Charge nuse from HECK!!!!!LONG

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Specializes in Trauma ICU, Surgical ICU, Medical ICU.

So this is basically just a vent. I am just so so so angry at the way I have been treated the past 2 nights. I knew it was going to be a bad night when I saw the patient I had (already fell once, stroke, combative, BP sky high, bleeding from nose) and I had to discharge and admit into my other room. I also saw who was going to be charge that night and I knew I was in for a bad one. She basically thinks all new grads are stupid, and is the most rigid person I have ever seen. Its either her way or the highway in most cases. My plan was to avoid her all night and ask others for help if needed. Anyway, so there are 2 small emergencies going on in other parts of the unit when I get my assignment and get going. My guy's BP was going up quickly and we didnt want him to rebleed, and he was way past a good perfusion BP (we wanted him a little high anyway). We tried everything to get this guy down and get his BP under control. It was mostly anxiety and what we figured to be ETOH withdrawl. When the fellow finally got a chance to look at him she decided we should intuate, fine, no big deal. I went to get the stuff to intubate and charge was right there! I was getting stuff for our protocol and sedation meds and she pushed me out of the way and said "NO you need to watch me and see what we get for intubation so you KNOW WHAT YOURE doing!" I was like what?!?! I already had everything out for intubation, she put it ALL back and got the EXACT SAME DRUGS out of the pyxis!!! Then she looked at me and spoke to me like I was 3 years old, she goes "next time we'll know how to do this, ok?" :banghead:. Basically I was like we sure will, like we knew the first time (didnt say that but thats what I was thinking)! So of course while this guy was getting tubed my new patient rolls in. So she starts getting him ready and with some help they dealt with that. So the night goes by without incident, I avoid charge and tell her things are fine. She also is chart checker and my admission paperwork had not been finished on my new pt (NO family to speak of and pt was incoherent). So because it hadnt been done at 0400 (I had 3 more hours!) she starts SCREAMING at me for not getting it finished. I mean drill sargeant yelling. Since charge can smell fear, I just smiled and said I'd get it done right now. After that, she was at my bedside for the rest of the shift watching everything I was doing, asking me why we were giving what, like she was my preceptor or something! I didnt know what I had done wrong! Basically I went home feeling like a failure and wondering why I wasn't competent to take care of my patients on my own?

The next day got even worse. So charge is back for another go round and I have 2 new pts, one stable vent and another with impacted bowel. Basically the nursing home he was at let him go months without pooping and he formed a calcified stool. So he got 2 enemas on day shift and they ordered another one, a SMOG enema. I told charge I had never given an enema on this floor and I wasnt familiar with the equipment and would like some assistance. She said ok and told me to get her when the meds arrived and we would do it. I was like yeah right I'll get help from another nurse. So my neighbor (another SEASONED nurse, but a good one lol) offered to help me instill the enema. We got the stuff and did it and this guy pooed from his neck to his knees. By the time charge got back to check up on things he was cleaned out! However she told the other nurse he did it completely wrong and we were going to do it again the RIGHT way! I was FLOORED!!! Basically, we used a different type of tube to keep the enema in (we used a malencot instead of a para tube), but thats IT!! I have spent the last 3 hours cleaning this man up (he got 5 baths that night). So I'm at my wits end after the past 2 days, and I'm starting to crack. I said fine we'll do it your way and she started doing her chart checks again. So of course I got ANOTHER reaming when my chart was incomplete (how is this my fault if day shift didnt finish it?) She told me she was going to write me up if it wasnt done in a few hours. I hadnt even gotten a chance to look at this guy's admission paperwork yet!! So basically as soon as she left I just burst into tears. I cried so hard the admission paperwork I was working on was soaked. We ended up doing 3 enemas that night (and the last one another nurse stood up for me and said she was going to do it the first way it had been done, end of story). I was DONE. I am going to email my manager and a few of the other nurses were aware of the problem and are also going to email and get something done about the horrible way she treats new grads. I dont know how she got any of HER OWN work done because she was constantly up my rear and a few of the other new grads' rears as well. She is going to CRNA school in august and I'm counting down the days. Anyway, my vent for the day. :madface:

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People like this just sound mildly, or perhaps moderately psychotic. I mean, there is just no rhyme or reason for it.

I'd shake it off and act like it didn't even happen. Don't let her see you sweat.

I am at the point now, nearing the end of orientation, that I am going to start questioning these preceptors if they start crap like that. And I'm going to ask them to back off if they start doing ridiculous checking, hovering, etc. If they have to hover now, something is wrong.

Are you in an ICU? Sounds like it -- more power to you -- I couldn't take the heat in that environment myself -- but floor nursing is no picnic either.

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Specializes in Cardiac Nursing, ICU.

PiPhi2004,

Sorry you had to go through that. This is ridiculous. That Charge nurse seems to have a chip on her shoulder. Don't let her actions cause you to feel like a failure...you are not...or second guess yourself. You're taking the correct steps in trying to communicate with your manager about chgnsg actions. Hold you head up high and keep doing your best!:icon_hug:

P.S. Don't let her drive you crazy

:lol_hitti

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She delayed the intubation with her nonsense, and acted very unprofessionally by yelling and demeaning you. She sounds like a very insecure nasty bully. She needs to be reported to her boss. There is no excuse for her behavior. Please let us know what happens.

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Specializes in ED/trauma.

When I read stories like this, I am so thankful for where I work. There is only 1 charge I've had issues with, and she's a night charge (I work days), and the issues were only when I was first on my own. She doesn't trouble me anymore. There are some night nurses to whom I report off, and they're REALLY picky about report, so that always gets me in a knot. Otherwise, my co-workers and day charges are incredibly helpful.

I am so sorry to hear about your situation with her bearing down on you like that. I know it's easy to say shrug it off (as a previous poster did), but I also know how difficult it is NOT to take something like this personally. I'm sure I would have soaked the entire chart with my tears! I just don't get those nurses who give us new nurses such a hard time. Why is it SO impossible for some people to remember when they were new(er) too?!

I hope your manager is open to your side of the story, and that s/he also takes your co-workers' reports of the situation into account also.

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Specializes in Tele, ED/Pediatrics, CCU/MICU.

Ahh, I have the same issue.

I just avoid her as best I can/ smile and nod when she orders me around.

I like to tell myself that she behaves this way because she feels a lack of control in her personal life. It must make her feel superior to behave the way she does.

Hang in there! Stay positive! Keep learning!

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Specializes in Trauma ICU, Surgical ICU, Medical ICU.

Just wanted to send an update and a thank you for the kind words. Some of my fellow nurses advocated for me and told the manager about the incident before I even got the chance to. The manager talked to me and told me her behavior is unacceptable and she would talk to her about it and that she has had these complaints about this specific person before. I felt touched that other nurses felt so strongly about helping me out and I was so happy with my management that they are trying to handle this problem. Just someone talking to me about it to let me know they cared helped. I have a new respect for the nurses who took it upon themselves to say something and I am so appreciative of them! yay!

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Specializes in Cardiac, Transplant, Intermediate Care.

It's unfortunate that there are people like that out there-- especially nurses. I am at the end of my 1st year of nursing in cardiac/transplant intermediate care and have had some unpleasant interactions reporting off to a NOC RN who is a very negative person. I tried to handle the problem myself, thinking that we're both adults- but her rude, nasty behavior toward me during my end of shift report did not change. As it turns out, other RNs went to our nurse manager and he asked me to document my interactions with this co-worker so that the hospital could approach her to correct her rude behavior.

Usually, when people are rude and inappropriate, most people around them see it. They just choose not to confront the person.

Hopefully both our situations will improve and these negative co-workers will come around!

All the best to you.

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