · Jan 19, 2011

i hate to say this but the easiest thing (and least likely to put your license in more jeopardy) is to leave this environment. you say this pca is good friends with the manager then you will make little progress in changing the situation. i'd find a new job before someone hits that target on your back.

INLPN93 · Jan 19, 2011

Leave. Immediately.

I have been down this road. It is a one-way street.

Ask yourself this, is it easier to find another job or find another career all together? That target on your back isn't imagined.

This PCA has a problem, a huge problem. But, with a close friend in management it will be some time before this nut job is gone. The friend is smoothing things over for her so it appears she is a stellar employee.

What about your days off?? Is there any problems with other nurses??

If not, I hate to say this but to protect your license, leaving is the best option.

I didn't want to leave my job but I can get another job, but another license isn't going to happen. Once there are problems, it is too late.

Put a notice in, stating why you are leaving maybe someone will get the hint in the higher ups and look into this nut case PCA.

With your evals and positive pt statements you have that in writing as to your job performance.

bsyrn, ASN, RN · Jan 19, 2011

Unfortunately it sounds like it is time for you to move on, this situation will only get worse. Walk out on your own terms, it is much easier than being led to the door. You sound like an excellent nurse, I hope it works out for you.