Confront a fellow nurse or not?

unknown99, BSN, RN · Nov 20, 2003

This nurse gets by with all that???

Does the day nurses that come in later not realize this??

You have 3 options:

1) Keep putting up with it

2) Talk with her, but by the sounds of it, it will not help.

3) Talk to the unit manager. Explain everything that she does and how you feel anout it. More than likely, it would help the most to talk with the manager.

I wish you luck!!!

fergus51 · Nov 20, 2003

I would continue to do what is safe and reasonable. I have never been employed where we were allowed to document assessments without having seen a patient! Every hospital I have worked at required the nurse to mix her own pit and have it signed by another nurse. I would not start an IV with meds I had not seen mixed! Next time she says you should have filled out the paperwork more, ask her what exactly she means (as long as you don't have a patient that needs you at the time). If she says it should all be filled out, simply point out that you can not document an assessment you haven't done or leave a patient that needs you. Do the same for the IVs.

This is the main reason I couldn't stay in a rural area. I am spoiled by having all other the staff around.

ktwlpn, LPN · Nov 20, 2003

the day nurse is sitting right in the middle of the nurses station and says to me...you know...you should have had these IV's spiked and primed, Pit mixed and spiked and primed and everything hanging in the room so all I had to do was go in ans start the IV."QUOTE] Sounds like a bully to me-she was sitting there while you were running around like a chicken after it's head has been cut-off? Don't let her get away with talking to you in that manner....Come back with something like" You should get off your azz and do something" Do what you can for the next shift and hope that others treat you the same way but stand up for yourself when you run into a bully....

L&D_RN_OH · Nov 21, 2003

I think you should continue to do what you are able to, but I wouldn't go above and beyond. Tell her you are happy to help as you can, but when there are other pts on the floor, your help may be limited. I would also talk to the nurse manager about the situation.

This nurse really should be repsonsible for her own assessments and meds.

And just curious, why do inductions need catheters?

imenid37 · Nov 21, 2003

I'd go to the manager and ask the pp nurse to come too. Yes, your agency needs the contract, but the hospital obviously needs nurses or they would not staff 2/3 agency nurses on a shift. I'd also call your agency. Maybe they can talk to the nurse manager too. No one, agency or staff should have to put up w/ this cr*p from some battle axe.

AmberL&D/RN · Nov 21, 2003

LD_RN_OH... That was a typo between "IV" and "catheter", shouldn't have been a coma. I meant IV catheter.

Thanks for the feedback, I thought maybe I was just being sensitive and feeling defensive. I have spoken with some of the other nurses on nights and they have a dislike for the way she is about the inductions but no one will say anything. I will probably just keep my mouth shut but continue to practice within my scope of responsibility

MandyInMS · Nov 21, 2003

Ask her if she needs to use the restroom...when she asks why..mention that you thought she may need someone to wipe her @ss for her since she is obviously incapable of doing anything for herself .....sorry, smartorifice mode hit me....I can't stand lazy,griping people..blehhhhhh

BETSRN · Nov 22, 2003

I think what you are doing is reasonable. You were busy with a patient wo needed you more than doing stuff for the next shift. I would do two things: talk to the manager about these issues (you can do that without being confrontatinal) and I would talk to this particular nurse AFTER you hae talked to the manager (so the manager has a handle on this in case this nurse decided to go back to the manager to score points).

This is the kind of nurse no one needs to have around. She needs a wake-up call.

BETSRN · Nov 22, 2003

I am sorry but I have to add something else. I reread your post. This nurse writes out assessments on the patien before they even get there????? Excuse me, but I think that' grounds for a complaint right there! I wouldn' be comfortable with that, either and I would definitely mantion that to your manager and the agency!

at your cervix · Nov 23, 2003

I think that the day shift nurse of whom you speak needs to reassess her priorities, or yours as the case may be. The first priority is always patient care. You should never put spiking her IV bags above taking care of your patients. I would let her know that you will help her when you can, but your patients come first! And I agree with what someone else mentioned, she shouldn't be starting pit on a patient unless she was the one that mixed it-what if you marked the wrong bag and she gave the pt a pit bolus thinking it was the mainline???? (not that you would do that of course, but you get my drift I hope.)

Hope this helps.

angelbear · Nov 23, 2003

I have run into this type of lazy whining nurse before I usually just reply that I am a very helpful person and that she can most likely get me to help her more by being thankful for what Ido otherwise I am generally not inclined to do anything at all. Usually works pretty good doesnt take them long to figure out I really do jump through hoops for those who show appreciation but not for the whiners. And always always remember your patients are your priority and that is as it should be.