Are there still "cluckers" out there?

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So I'm thinking about getting back into nursing. I think I can handle the new super bugs, the increased acuity of today's patients, the new equipment I'll have to learn to handle, and a lot of the other things I'm reading about on these forums. But I'm wondering if middle management is still as bad as it was when I left the bedside.

It's not that I didn't have some sharp supervisors. There were some that really earned their elevated level of responsibility and had both great clinical savvy and executive know-how. BUT... I also remember too vividly the ones who were clueless and seemed to make rounds just to find minutia for which they could rag us. Example: Once I had two patients bleeding out at the same time. (I think there had been a blue-light special on esophageal varices that night.) I had staff members at the bedsides assisting the attending, while I was working as fast as I could to get multiple units of whole blood up to my unit to hang. My super came by, stood there until she made eye contact with me and then complimented me on how tidy my nurse's station was. She particularly admired the new filing cabinets. THIS is what she wanted to talk about.

I also got ragged once because my window shades (on a long open ward...) were not at a uniform level and it gave the place a tattered look. I was once reprimanded for not using the physician's title when referring to him in report. That is to say, I just used his name. The doc had no problem with it, but my supervisor objected.

My sister and brother are both nurses and have had similar experiences. We used to refer to this type of middle management person as a clucker... someone who just struts around making useless noise.

Please tell me that this is no longer the case.

Thanks

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Specializes in Neuro/Med-Surg/Oncology.

I think there's still people like that there. I also know that there's people who do things like that in any area of work. Nursing is not my first career and I also have friends in other walks of life who complain about the same types. You just have to take them with a grain of salt, I think.

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Sorry, I can't...but there are GOOD people out there.

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Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

I work with some pretty savy folks, so I haven't seen too many instances of clucking lately. But then again I work in assisted living!

When I worked hospital though...oh I had to giggle at your post...sounds like my experience! I also had a blue light special on bleeders, and one was being handled by another nurse, but I happened to pick the one whos family was comming any minute! The admin was too worried about cleaning his room and linens and getting the blood off him to worry about that pesky saving him bit! I finally had to scream at a CNA who was changing his bed while I was suctioning!!!!!! OH man! Oh yes..and I got it big time even though I saved him! I wanted to strangle the admin! (the other nurse lost hers sadly).

ALso had a case where a silly intern was in a code and using a doppler to find pedal pulses on a asystole patient (uhmmm duh..no pulse is no pulse idiot!). He obviously didn't hear the CLEAR! (witnessed asystole) nor did the doc that jumped on the mans chest to do cpr yelling at us about our lack of doing such!

Guess these two winners forgot that we use pads not paddles! LOL. One nurse pulled the MD off, and I tackled the doppler dude! After that my charge nurse yelled at me for being in that room when I should have been doing anything but (I was brand new..and she forgot I was ACLS, and trained by paramedic and knew the procedures better than the other nurses in there, let alone the MD's! LOL!).

Just then the intern came from behind and hugged me, thanking me for saving his orifice, and told the charge nurse off! CLUCK CLUCK Nursie!

Yeah...I won't do hospital anymore...not worth my sanity! LOL!

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After reading most of these posts I REALLY feel the need to vent. I understand that you nurses have worked long and hard to get to where you are at and correct me if im wrong but it seems to me you think some "dimwit" is coming in to take over your job or something. NOT THE CASE!!!! I am a CNA/CMT i have been in geriatrics for six years now. I live in the state of Missouri i have worked as a charge nurse with a lpn over me in the building. My job consist of passing meds, giving insulin, charting, vital signs, and treatments. Also I am phlebotomy certified so i am able to draw blood. I took approx 84 hr's of training however, I was certified in the state of Nebraska as well and took training there as well. I am also able to give meds thru a feeding tube and take dr's orders, transcribe however, my facility doesnt wish to allow that which is fine with me. I have to say I do believe that some of our med tech's that have been working for years and years are more realible to go to then the nurse. Dont get me wrong im not saying every nurse, I'm just saying some of those nurses we work with. We have alot of responsibility on our hands and we take our job very seriously some of us havent gone to school b/c we cant afford to. Look at the difference a 300.00 dollar class verus 7000.00 and up to get your lpn. I am glad i got the oppurtunity to become a cmt b/c that is going to give me a heads up to what nursing intells. Oh, I forgot to mention the other req. to getting your cmt in the state of Mo. You MUST be a CNA for at least a year, have your hs dipoma or GED. Also you have to take a extra class to be able to take blood sugars and give insulin. I'm sorry to step on anyones toes but please take a minute and understand we our trained, we DO ask questions from our superviser and in the time i've been doing meds i made one med error which almost everyone as be it a cmt/lpn/rn. I was in charge of two different units one icf kind of setting and 2 rcf and i didnt know there was a scheduled 12am carva/leva. when i found out @ 3am i told my charge nurse did the responsible thing and wrote myself up for a med error.

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sorry had to many opened and went to the wrong one

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

I dont know that its called "clucking" any more. Plenty of passive aggressives out there in middle management though.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
I dont know that its called "clucking" any more. Plenty of passive aggressives out there in middle management though.

I've never heard it called that before either........what it's called in my neck of the woods, would violate the TOS. :chuckle

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