Hi, I’ve been a nurse for 3 years in November (been in healthcare for 10+) and I work closely with someone who is male (just adding that in for context) +30 yo and has been a nurse for 10 years. We work in a small 5 bed PCU. I’ve been having a hard time working with him and I usually just ignore him, but it’s bugging me and I need professional advice. He is a very nice guy, don’t get me wrong- I just don’t think he’s a strong nurse... does it matter if I think that, absolutely not, but when is enough? Some examples: -went into a covid + patients room with appropriate PPE and then when he needed something he came out into the hall, without doning PPE. He does this all the time with clean vs dirty! -called an inappropriate RRT and then we all got the obligatory email “please read RRT protocol”-had the doctor come to the bedside for a low blood sugar before giving dextrose and then the next morning said to the am nurse “I almost lost her 3 times” because of hypoglycemia?-cannot prioritize, example patient needed to go on bipap because of respiratory distress and he was assessing and hanging an abx on a stable patient ... after I offered to hang the abx. -he used to fall sleep all the time ... yes we work the overnight shift but still ... it was many occasions for long periods of time. -he will be getting a patient at change of shift and won’t go in and help, Other people do ... because he needs to wipe down the nurses station and his computer... it’s happened three times. -he will constantly be telling me if my tele is alarming and I’m always aware of my tele...but he lets his ding off. -he makes very careless mistakes and he has no common sense, sorry ??♀️ My issue is ...He has been brought up to management by nursing supervisors and doctors many times, I have yet to go to my manager because she doesn’t do anything about it and He is never spoken to and he is training people on the floor! I will ask him questions about his practice and he thinks “he offended me” when really I am the only one who calls him out and in a professional way. I’m not stupid, I’m not making more problems for myself, I work with him a ton. My question is am I being dramatic ? Like someone who’s been a nurse that long should not be that clueless ...so why do I feel bad ? I usually get along with everyone, but I don’t trust working with him. He’s the typical book smart nurse, but can’t deal with emergencies. I think management should be doing remediation, correct ? Not having him train people ! Ugh sorry for the long post ! Thanks for your input.
Been there,done that, ASN, RN 6,968 Posts Has 33 years experience. May 18, 2020 "He has been brought up to management by nursing supervisors and doctors". Your manager knows EXACTLY what is going on with this coworker and has decided to ignore it. YOU are left to cover all of his issues. I know it's not easy, especially now... you must remove yourself from the situation. I hope you you can transfer, because that guy is not going away.
TriciaJ, RN 4,301 Posts Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory. Has 42 years experience. May 18, 2020 This is where the Serenity Prayer comes in handy. If everyone and his brother knows about this guy then you're out of magic.One day the jig will be up and it probably won't be pretty. All you can hope for is that the inevitable falls on your day off.Meanwhile, CYA by being extra careful when you're working with him and chart your care meticulously. Call things to his attention in a friendly helpful way : (shake shake) "Sorry, you dozed off again." "Whoops. You're missing some PPE."Good luck.
chare 3,951 Posts May 18, 2020 3 hours ago, RNewbieMA said:Hi, I’ve been a nurse for 3 years in November (been in healthcare for 10+) and I work closely with someone who is male (just adding that in for context) +30 yo and has been a nurse for 10 years. [emphasis added][...]And what exactly does any of this have to do with the situation you described?
RNewbieMA 14 Posts Has 1 years experience. May 18, 2020 Yeah, I was explaining that he’s been a nurse for a lot longer than me, the rest is fluff I guess ?
RNewbieMA 14 Posts Has 1 years experience. May 18, 2020 36 minutes ago, TriciaJ said:This is where the Serenity Prayer comes in handy. If everyone and his brother knows about this guy then you're out of magic.One day the jig will be up and it probably won't be pretty. All you can hope for is that the inevitable falls on your day off.Meanwhile, CYA by being extra careful when you're working with him and chart your care meticulously. Call things to his attention in a friendly helpful way : (shake shake) "Sorry, you dozed off again." "Whoops. You're missing some PPE."Good luck.Yeah before he went into said room I told him that the baby monitor that was in the room was a two way so I could hear him if he needed anything ... he still went into the room and came out in his gown, gloves, mask, face shield to the hall way and I said “oh you are considered dirty” and he looked at me and said “oh, I don’t know” and went back into the room. I am actually not worried about the sleeping compared to the nursing things and I guess part of me doesn’t think I need to babysit a 40 yo man who’s been a nurse for 10 years. My other co-workers have said things to him about other things and it’s always like “oh, I don’t know” or just “oh” there’s definitely a disconnect. Thanks for the advice
Been there,done that, ASN, RN 6,968 Posts Has 33 years experience. May 18, 2020 6 hours ago, chare said:And what exactly does any of this have to do with the situation you described?The coworker being male has a LOT to do with the situation. Only nine percent of nurses are male. Like it or not, believe it or not, men are treated better than women.
parolang 37 Posts May 21, 2020 Sounds like untreated or poorly treated ADHD. Doesn't matter, I wouldn't say anything about it.
Kooky Korky, BSN, RN 5,209 Posts May 22, 2020 You could report him anonymously to people above your direct boss, who is refusing to straighten him out.
FallingInPlace, ADN, BSN, RN 55 Posts Specializes in Med Surg, Hospice, Wound Care. Has 10 years experience. May 22, 2020 Realistically, you know what you need to know. Management is aware of the problem, and has decided not to act on it, so they're not going to respond to your comments unless you have a much more serious incident involving patient safety. That leaves you with a choice, stay and live with it, or look for another position.
Serhilda, ADN, RN 290 Posts Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ICU. May 22, 2020 On 5/17/2020 at 10:15 PM, chare said:And what exactly does any of this have to do with the situation you described?Men are typically seen as more competent solely for being male, hence why it's relevant to his incompetence being ignored/unnoticed.
Jodine Stockham 1 Post May 23, 2020 If he bothers you so much maybe it's time for you to move on? Time to remember that not everybody is perfect. Management is aware and are OK with it. He sounds a little ADHD and probably has anxiety to go with it. The more you "monitor" him the more tense he gets which means more mistakes. I would let management worry about him, be kind and go about my business.
