Dealing with nosey nurses

[Aviationurse]

I recently signed in as an agency nurse in a hospital after a year hiatus.....to do other things outside from hospital nursing and why is it that after x5 mins of meeting the incoming nurses.or any nurse that comes your way....they want to know

1. do your agency pay good?

2. where else you work?

3. did you do this and that during report time just to make the report much longer...

how do you deal with this mess? i worked nights and the full time nurses diddle daddle around ...come in late...and dont want to take report esp if new agency nurse around....

even when i am on break in the lobby or outside the door ( worked nights ) to breathe fresh air or do a personal time like taking a fart... ...the full time nurse will sneak in close to me to ask me those questions.....

any advice greatly appreciated....i am new to this agency although not new to agency nursing and have not been paid yet ...all i know is i earn peanuts and the owners are at home with their families making big bucks even when they are asleep or making love...their big pay is always rolling in....

i am just upset why these full time nurses are always picking on the agency nurses....thanks for listening:nurse:

[Icooka4u]

What DixieRedHead said. If that doesn't work and they continue to persist here's what I said when put in that position: I am a very private person. I keep my personal business to myself. I signed a contract not to disclose my Agency pay rate. If I want you to know something about me it will come out naturally. In my head, I was thinking I didn't come here to make friends if it happens along the way that's great. If if doesn't I'm cool with that.

It was horrible dealing with Nosey Nellies when I first graduated nursing school at age 20. I had to learn everything through trial. I had Nurses and CNAs male/female asking me all kinds of personal questions about my sex life, my hair (is it real or a weave), where I live, ect...

[Jerrysdogmommy]

I've only done 2 travel assignments & was hired by my 1st assignment. It lasted for 3 yrs but was "let go" for vague reasons. Oh well; try to learn from our mistakes, right? This past assignment was pure hell. One of the 1st questions (by the nurse who was orienting me) was, "why did you leave your last job?". It went downhill from there. I sometimes felt I must be speaking a different language as almost all responses to my questions were that I had to get used to doing it their way. That meant I had to get used to no stethoscopes or professional guidelines to pt care. Needless to say I wasn't disappointed when they terminated my contract. I just wished I had beaten them to it. I really don't want to re-hash everything that happened but does this sort of thing happen often? I was really taken back by the unprofessional behavior of many of these nurses. I had way more experience than most of them & wonder if they may have confused experience w/ being a know-it-all. Anyone else out there have similar experience?

Yes. I am in an assignment just like what you describe. And it sucks. I wish they'd cancel me!

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

ok, yes. The professional and think good first response is they may be "exploring" for their own personal goals and genuinely just want to get to know you.

Or they may be one of those Nurse Hatchets that are hoping to get you to open up and talk so they can build their own (mental) case around you. not kidding not exaggerating- there are some real wack-a-doodles out there:-)))....especially noc shifts.

I have found that wack-a-doodles are not more numerous on Nights than other shifts, LOL.

OP - are you paranoid or what? Picking on you? I don't see it.

It's thoughtful of you to go outside to break wind.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

Set limits, ask them a ton of questions since you are the

guest, agency nurse.... ask questions relating to you

doing a great job while working this facility.

Then, as Caliotter states above think generic for answers.

You are so lucky, because being agency you can keep moving...

to another assignment.

Take away message-you owe them no explanation of your hours,

agency etc... be a stealth nurse, arrive, do your job,depart the

airspace. If you set limits with your behavior, they will get the hint..

and if not, be direct.

It might not hurt to think the best of other workers unless they give you reason to think otherwise.

Don't go in expecting trouble. So often, we get what we expect, so expect good people and good experiences.

Sometimes being friendly is actually advisable.

[Xance]

I have rather controversial views on several of these topics it seems. I am a rather open person so I discuss many things rather freely. Like pay, I'll respond with exact figures when asked because in my opinion knowing what your coworkers make will not make you upset with them, it will make you realize if you're being underpaid and approach the boss for a raise. I have helped 2 people who didn't know they were being underpaid get raises this way, and I was not making anything special. Those two cases were management purposefully underpaying those 2 people and they didn't know because corporate America has taught us to be private with pay so management underpaying us can continue.

As for personal information, some things I will answer truthfully and others I will not disclose, but mostly I will talk freely. I do this only with those who are open and cordial with me. If a private person comes to me asking questions but refuses to respond in kind they will be asking questions to a wall from then on. However, if someone comes asking questions but is at least responding with something other than generic stuff then we can have a conversation. I believe that we can be friendly with those who aren't necessarily considered friends. That is being friendly to me and I will do so where I work to the best of my ability and it creates a more pleasant work environment. It you walk into a workspace where no one wants to talk, everyone gives you the cold-shoulder, and glower if you ask questions; you will not have a good work experience and will probably consider leaving the unit.

Remember that, you are but one person in a department, you are part of the workspace and thus can influence if that unit is a nice place to be or is a terrible place for all. I used to be a private reserved person, but the Navy took care of that and I have noticed a vast improvement in my perception and experience at work with my change in attitude and demeanor so consider that fellow RN's when you decide how you wish to respond to probably innocent questions. Give people the benefit of the doubt and remember to assess who you are talking to and their motivations. Many on here seem to forget to do that, we as RN's assess first before treating patients, why do we forget to apply that same framework to the restof our lives?