Dealing With Insurbordinate/Arrogant Co-Workers

[All4NursingRN]

You know one of those UAP's that think they're more knowledeable than everyone including the nurses

So I work with this Tech who practically think he's the best thing the hospital has ever seen, in fact that's exactly what his facebook statuses say, I'm not joking either.

So this tech thinks that because he's learned a thing or too from the more experienced nurses that he knows it all. He also believes that since the higher-ups gave him some praise and recongnition that he's invincible and even better than the newer nurses in the department.

He likes to challenge the newer nurses and other techs. I'm tired of working with him,, and I'm by no means the only one.

Yesterday was the last straw, I had an intubated patient that kept hitting at the tubing, I was on the other side of the room helping my fellow nurse with a patient draw bloods on a patient with SOB. We told him to go to that patient and hold him so he wouldn't pull out the tube, until we finish up this patient and get some sedation. So he starts getting an attitude, saying that he can't stand there forever, I run and get hand mittens, then he says with an snarky attitude of course "Those mittens won't do anything for him" (Without just going off on him) I told him that with the mittens on the patient would not be able to pull the tube out, and he would be getting sedated shortly after we finished up on the SOB patient. I left him right there to watch the patient as I was preparing the sedation, he has no right to challenge me!

Last night was NOT the first of his shenanigans.

He once placed a COPD patient of mine on a non-rebreather because after he took her oxygen sat (which was in the high 80's) he felt she needed it, and took it upon himself to do that.

In his ''know-it-all-ness" he decides that a non critical patient needed to be hooked up to the cardiac monitor, well that's until the manager stopped him and asked him why he was hooking a non-telemetry patient up to the monitor?

He never does what you ask him to do when you ask him to do it. He feels he can do it when he has time.

I once had a lady partsl bleeder, and no lie she was BLEEDING heavy. I needed orthostatics on her STAT, and I had to tell him twice to do it. Then he turns to me and tells me he's doing something.... and guess what he was doing?

putting blankets and sheets on beds, geesh..I didn't know that was more important than stabilizing a patient?

I've told him to take Mr So and So's vitals, before Mrs. So and So's vitals, because Mr. So and So was getting blood and I needed vitals stat, what did he do? He started doing vitals on whatever patient he wanted to, then came back and gave me a sorry a-- apology that he just couldn't do that person's vitals first, because of course in his mind other things were more important to him.

He is a kiss a--, he loves being around the doctors and more "experienced" nurses, and jumps at every opportunity to be among them (staff parties, etc..)

I'm not the only nurse that hates working with him, alot of the other techs and RN's can't stand him either.

I've never experienced a subordinate actually try to show up a nurse. I need to have a discussion with my manager, I don't want to work with this tech anymore, I've had enough.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Write this CNA up the next time he blatantly does something out of his scope of practice. In fact, write him up and report him every single time he goes beyond his scope of practice. His lack of knowledge is dangerous.

He was practicing way beyond his scope when he administered oxygen to a COPD patient whose sats were in the high 80s. We would actually want to maintain the sats in the high 80s to low/mid 90s if the patient is a CO2 retainer.

[country mom]

Just give it time and he'll write his own walking papers. This type don't last. An annoyance and quite possibly a detriment to safety and productivity, for sure he bears watching. But it won't last and he will be his own downfall.

[All4NursingRN]

Just give it time and he'll write his own walking papers. This type don't last. An annoyance and quite possibly a detriment to safety and productivity, for sure he bears watching. But it won't last and he will be his own downfall.

This is exactly what I said. He thinks because the managers recongnized him for ''good work'' that he's safe. But as my mother would say people like him fall on their own sword!

[MAISY, RN-ER, BSN, RN]

Ancillary staff answer to you....plain and simple. Write him up as many times as it takes; refuse him as your staff member; report him to patient safety or risk management.

That attitude, behavior and his actions are dangerous in any unit much less a critical care area.

Sorry, there is no rehabilitation for this one....he's got to go! His attitude will not change and he will bring everyone else down. Management's tune will change with continued complaints.....just stick to your guns.

M

[Rob72, ASN, RN]

Actually, you really don't even need to write him up at your facility, depending on your state law. In most places, the UAPs are under the BON- so you may report directly to them, if management tries to "play nice".

[ProgressiveActivist, BSN, RN]

Suck it up and deal with it if you want to survive in the ED.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing and I would tell him so. I would also ask him what his understanding is of the CNA role in the ED. Familiarize yourself with his job description and let him know what he can and can not legally do.

Just call him out when he is out of line, in a deadpan voice "the last time I checked you weren't a nurse." You need to differentiate yourself as the nurse. You are not equals. His job is to help you with tasks. Confront this passive aggressive crap. Say "Why are you making a bed when I asked you to do xyz?

Tell him privately "if you ever refuse to help me again, I will write you up." If he indicates that he will do things his way say "then I will write you up."

Now you have to tread carefully here or you might be accused of not playing nice in the sandbox with others. No one really cares if we are being disrespected.

Start keeping notes, dates and times and brief descriptions of how his attitude and pettiness are having a negative affect on patient care, and how his actions are unsafe. Turn in one write up per month-no more than that or you will look like you are targeting/bullying him and you will be rid of this little weasel in two to three months.

[Rob72, ASN, RN]

Just call him out when he is out of line, in a deadpan voice "the last time I checked you weren't a nurse." You need to differentiate yourself as the nurse. You are not equals. His job is to help you with tasks. Confront this passive aggressive crap. Say "Why are you making a bed when I asked you to do xyz?

Tell him privately "if you ever refuse to help me again, I will write you up." If he indicates that he will do things his way say "then I will write you up."

Now you have to tread carefully here or you might be accused of not playing nice in the sandbox with others. No one really cares if we are being disrespected.

I really would not. He would seem to be smart enough to play the "write-up" game. Having tag, back and forth solves nothing.

Start keeping notes, dates and times and brief descriptions of how his attitude and pettiness are having a negative affect on patient care, and how his actions are unsafe.

This I would agree with, though I would file 3-5 sreious reports concurrently with management, Risk Management and the BON. When paper is filed piecemeal, particularly on someone with a "political" bent, it generally dies in "remediation", "sensitivity training", etc..

If this were simply a personality issue, sure, let him go to classes. This is patient endangerment, practice beyond scope, insubordination, maybe a few other goodies. These are not counselling/termination issues, these are revocation(and termination) issues.

[Rob72, ASN, RN]

This is exactly what I said. He thinks because the managers recongnized him for ''good work'' that he's safe. But as my mother would say people like him fall on their own sword!

I wasn't gouing to say anything, but- you are ultimately responsible for his actions. Without documentation, its he said/she said, and you are the one accountable.

Either refuse to allow him to be assigned to your patients, or

Flush. The. Turd.

[enchantmentdis, BSN, RN]

Gosh i'm so glad i don't work with nursing assistant's anymore. Half the time i did their jobs for them, anyway.

[enchantmentdis, BSN, RN]

Actually, you really don't even need to write him up at your facility, depending on your state law. In most places, the UAPs are under the BON- so you may report directly to them, if management tries to "play nice".

Definitely do the above; just go over all their heads and go straight to the BON. Why should you and the pt's have to suffer with an arrogant fool in the way?

[SkylerW]

Write him up, but don't you think blood vitals are your responsibility?