Coworkers that act like spoiled brats...discuss

[Mikey31079]

Hey all,

I was gonna post this in the "things you would love to tell coworkers" thread, but I thought "gee, I can't be the ONLY one that works with people like these!" OK, I'll go first.

I had a couple instances last night with the same coworker (CNA). The first one was when she called and asked if our float aide was available to help with a patient. I explained that he was not available at the present time, but that I would ask him to go over as soon as he was free. She gets rude and irate telling me "I didn't ask as soon as he was free, I asked if he was available. You are rude and disrespectful blah blah blah blah..." I politely asked her not to talk to me that way and repeated that I would let the float aide know to come help her. She got huffy and hung up.

Second incident happened a couple hours later at shift change...She had left her papers and napkins and stuff cluttered on my desk area. Again, politely, with no raised voice or anything of the sort, I asked her if she would please pick up her stuff so everything was clean when day shift came in. She again got rude and irate, saying I was disrespectful and "I am not your child...you have no right to talk to me that way!" and then starts putting her finger in my face.

The kicker was a few minutes later she tells the charge that a maintenance request needed put in. She says, "you need to ask Mikey for that" Then she gets pouty and says "Oh, then it just won't be done. I said "Nope, it sure won't!"

VENT:

Dear 50 year old CNA that acts like she's 2...do not, under ANY circumstances, call me rude and disrespectful when I have been anything BUT that to you. If you EVER stick that dirty, nasty, crusty-nailed finger in my face again I WILL snap it off at the knuckle!! It is NOT my job to clean up after you, and if you insist on ACTING like a child, you will be TREATED accordingly!!

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

I'm getting verklempt. Talk amongst yourselves. Mikey31079's nursing assistant is neither nursing nor an assistant...discuss!

The very first thing I thought of when I read the title was this:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]15853[/ATTACH]

... for those of us who remember who this is.

[Mikey31079]

That should have had a beverage alert!! **cleans Pepsi off the computer screen**

[CosmicHymns, BSN, RN]

I'm not one to smile and nod. I generally wear my emotions on my sleeve (except the "nurse face") and find it hard to deal with overtly rude, disrespectful, or plain whiney coworkers. As a fairly new grad I've looked to the more experienced nurses on my unit for guidance but they all flat out ignore it. Do you guys have any techniques or appropriate one-liners to give these coworkers without sounding rude or complaining myself?

[artisticmind]

Ugh! i'll jump in on this- Lab techs at my new facility. Yes I know my pt has a PICC. However that said pt has a heparin gtt running through said PICC and when I put in a PTT (or vanc peak/trough or whatever other quantitative lab I put in) as a peripheral draw I have a darn good reason for doing that, especially a timed draw, I expect you to come up to the floor from your cushy lab chair and poke my pt peripherally for that draw, you know- the thing your are paid and trained to do; unless i know for absolute certain there is no way to get a peripheral draw. It was drilled in to me at my nice (and well organized facility with lots of policies like this in place) that if i'm checking the level of a med that is infusing through a line don't draw it off of the line.

Took me 40 mins to get a lab tech up to do my draw that was due at 2200. I called at 2208 to see where they were "oh well he's a line draw, you can do it from the line as his nurse." No, he has heparin going through the line I can not draw it off there no matter how well i flush it as it can distort it, there is a reason it was put in as a peripheral draw and it needs to be done that way. After I said that to her I get "someone will be there in 20 mins." at 2240 I called because no tech showed, a new one answers the phone- "oh, so-and-so didn't report that there was a draw that needed done."

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

I'm not one to smile and nod. I generally wear my emotions on my sleeve (except the "nurse face") and find it hard to deal with overtly rude, disrespectful, or plain whiney coworkers. As a fairly new grad I've looked to the more experienced nurses on my unit for guidance but they all flat out ignore it. Do you guys have any techniques or appropriate one-liners to give these coworkers without sounding rude or complaining myself?

I work per diem at a LTC facility. There are some LNAs I trust implicitly and others not so much, based on how they have performed. I am very clear at the beginning of the shift who is responsible for what and when I expect it by. I will radio for an update on the VS I needed. Everyone hears the request. They know that I mean business and if the info is not avail I will ask for it to be done ASAP and I follow through. All done professionally and respectfully. I have not had to do that more than once or twice. It is critical to be clear on what you expect and that you expect nothing less. The respect piece is critical also. I worked as a NA - (that's how old I am, I was a nurses aide!). AND I get how hard it is, and I help when I can.

[firstinfamily, RN]

To ignore it is to endorse it. Unfortunately, rude and inappropriate behavior has to be addressed, if you do not have the power to address it then take it to the person who does. Behavior like this will only continue to get worse and before you know it you will have an epidemic of behavior on your unit. As we have discussed before the "emotions" of a unit can be felt by the patients and affect pt care. Nip it in the bud!!!

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

Ugh! i'll jump in on this- Lab techs at my new facility.

Uggghhhh...I swear, the lab techs at mine sit around and talk about ways to avoid doing their draws!!!

About a year ago we had this young pt (early 20s I think?) who was having surgery that day and needed a.m. labs. He did not have a line. He was a very hard stick, was on foreign soil thousands of miles from home, was a new quad that still had some sensation...frankly he'd been through hell, and I didn't want to add to that by digging around for veins.

So anyway, MD wrote orders for a.m. labs past midnight. At 0500 when the tech was there, I pointed out the order to her. Her: "Okay, it's not showing on my report but I'll go ahead and get them." Great. :)

An hour later, Lab tech: "We got these tubes for with no order." Me: "The order was placed after midnight. I'm looking at it right now." Her: "Well we need a new order." Okay fine, so I put them all in as add-ons so that they can run them from the tubes already there. Lab: "We threw the tubes away because we didn't have an order." The MD needs to re-enter the order, and you need to draw new tubes." Me: "He's a lab draw. YOU need to send someone to draw them." My mistake here, but I was newish and asked the resident to re-enter them rather than doing it myself and then telling her I'd done it. She ordered them "stat," where in hindsight I'd have ordered them as timed for one minute from now...the lab completely ignores "stat" orders. But I was busy w/ my other pt and didn't check the order. I just hadn't seen lab up there after a while. Me: "Is someone coming to draw these?" Lab: "They're ordered stat. You need to draw them."

I wrote them up, not sure if anything was ever said to them though.

Also, they will not draw timed BMPs overnight. But they will draw timed K's or Na's. One of the stepdown nurses said that they get around this by ordering a timed K, and then ordering a BMP as an add-on after the light green top is downstairs.

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

I'm not one to smile and nod. I generally wear my emotions on my sleeve (except the "nurse face") and find it hard to deal with overtly rude, disrespectful, or plain whiney coworkers. As a fairly new grad I've looked to the more experienced nurses on my unit for guidance but they all flat out ignore it. Do you guys have any techniques or appropriate one-liners to give these coworkers without sounding rude or complaining myself?

The CNAs or techs can make or break your unit. Even if you are young you have to set an example.

A simple "wow you're so negative" shuts most people up. Asking "what did you say" and making them repeat some inappropriate remark lets them know you don't like it. "That language is not allowed." "Watch your terminology" also works.

If they refuse to do their assigned duties, lower your voice, look them square in the eye and say very quietly and directly "I do my job you do yours."

Choose your battles carefully. If they are being unprofessional, cruel or verbally abusive to psychiatric patients they need to go. Always go to the person first. Talk to the worker once, privately, and say "that was inappropriate don't do it again." One or two sentences. Keep it short and sweet. Write down the date and time of this conversation. I truly hate writing people up but sometimes you have no choice. After that, write it up, mention you spoke to this worker on Sept 29 2014, and he continues to behave cruelly to the patients and give it personally to your immediate supervisor.

Yes it's unpleasant to have the talk but it is cowardly not to do it.

I guarantee that YOU will feel great after you have the talk with whomever it is that is acting up.

That is because it is not healthy for you to hold these frustrations in and say nothing. I repeat you will feel so much better about yourself for dealing with it man to man. They might not like you but they will respect that you had the guts to say it face to face.

These people are not your family or friends, they are supposed to be your professional colleagues. It's a place of business and it is supposed to be a therapeutic environment and they need to act accordingly. What if this creep was tormenting your mentally ill family member, would you tolerate that?

As a little girl I was very scrappy and it did and still does bring out the beast in me when I see someone getting picked on and I was in a few schoolyard fights when I yelled hey you leave him alone. I still do that today. There is nothing that angers me more than seeing a vulnerable person being picked on.

So get ready to go all you know what on them if you witness cruelty and yell HEY YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE!

As a psych nurse you will have to correct bad behavior every day so get used to it. It's your job.

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

to the OP really if it bothers you that much, put on gloves, throw out the mess, put her papers in a safe place and clean the counter with bleach spray.

I would be singing adios contaminos to Smooth by Santana. Your work area, your rules.

If anyone raises their voice to you during a phone call, you can either put them on hold or just hang up.

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

The fingerpointing is a symbolic weapon and implied threat. No different than drawing back your fist in anger to intimidate; it's assault. Write it up.

Why? Because if she's doing it openly to you, she is even worse with the patients.

[Mikey31079]

Oh trust me, not only did I write it up, but the CNO got a VERY detailed voicemail from me about both incidents Sunday morning before I left the building. On a ligher note, I had an interview today for a transfer to another hospital within the system that's only blocks from my house...so hopefully I'll be leaving this wench behind! BYE FELICIA!!!

[ktwlpn, LPN]

The nurses and cna's who hate to be pulled to other units who procede to NOT get pulled by pretending to get sick, cry and go home.

The nurses and cna's who hate to be mandated to work over and procede to NOT stay by pretending to get sick, cry and go home.

Those who come in late (their time is much more important than the rest of the staff)

Those who call off habitually especially on weekends and holidays (their family members and their fun are much more important than the rest of the staff)

Those who get fired due to unsafe nursing practices but blame everyone else on the staff instead of analyzing their behavior and owning it (it catches up eventually -if you have been fired from every facility in the area you have a problem)