Afraid of loosing my job

[Katniss88]

This past two weeks have been the worst. First my supervisor wanted to talk to me about techs complaining that I don't want to take patients to the bathroom, which is not true. While I'm in the room and they need to go the bathroom I will help them or other times when a tech isn't available. They are always complaining about the nurses. Then this week I missed an order and it was a really big deal because it was concerning a pending surgery, it was my mistake and I owned up to it and told her it was my fault.

One of patients complained that I wasn't friendly and didn't smile. She was upset with me because I didn't get to her in time to give her zofran because she was vomiting. Before she called I was about to administer pain medication to another patient who just came up from surgery. The patient who wanted pain medicine told the nurse I got report from that she wanted pain medicine but this nurse told her that she had to go give report. So by the time I get to my other patient who was vomiting she was very upset and crying. My supervisor has said to me before that other patients have complained that I wasn't friendly or didn't talk much, and said she couldn't keep standing up for me. I have never been mean or unfriendly to my patients, I guess they expect a nurse to baby them and be all warm and fuzzy towards them. I have gotten better and talking more to patients, but I have been working there for a year and I don't know why all of a sudden it's a problem. It's like I can't get anything right. She didn't write me up, but did verbal counseling. I'm just afraid I'm on the verge of being let go because of what patients say about me or whatever else might happen.

[Nienna Celebrindal]

If you feel like you are not a people person find a unit that lends itself more to that. You are still going to have to push yourself to be nicer and friendlier but you might find more success in the OR, ER, corrections. As I said you still need to be nice but you don't have to be as sugary sweet in these areas. At least that's my experience.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Go ICU, patients don't talk and we use foleys and rectal tubes so all problems solved....

Would that that were true!

ICU patients are awake sometimes, even if they don't talk. It becomes MORE of a challenge to make the nonverbal patient happy when you're trying to figure out what the heck the frantic tapping means as opposed to the slower tapping or the pointing . . . . And they have families whom you have to also make happy. In fact, the biggest source of complaints about lack of "warm fuzzies" or "unfriendliness" probably comes from those family members who hang out in the room all day just waiting for an unwary staff member to come close enough to have to listen to their barrage of complaints about their own (as opposed to the patient's) gall bladder surgery or infected ingrown toenail.

Be that as it may, the Commuter is absolutely correct -- folks that play the game fare better at work than those who don't. A clueless nurse who is well-liked can get away with some nearly fatal errors while the astute nurse who doesn't play the game may get fired over some inconsequential "error" such as a daily dose of Colace given an hour and a half late or something equally silly.

[OwlieO.O]

"Loosing" your job is the least of your troubles with spelling like that.

[Emergent, RN]

"Loosing" your job is the least of your troubles with spelling like that.

You seriously thinking misspelling the word losing is worse than losing ones job?

Wow!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

You seriously thinking misspelling the word losing is worse than losing ones job?

Wow!

Perhaps the misspelling is symptomatic of other communication issues and lack of attention to detail.

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

I dont think its about being warm and fuzzy as it is about keeping it real

Most people arent completely silly and they can tell when someone isnt fully engaged with them. As others have said things such as going around at the start of your shift and checking your patients or something else that lets your patients know, 'this nurse actually gives a damm about my care"

Also, I think a part of being sucessful as a nurse is the ability to not take ourselves too seriously, and be able to laugh at ones self.

OP, I think at times I have the same issue that you do. I have been pulled aside by a fellow staff nurse once and by my manager a few times. I have had complaints from patients and/of family members that I am not "warm and fuzzy" enough. I have always been an introverted person. I have to try really hard at times to be more extroverted at work, even if it means plastering on a fake smile. I have realized over time that sometimes my problem is that I get to focused on what I am doing and the steps I need to take next when caring for a patient that I forget to smile. I think I suffer from "resting b***h face" at times.

[APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP]

There is an art and a science to nursing. The most successful ones find that the art includes finding how how to deal with the emotional labor that comes with being a nurse.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_labor

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

You do need to be genuine HOWEVER, the most successful employees in any industry quickly learn the politics. It is what it is. You cannot be warm and fuzzy, but you also cannot appear overly cold.

The art of succeeding in nursing, or anywhere, is having enough insight into your own and other's behaviors and knowing how to balance things out.