Clicks in the Workplace

[Lnfranklin410]

I graduated with my ADN in May 2013 after working 4 years as an LPN in LTC. Since I graduated with my ADN, I have been working at a large chain hospital (this particular one has nearly 700 beds Along with micu, nicu, sicu, and ccu). I work FT nights on the oncology unit. Generally we have 5-6 pt. We usually have 2 techs and 1 unit secretary for the entire floor so the nurses end up with TPCs.

Although I work on a cancer based unit, we get all the SSC and abdominal pain pts. It seems like all I do at night is cater to these pt who want dilaudid and phenergan every 2 hrs ATC. It's very frustrating when I have a newly diagnosed AML pt who is terrified and doesn't know what's going on when they're stuck on neutropenic precautions and getting multiple units of blood and platelets daily but I have no time to teach since I'm constantly running for my pain pts. This is just the tip of the iceberg

On top of very demanding pts, my night shift crew is very clickish and anyone who is not on the click is pretty much SOL if you need help. There is 4 in particular who stay together all night and these are the 4 that get rotated out for charge nurse. If they don't like the assignments the day charge nurse gives, they change the assignments. If we have an admit coming with a doctor that's notorious for being a creep or the pt has too much going on, they will assign it to someone else regardless who's turn it is to get an admit. They seriously made a friend of mine take an admit when she had 5 pts already (one who needed a lot of care) and they had 3 noncritical pts each.

Yesterday I was on-call and I came in to help as a favor to one of my coworkers. They called me in late and i live an hour away so I didn't get to work til after 8. I had nothing done for me. The other nurses I was working with (the click) hadn't even stepped into my pt room to tell them what was going on. Plus we had a new admit that came at 6pm but no one even got the pts vital signs or stepped into her room. I was the first nurse she had saw since she was sent to the floor and that was 2 hours after the fact! I also had a pt who was getting blood and the pump had been beeping forever the pt said when I got there and rounded.

It's so bad I dread coming to work and am generally upset when I get off work in the mornings. I want to quit but no other hospital or facility closer to where I live is hiring.

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anyone else have problems with clicks at work? How do you handle this when management turns a blind eye?

[generalRN2008]

Maybe transfer to another unit if there are openings? My work has obvious clicks and favorite staff. When it patient safety is affected go to human resources since your manager turns a blind eye

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

First, the word you're looking for was "cliques."

You have every right to insist upon teamwork at work. If you're assigned an admit out of turn when you have more patients than everyone else, document and discuss it with your manager. Before you speak to your manager, though, make sure that it really IS unprofessional behavior on the part of the charge nurse, and not just new nurse anxiety about all the new responsibilities that you have. Sometimes new nurses are so focused in on their own assignments that they have no idea what is going on in the REST of the unit.

When you need help, ask for help. But make sure that you also offer help when you see another nurse rushing about or drowning. The only way that teamwork works is if EVERYONE works as a team.

You may never be best friends with these nurses, but you can and do have the right to insist upon working together. Good luck!

[caliotter3]

There were obvious cliques in each facility I worked at. I did what I needed to do to survive. After about a year, things would ease up somewhat, but I never was truly accepted, nor did I expect acceptance. It is a shame that management never did anything to bring about teamwork. You can't forget that this situation, while not pleasant, defines your livelihood. Don't easily give it up.