Defensive/Offensive Co-Worker

[amblessing]

I work in a very stressful L&D/Mother Baby Unit. We all get along very well - that is the day shift people get along with the day shift and the night shift gets along with the night shift. I have worked there one year and it didn't take too long to figure out that the day shift feels that the night shift is just a bunch of lazy slobs who do nothing all night long and the night shift sits around and complains about so and so on the day shift, blah, blah, blah . . . you get the picture. Well, there is one day shift nurse (I am a "lazy" night shift nurse) who blows up and SCREAMS at you if you ask her any questions pertaining to a patient. She only wants to talk and give you HER report. Don't you dare ask any questions, particularly in regard to the last time a patient had pain meds. Hey, if I have a new C-section mom - I think it is very important to know the last time she was medicated for pain, so that I can prioritize who I need to see first. If she hasn't had meds since 0800, I can bet you she's hurting and probably needs something ASAP. If you even question anything at all, she blows up and states that all she did was run her @ss off all day and she didn't get to eat, didn't get to pee, and wah, wah, wah. I'm sick of talking to her, sick of her behavior, and it sound like she doesn't know how to prioritize her day. You can't talk to her without getting screamed at. :angryfire :angryfire. I have very calmly asked her not to yell and get angry because it is not my fault that she had a bad day. I would love suggestions - I always felt that report was nurse to nurse communication, a two-way street. She must have been absent the day that lecture was given in nursing school.

[barefootlady, ADN, RN]

The US vs. THEM pattern is very clear here. Time for the HN to call a meeting and let everyone on the unit be clear that all staff is there to meet patient needs. I do not think wanting to know when a fresh post op patients was medicated for pain is inapproiate to include in report, nor activity levels, nor info regarding I & O, especially if catheter has been removed. I attempt to cover the "big" basics in my report to oncoming shift. This nurse may have issues with burn-out, stress, and personal problems, but she should not be yelling at staff because they are asking important patient related questions. Confront her in a nonthreatening way, if things do not improve, talk with HN, then just go up the chain. No reason to support her unprofessional behavior.