Am I a backstabber or just a concerned co-worker?

Nurses New Nurse

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Here is my dilema. I am in an intern program that had over 50 applicates for 5 positions. The first day I was happy to meet the other four interns. Two of them graduated right before me, one grad was from another class but I worked with him so I knew how smart he was, the other nurse is from another town and has proven how very smart she is. The four of us were doing great in our classes and orientation but this one nurse just seemed to be lost. I tried to help but she just was kind of mean to me so I started to just ignore her. The others in class started to make fun of her. The instructor told us that we needed to cut her some slack because she has ADD. My son has ADD so I can understand how hard it is to sit there for 8 hours and try to pay attention especially with a handicap such as ADD. She told us she was on medication for her disability so I cut her some slack when she constantly fell asleep in class, text on her cell during lectures, and just got up and disappeared for over an hour as she said she had to go to the bathroom. I told the others to grow up and quit making fun of her when she asked questions like 'What is PEEP?, Where does the chest tubes go?, Why do we as nurses have to give baths...isn't that the techs job?'

Now here is my dilema, today she told me that she lied, She doesn't really have ADD. She just used it as a sympathy card to get the job and look like she was a super nurse that has overcome all the hardship of having a disability. If I talk to my manager and tell her this my manager is going to think I am being petty, I am being mean, or I am trying to get her fired so that I can apply for the positions that the other nurse has applied to and get them without the competition. The Human resource manager, and the other managers are not going want to admit that they were fooled by this slacker and I fear that the backlash will be only on me.

What should I do?

Well thanks again for all the advice. She continues to mess things up. We are in our 4th month of orientation now. Since we are house floats we are supposed to be trained on three different floors. We are critical care nurses and she is making us look bad. When I get to a dept. that she just left I get preceptors that worked with her ask me stuff like...'are you gonna just follow me around like she did or are you going to do actual work?' On one floor we are supposed to be caring for open heart patients that are POD 2-5. I got thrown under the bus by a manager and preceptor because they found out after she left that rotationt that we were supposed to take care of at least three patients. She told them that she was still in the shadow phase and she wasn't suppose to do any actual care. When the manager found out she told me that she was sick of slackers and gave me three POD3 pts. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off and only by the grace of two really good nurses that helped me out was I able to get everything done. I took the challenge in stride because it was only after I finished....two hours late did the manager tell me why she gave me that pt load. I learned alot that day so I should thank her for that. I am still not saying anything about her because she is not doing any care. She calls off work, shows up late to the unit after she clocks in, hides in the lounge and still has yet to even speak to a doctor. All the other interns are fed up with her. I don't know how long she will last but at this time I am staying as far away from her as I possibly can.

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Well thanks again for all the advice. She continues to mess things up. We are in our 4th month of orientation now. Since we are house floats we are supposed to be trained on three different floors. We are critical care nurses and she is making us look bad. When I get to a dept. that she just left I get preceptors that worked with her ask me stuff like...'are you gonna just follow me around like she did or are you going to do actual work?' On one floor we are supposed to be caring for open heart patients that are POD 2-5. I got thrown under the bus by a manager and preceptor because they found out after she left that rotationt that we were supposed to take care of at least three patients. She told them that she was still in the shadow phase and she wasn't suppose to do any actual care. When the manager found out she told me that she was sick of slackers and gave me three POD3 pts. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off and only by the grace of two really good nurses that helped me out was I able to get everything done. I took the challenge in stride because it was only after I finished....two hours late did the manager tell me why she gave me that pt load. I learned alot that day so I should thank her for that. I am still not saying anything about her because she is not doing any care. She calls off work, shows up late to the unit after she clocks in, hides in the lounge and still has yet to even speak to a doctor. All the other interns are fed up with her. I don't know how long she will last but at this time I am staying as far away from her as I possibly can.

I don't understand why YOU are so concerned about her nursing abilities, or lack thereof. I'm gonna go with everyone else on this and say mind your own business. So what she told the preceptor on the previous rotation she is still "shadowing". How does that make YOU look bad? YOU are your own person, and when that preceptor asked you if you were gonna follow her around or actual do something, then that was your opportunity to show the preceptor YOUR initiative to learn and jump in with both feet.

I am also in a new grad residency program, and there are several new grads among us. I am focused on MY learning and what I need to do to become a better nurse. I know as a new grad, I'm too busy worrying about MY own license, and trying to transition into my new role as a new nurse than to be worried about the next new grad. If this person is as bad as you say she is, then she will be found out eventually. Why are you worried about how SHE is making YOU look? You need to be worried about your own backyard. Just my opinion.

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Specializes in Med-Tele, Internal Med PCU.

While I still think to some extent you should confidentially report what you were told. If you choose not to and while she remains in the program you're going to have to deal with this.

I'd see it as your time to shine! She's setting you up for success.

I would request that the manager make what she was told to your program head.

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Specializes in acute rehab, med surg, LTC, peds, home c.

No offense but it has been my experience that only insecure nurses try to make themselves look better by pointing out the inferiority of others. I am not saying she is not a loser but I am saying it is none of your business. Forget her and just myob, she is not your problem. Just learn everything you can and trust yourself that you have learned it. But also, never be afraid to ask questions if you dont know something. Dont let your insecurities get the best of you, pointing out her "mistakes" is not making you a better nurse, it just makes you part of the "mean girl" culture of nursing. People will respect you more if you just do your job and don't gossip. If you have to, vent to your husband or BF.

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I understand either side to this. On one hand she could hurt someone with her irresponsibility, but only if she's taking assignments, which she is not. I am personally concerned with the abilities of my coworkers, because I truly care about the patients that my team cares for, and I like to be able to take pride in my work. Bad care provided by one or a few team members reflects poorly on the entire institution, and like I said, I want to take pride. Haha I wish I could get paid an RN salary to chill in the lounge! On the bright side it's nice that she is making you look good, but not fair that you are taking the crap that she is causing. At least she provided with you an excellent learning experience from your crazy assignment. I understand that her behavior makes the other interns look bad, because if I had a bad student in my clinical group in nursing school, often the staff nurses on the units we were rotating through would take it out on all of us. We had a student in my group who got to go to the OR, and she pulled out her cell phone and started texting during the surgery while sitting on a counter. Needless to say nobody got to go to the OR or anywhere off of the unit after that, and the school probably had trouble renewing that hospital as a clinical site. That's why one bad seed from a group can affect all. This is apparent to others, so perhaps she will be gone soon without your intervention, unless of course they blow it off because of her "medical condition."

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No offense but it has been my experience that only insecure nurses try to make themselves look better by pointing out the inferiority of others. I am not saying she is not a loser but I am saying it is none of your business. Forget her and just myob, she is not your problem. Just learn everything you can and trust yourself that you have learned it. But also, never be afraid to ask questions if you dont know something. Dont let your insecurities get the best of you, pointing out her "mistakes" is not making you a better nurse, it just makes you part of the "mean girl" culture of nursing. People will respect you more if you just do your job and don't gossip. If you have to, vent to your husband or BF.

I agree that insecure nurses try to make themselves look better by pointing out petty things. I think that a nurse who points out unsafe behavior is demonstrating leadership skills. True that she is not your problem, but I believe that safety is everyone's responsibility, and I think that is what makes me an asset to my team. Of course we are not there to know she is putting anyone at risk, only you can decide that, because she is apparently not taking over patients. Eventually they will make her because they are not going to pay her as a nurse to sit on her butt, and if she is not making the effort to learn now, she will not be prepared then. I agree that people will respect you more if you don't gossip, but confidentially expressing your concern to management is not gossiping.

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Specializes in Agency, ortho, tele, med surg, icu, er.

I would leave it be. Work on yourself and your orientation. Sounds like everyone knows what this girl is about. She wont last long.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

if you think you might be a backstabber, you probably are. or your co-workers will certainly think you are. leave it alone.

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Specializes in Med-Tele, Internal Med PCU.

As I sit and look through this thread again, I've changed my mind about reporting it now.

I still think that when you first got the information is when you should have acted, if you chose to do so. Now, you have moved beyond the classroom and on to the floors and what she told you a month ago while still relevant would beg the question "Why is this important NOW?", "Where was this information $4,000 ago (5 wks X $20/hr)?"

Yes, she may be scuffing your group's reputation, but it's up to you and the others to overcome it.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I posted earlier about this after some time of thinking about it and reading follow up post I'm going to restate my point that I think you should just keep quiet about it at this point. I think that your going to come off as a petty backstabber even if that isn't your intention at all. I understand your concerned with safety but unless you directly observe her doing something unsafe with patients then I would suggest that you just focus on your orientation and let her go down in flames by herself. Trust me it sounds like she won't need any help doing that.

Case in point, I am a tech an a Pediatric ER and one of the newly hired nurses (not a new grad btw) seems to be having a lot of trouble putting in IVs. Now I help hold the kiddos for nurses to put in IVs all the time so I know its not easy but after watching her put in a few it seems to me (and some parents watching) that she is having a lot of trouble and isn't 100% sure on the technique and proper steps to put in the IV. I was concerned because she was having to stick most of her patients multiple times and would often miss them entirely. It is because the entire goal of pediatric care is atramatic care and multiple sticks because of bad technique is tramatic. I spoke to the charge nurse one night privately and informed her of my observations and she in turn offered to help hold a few children while this nurse did IVs to watch her technique and to offer some tips. I don't consider myself a backstabber because I directly observed care that I felt was unsafe and I took the proper steps to report it.

!Chris :specs:

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leave it alone..period...she will be long gone before too long.worry about yourself .focus on your internship as it goes by way too quickly!!

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