I have been working at my facility longer than she has by about a year. She started as a floor RN then eventually promoted to DCD as we lost a day DCD and frankly no one wanted the job.
i worked with her as a night floor rn for about a year before her promotion so i do have a feel for her interpersonal skills with co workers, and attitude issues from what i've observed. These have only intensified as they often do when people grow and are put in higher positions of power. Again i've watched her interactions with those below her, RNs LPNs, CENAS.
Today she had one with me. I was in a side cubbby doing progress notes, i could hear her walk in greet everyone being friendly asking how their nights were etc. Those who were at the front desk.
The she walks by sees me and goes into a lecture/chewing me out as i had used my nursing judgement to do a dressing differently than what our wound team ahd ordered for a pt. Mind you I have been doing it this way for a while, other members of the wound team as well as other RN's who do the same dressing have seen it none had any negative comments or otherwise towards me over period of two months id say.
Now i have been spoken to about doing thins incorrectly before, i've taken leadership classes, business management classes and dealing with employees and customers. and ON TOP OF THAT we all at my employment recently had a in service about co worker relationships,how to resolve conflict and how to be mindful of how we interact with other co workers.
As well as having a young pt die only hours before who i had been caring for for a bout a month, he was a new pt. But he was 30 years old, I'm 31 for relation.
I have been spoken to about work issues before by other dcds and co workers, although rarely, but the way in which they did it is the key.
Here is how she cornered and began chewing me out. She didnt ask hey X can i speak with you in my office for a minute, or Hi x can i talk to you for a minute. I was still in the side cubby so naturally felt cornered as most people would along with her immediate jumping into chewing me out was put on the defensive. as mentioned she chewed me out for not following wound change orders correctly, then when i began to try to give my explanation she get this, started waiving her finger at me as if i was a kid, interrupted me and continued to lecture me. Then in a threatening tone asked if i wanted to do wound rounds with her. I work Tuesday nights which i began to say that would be hard, again she waived her finger and asked me yes or no. I merely shook my head no as it was clear i had no say in any of this conversation, no input,no explaining.
She then said do not do this again, and walked off.
How is this the behavior of a superior suppose to help any employee? I was left feeling belittled, brow beaten, disrespected. Supervisors even when critiquing employee work there is a specific way to do it so that the employee can learn and not feel beat down.
This is apparently how she is, as i've seen her do this exact thing with other employees. That is no excuse, you are a DCD specifically get this she is in charge of EMPLOYEE EDUCATION. You are DCD they are expected to carry yourself as such, am i wrong?
I am a professional i have a license two degrees, two and a half years working for this company , one year more then her, and was treated as a child by a person iwho is suppose to be our leader,go to person when we have problems/issues/concerns.
I still have no idea what a DCD is. In my area of work "DCD" refers to donation after cardiac death", I assume this refers to something different.
i mentioned it earlier
"Director of Care Delivery (DCD)
then each have sub titles, hers i believe is nurse education ironically."
Just be sure, OP, your documentation backs up your actions. In other words, if the MD order is "wound care per wound care team" then be sure that you document "consultation with wound care RN ________, r/t skin integrity of ____wound, orders changed, MD aware." (of course add whatever detail).
it was not ordered as such "wound care per wound care team" , and we have no union. THE HR lady is very un confrontational and i doubt would be of any help.
Her manage is the DON who i wrote the letter to who hasn't said anything sadly.
Just be sure, OP, your documentation backs up your actions. In other words, if the MD order is "wound care per wound care team" then be sure that you document "consultation with wound care RN ________, r/t skin integrity of ____wound, orders changed, MD aware." (of course add whatever detail).
it was not ordered as such "wound care per wound care team" , and we have no union. THE HR lady is very un confrontational and i doubt would be of any help.
Her manage is the DON who i wrote the letter to who hasn't said anything sadly.
Has the DON not indicated to you that she received your note? I'd make sure she got it, but then curb my expectations about finding out what she's going to DO about it, or whatever. In higher levels of management, it's not kosher to share their thoughts or decisions with the staff, even though at times it would be NICE to get their validation . Alas.
You did your 'bit'. You wrote a professional statement, you documented what happened. That's not very satisfying in the short term, but it was plenty. Now, if it happens again, document it in objective 'charting' language, and send that to the DON, too. And if it happens again, or you witness it, write up and send it to the DON. It's not hugely dramatic but it's the professional way to conduct yourself. If you've sent two or three write ups to the DON, and your DCD 'friend' continues to shake her finger in people's faces, then I'd email the DON and request a short meeting to 'follow up' on your documentation.
Until then, just know you've done everything necessary, from your end :)
Now i have been spoken to about doing thins incorrectly before, i've taken leadership classes, business management classes and dealing with employees and customers. and ON TOP OF THAT we all at my employment recently had a in service about co worker relationships,how to resolve conflict and how to be mindful of how we interact with other co workers.
I have been spoken to about work issues before by other dcds and co workers, although rarely, but the way in which they did it is the key.
There are 2 active issues here. It seems to me that if you corrected the above quoted issues then perhaps the issue of how your superior speaks to you wouldn't exist?
It doesn't matter if you haven't made a complaint in your 2.5 years on the job, you have a history of being spoken to regarding work issues and apparent noncompliance with policies and procedures. So your deduction that because you haven't made a complaint during your time with the company that your complaint will be more valid is simply flawed.
It doesn't matter if the procedure you took to change the dressing was more involved or took more time. Your job is to follow provider's orders and your Institution's policies and procedures. It doesn't matter if "everyone else does it" a different way.
There are 3 sides to every story - one person's side, the other person's side, and the truth. Given that we only know 1/3 of the story (yours), it seems that the way that your superior spoke to you was unprofessional and you should have let her know that, which you did indirectly by writing a letter to the higher ups. You did what you could do, now move on.
I'm sorry, but you're so focused and obsessed on how this person spoke to you. Are you angry that she got promoted faster than you? Because it sounds like on some level you are angry. Like I said, do things according to the order and protocol and my guess is that the amount of times that your superiors need to speak with you re: work issues will dwindle.
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
If you think your way of doing the dressing change is better than what the wound care team outlined, why not go to them and ask them to change the order? You can't just go doing things your way willy-nilly...one day it will catch up with you, and you'll be scrambling trying to explain yourself.
I'm sorry, but you're so focused and obsessed on how this person spoke to you. Are you angry that she got promoted faster than you? Because it sounds like on some level you are angry. Like I said, do things according to the order and protocol and my guess is that the amount of times that your superiors need to speak with you re: work issues will dwindle.
Three times in 2 and a half + years hardly seem that often to me, but you are right follow orders that is the job.
-I'm not angry she got promoted lol, i don't wan't the DCD job. There are others i would of picked for that position but they passed it up when they were offered.
Well the dcd told me the DON wanted to have a meeting with me and her and asked if i wanted to stay over 3 hours [after my 12 1/2 hour] shift to have. Which after being up 22 some hours no i don't want to. Said i'd be willing to come in on my off time and I offered another time she seemed surprised id come in on my off time and we arranged a time for us all to meet.
Now im actually worried about this meeting, is it professional to call my DON to ask as to what the topic of the meeting will be?if so how would i word it?
i don't want to be blindsided by this dcd pulling something on me.
The only reason she could 'pull something out on you' is if you've actually DONE something she could pull out on you :)
If you can't think of anything you've actually done wrong that could bite you in the butt, then you have nothing to worry about. If you are afraid you did something wrong and weren't aware of it, and she whips that out against you, ask why you weren't notified when such and such actually happened so you could improve/correct your work?
If you are concerned she will exaggerate or lie, simply deny what's not true. This won't be the Inquisition :) I'm sure you can relax, and hopefully look forward to working this out as professionals.
My best guess is that the DON sees there is a 'personal' issue, possibly, between the two of you. If I were the DON, and I received a complaint like yours, and the person complained about ALSO complained about ME and my behavior, it would be time for a sit down with the two of you. I have done this, though I was only the manager. I had two staff who did the same kind of job, and they had some communication problems with each other that showed up as one or the other getting angry with the other one until they were uncomfortable around each other and it affected their work.
When they were face to face, and it was all serious and polite, each one got their 'issue' with the other one on the table. They both listened to each other and felt a LOT better about each other and got along better afterward. They were just very similar kinds of people lol. Each had a certain way to do their job, the right way, mind you, and it so happened they had slightly different ways to do the same job. They saw that, I think, I hope :) and during the stress of work, you don't have time to 'talk it out' nor do you feel like talking it out, you have more work to do!
YOU brought this up, so take the upper hand. Before you go, write out in objective 'charting language' what was upsetting about her behavior that day. Stick to that day, don't bring in all the other stuff. Describe her behavior, don't 'interpret' it. Shaking her finger in your face is describing the behavior. How loud her voice was, where you were, how she walked away when you tried to explain (or however it happened) is what you write down and take to the meeting. Don't write how you FELT or what you think she meant or that she thinks she's hot stuff now that she was promoted. Just be real, and avoid being defensive or emotional during the meeting.
. Alas.
MunoRN, RN
8,058 Posts
I still have no idea what a DCD is. In my area of work "DCD" refers to donation after cardiac death", I assume this refers to something different.