Anyone ever have to give report to that one nurse who's grouchy all the time?

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Jan 3, 2015

We nurses, are, in fact, mere mortals.

:)

I always defer to my siggy line in times of dealing with challenging people and situations.

I will say that you have the power to control how you feel amongst these situations; what best helps me is laying out that I always have a reason and a rationale, and that pts conditions change in an instant, there's no controlling that and I will not control that, but only my actions. Those approaches usually nip things in the bud. :yes:

forgivenfaith119 · Jan 3, 2015

I have had to give report to some extremely difficult nurses before. All you can do is do your best. The thing is there are difficult coworkers everywhere. If you like this job, I would stay.

psu_213, BSN, RN · Jan 3, 2015

She's rude to everyone, so I know its not anything personally against me, but it just brings me down when I have to give report to her.
I'm not a new grad, I still feel like she's got that "eating their young" mentality with me.

These seem to be two competing thoughts that don't jive with one another. The former seems more like how it is. Some people are just miserable, rude, etc. My guess is that your other coworkers and your leads realize she is just one of those people. Give her report and move out. Don't be pulled down by her negativity.

icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN · Jan 3, 2015

You need to speak up. If she is being rude and looking up other patients say "You're not listening."

Give report in your most efficient, factual manner and do not digress into the maybe it's this or that or go off on tangents. Do it quickly so that you can get away from each other. Try that and see if she backs off a little.

Some ICU nurses just hate long winded reports and call it a nursing home report.

Some just want the bare minimum. Some don't take any notes ever.

Some nurses always come in a little grumpy anyway so don't take it personally.

Someone said on another thread give report the way they want it and get on with your life. Best advice ever.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jan 3, 2015

Hello! I've been working at my current job for about three months, I transferred there from a different location. Overall I like my job, my coworkers are nice, but there's just that one nurse who literally acts like she hates her life all the time. She's rude to everyone, so I know its not anything personally against me, but it just brings me down when I have to give report to her. She doesn't pay attention to what I'm saying because she's looking up other patients so I end up repeating myself. And its just my luck that something always seems to go wrong when I'm giving patients to her, nothing serious - patients having "code brown" after I check on them, labs needing to be redrawn; but she always complains about me to the leads. My leads will ask me about the complaints and when I tell them they're from her, they respond with "oh ok, nevermind then" which makes me think she's also a constant complainer. I'm not a new grad, I still feel like she's got that "eating their young" mentality with me. I usually don't have to give report to her very often, but when I do, it takes me days to recover from her toxic attitude. Sometimes I think I'd be better off transferring back to my old hospital then having her constantly complain about me. Sorry, I just needed to get some weight off my shoulders, thanks for your patience everyone!

You're giving someone else an awful lot of power over your mood. It takes you DAYS to recover from someone else's toxic attitude? Someone you don't even have to work WITH, but only put up with for the half hour or so it takes you to give report? Your problem isn't your "toxic" coworker. Your problem is that you need to be in control of your own moods and let someone else's bad mood roll off your back.

Editorial Team / Admin · Jan 3, 2015

You're giving someone else an awful lot of power over your mood. It takes you DAYS to recover from someone else's toxic attitude? Someone you don't even have to work WITH, but only put up with for the half hour or so it takes you to give report? Your problem isn't your "toxic" coworker. Your problem is that you need to be in control of your own moods and let someone else's bad mood roll off your back.

Agree. While you can't control the actions of others, you can control how you react. By letting this person's unpleasant yet brief interactions affect you for days, you are giving her a lot of power over yourself.

caliotter3 · Jan 3, 2015

I worked with an LVN who was constantly grouchy. After about a year, she and I had a talk at the front door of the facility. That was when I found out that her four teenagers were driving her crazy at home and that she was paying the hefty mortgage by herself on her two jobs, seven days a week, 16 hours a day, because her husband was too proud to take just "any" job in America. He must have thought he was special or something but he could not have been too special because he could not succeed in nursing school and wouldn't work. I knew that she worked a lot, but never had any idea how bad it really was for her. Have often wondered how long she was able to keep that up.

SierraBravo · Jan 5, 2015

I worked with an individual that I simply could not stand being around, so I did what one of the previous posters suggested and gave this person report in a very factual manner and moved on quickly. Thankfully this person doesn't work on my unit anymore, but I know how it feels to have that stress of having to give report to someone whom you know there is friction with.

imintrouble, BSN, RN · Jan 5, 2015

There's this one nurse. I'd rather be beaten with a stick than give them report. Every place must have one.

Gooselady, BSN, RN · Jan 5, 2015

Totally . . . every place I've worked had 'one' or maybe two, but at least one that EVERYONE dreaded passing off report to.

My last job there were actually two of them. One was a very experienced nurse, the other fairly new. I was 'new' to acute care nursing after several years in psych, and they scared the crap out of me, plain and simple -- until I realized I was relating to them from a very 'victim-y' point of view.

It isn't the most professional thing I've ever done, but I needed to defuse this in myself, so I started referring to her as George Forman or "the Grillmaster" when another nurse (usually a new one) came to me with their latest adventures in giving her report. Just so the newer nurses would have a 'humor' edge to cope with her. She would genuinely lose her temper, slam charts down, pound her fist, raise her voice. That happened with me once, and I went to the manager because that is bullsh*t. Enough people complained that I sensed a turn around in her after a while.

She was SO insecure and anxious it wasn't funny. She was out of control with her anxiety -- but she disguised her fear with anger. I know, SO common.

The other 'one' was no different, just absolutely TERRIFIED that she was going to get in trouble. She had this assumption that 'my license is on the line!" and absolutely NO adult understanding of cause and effect. Whatever evening shift left undone was a personal attack against her, literally.

So beneath the Grillmaster persona in such nurses is sheer terror. And they need to get an effing grip. No one appreciates it when someone acts out their psych issues and refuses to take personal responsibility. I sense they have ZERO insight into themselves, and no matter where they go, they play out the same drama, and drive everyone around them crazy.

This is THEIR problem, their psych issues if you want to look at it like that. The quality of your report is on you to determine, that nurse wouldn't know a good report from a bad one, they react the same.

I tried very light 'joking', and without sounding insipid, I complimented them for what was truly good things they did. It took a while but both of these gals began to feel more safe around me, or something. Beneath their Grillmaster persona they were killing themselves.

Now I don't think there is ANY excuse for acting that way, I don't care how anxious or terrified a nurse is, they are responsible for how they act, period. But management is rarely going to do anything about them. So it falls upon you and me to cope so that we aren't marinating in their toxic personality disorder for days after report. THAT is complete nonsense. I refuse to waste a moment of my life cringing or wringing my hands because some semi-psycho won't deal with her anxiety disorder. Whatever their persona, arrogant, mean, drama queen -- I don't care. They can play out their psychological problems all they want but I don't have to 'buy' into it or take it seriously and most of all, take it home with me.

toomuchbaloney · Jan 6, 2015

I agree with Ruby, why are you giving this grouch so much control and power in your life? Give your report, smile at her, and get on with your life which should not include HER bad attitude. Do not own it.