co-workers are incompetent

[island40]

I work in a nursing home on the night shift. My facility has hired a new nurse (just out of school but I don't think that lack of experience is the problem) who makes a lot of errors (medication errors, ommisions of treatments, documentation in the wrong chart....) and just plain leaves the nursing station in a shambles (charts misplaced, papers and notes on the desk, forms misfiled in the wrong bin....) When I try to address these things during report she says the she will clean it up that she has work to finish but she always leaves with the mess still there. As the night shift I take report from 2 nursing stations and care for 85 residents so I am not in that section of the building unless I choose to go and stand over her- using up my precious time. Any suggestions other than tattling to the D.O.N. because historically that doesn't help.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Unless it affects you leave it alone. The next shift can deal with it, and her. Days WILL get mad.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

As long as my workplace continues to hire warm bodies without checking their backgrounds or giving drug tests, we will continue to receive imcompetent people as coworkers (much to my own chagrin).

[caliotter3]

There really is nothing you can do about an incompetent or lazy co-worker if the DON does not care. You can only offer to help her. When she refuses to clean up her act, you might point out to her that her behavior is affecting everyone else adversely and not putting her in a good position with her co-workers. I would have that conversation only once, if I had it at all. Just make certain that you double or triple check anything that has come in contact with her. You do not want to get blamed for her mistakes or make mistakes yourself because of her carelessness. Other than that, all you can do is to learn to put up with it. Leaving your job over one incompetent person is not a good idea. That type finds a way to have a job in many places and you could be going to a worse place. Good luck. See your doctor to have a blood pressure check-up!