difficult co-workers

meownsmile, BSN, RN · May 12, 2007

Attitudes like that usually continue because administration let it continue unchecked. About all you can do is to continue to delegate, repeat yourself when needed and if you go up against refusals and attitudes start writing up incident reports. Once they find out you are serious about reporting the insubordination, they may fall back in and cooperate (yes somewhat begrudgingly) but it might help. Once they find out you mean what you have said and they will be reported it may change things. Now if your administration doesnt follow through with their own disiplinary actions there is another problem in itself. One you cant do anything about really.

Sometimes people get to confortable at their job with the feeling that noone is going to do anything because they "need" them to badly. That they are indispensable. Especially if admin doesnt follow through with complaints. If you find that is the case, you are spinning your tires and you may as well go elsewhere yourself.

It's all going to be decided by how administration sets the tone.

HappyJaxRN · May 12, 2007

Does anyone else have a problem with .subordinates who do not follow instructions and/or give misleading information.I am not confrontational by nature and desire a peaceful harmonious workplaceThere is 1 cna who has suddenly donned the mantel of rn and is disinclined to listen to instructins and is becoming quite vocal about it.Others also decide what orders they will follow.I am not the only one to have this difficulty.What do others do if they have found themselves in this position.Rns who have worked at this facility longer than I have say that they have the same problem.We have new management so am hoping the culture of the place may change.Any suggestions would be much appreciated.Thanks.

Lord have mercy, I could talk about this subject for hours. I too used to be a CNA/Patient Care tech, so no one get their panties in a wad with what I'm about to say! :lol2:

It stinks! It really does! Most the techs where I work complain that they feel like "slaves" when the nurses ask for their help. I used to get a lot of grief from some of the techs and really pushed the bullet to get them spoken to. It's sad because the other nurses didn't want to be the ONE to complain. So I took it upon myself to go to each nurse and ask them. And you know what??? ALL of them said the same thing. That they got an attitude from a tech or the work wouldn't get done. I asked them if it was okay that I told my NM that and would they be honest when she questioned them about it. Everyone spoke to her and agreed with what I said. The problem still exists, but it's not as bad.

The leverage I used was that my patient's care was being compromised. That's usually the key to get people moving to action.

I used to think that the nurses at my hospital didn't have very hard jobs, that being a PCT was much more demanding....UNTIL I BECAME AN RN. I hear that from other techs now....they think that....I have to explain, unfortunately, everything that we're doing and thinking...trying to accomplish for each pt. Sometimes helps, sometimes doesn't.

Still have those techs that take forever to help you...when they are surfing the internet or talking on their cell phones. Sad.

Summer69 · May 12, 2007

My facility, also has new management. The previous one had just started understanding the nurses problem with the CNA/wanna be nurse and then left. This CNA listens to direction but then calmy tells family that she knows other ways to do things and proceeds to do them. Until management actually hears it there is no good answer.

nightmare, RN · May 12, 2007

I think you work in the same place I do!!!We had to do appraisals and statements from each of the RN's to the manager to get things moving but because we are night shift it seems to take forever to remove unsuitable carers!

Nightcrawler, BSN, RN · May 12, 2007

Arrrgh: This is what I am dealing with right now!!!

We have several "problem" CNA's on our night shift who seem to think that doing the basic functions of their job is just too much to ask. These are people who will complain about answering call lights if there are nurses charting at the station while they are standing around talking to the secretary, and who will become seriously confrontational and loudly engage in mobbing and bullying if held to any standard. For this reason, most of the nurses on the floor will come to another nurse for help rather than ask the CNA who is sitting right there at the desk. Many of us, including myself have gone to our manager, who has encouraged write ups and confrontations, stating that the problem employees have to be made accountable. I began to do so, and encouraged others to do the same.

Yesterday morning I confronted the worst of the lot about things left undone and refusal of direct orders that I had directly witnessed. Several minutes later I received a call from the charge nurse at the other end of the unit, who stated that this person was "very upset" and asked me if I have a "problem" with her. This charge nurse went on to tell me that I am the only person who ever complains about this CNA, that I am the only person who has a problem with her. She went on to say that "we all work as a team here" and that I need to learn to "work better with others"

WTH????

I was soooo mad. I was the one who took the late admit for the second day in a row without being asked, and was the one running around trying to settle the patient and call the admitting doc for urgently needed meds, while trying to get all of my morning meds and treatments out before the end of the shift. I was doing this all while doing things that the CNA should have done, but wasn't because she was standing at the station playing with her cell phone. The other nurses were running around helping me do things, but the CNA couldn't empty a foley or answer a call light that I specifically asked her to get before I went into another room.

I stayed late to send a email to our manager, actually ended up running into her on my way out and stayed to talk to her. The manager says that she knows that the charge nurse has a problem with confrontation, and that she will talk to her. This woman didn't have any problem confronting me!!! My manager says that she will talk to both of them, but she is going on vacation for the next week, and I feel that there is a very real possibility of lash back, as this is the charge nurse that writes the schedule.

If there is any lash back from this, I will very likely leave the floor.

For the time being, I am going back to the way I have always done things, answering all my own lights, doing all the care for all of my patients, and not expecting anything at all from the CNA's. That way I know that my patients are being cared for, and I wont get in any trouble.

nightmare, RN · May 12, 2007

I feel for you!!These two could be related!Mine screams Bully every time we try to get her to basically do the job she is there for,she moans about different aspects of the job saying she shouldn't have to do this(other carers don't have a problem with it)she goes on that she used to be a manager when she can't even time manage her own job,she tries to order the other carers about and then moans because they don't take kindly to this(most of them have been there 6-9 years!)she has only been there 6 months and I have never had so many complaints both from staff and residents about a carer but the manager is still dragging heels on getting rid of her. :banghead:

VegRN · May 13, 2007

Arrrgh: This is what I am dealing with right now!!!
We have several "problem" CNA's on our night shift who seem to think that doing the basic functions of their job is just too much to ask. These are people who will complain about answering call lights if there are nurses charting at the station while they are standing around talking to the secretary, and who will become seriously confrontational and loudly engage in mobbing and bullying if held to any standard. For this reason, most of the nurses on the floor will come to another nurse for help rather than ask the CNA who is sitting right there at the desk. Many of us, including myself have gone to our manager, who has encouraged write ups and confrontations, stating that the problem employees have to be made accountable. I began to do so, and encouraged others to do the same.
Yesterday morning I confronted the worst of the lot about things left undone and refusal of direct orders that I had directly witnessed. Several minutes later I received a call from the charge nurse at the other end of the unit, who stated that this person was "very upset" and asked me if I have a "problem" with her. This charge nurse went on to tell me that I am the only person who ever complains about this CNA, that I am the only person who has a problem with her. She went on to say that "we all work as a team here" and that I need to learn to "work better with others"
WTH????
I was soooo mad. I was the one who took the late admit for the second day in a row without being asked, and was the one running around trying to settle the patient and call the admitting doc for urgently needed meds, while trying to get all of my morning meds and treatments out before the end of the shift. I was doing this all while doing things that the CNA should have done, but wasn't because she was standing at the station playing with her cell phone. The other nurses were running around helping me do things, but the CNA couldn't empty a foley or answer a call light that I specifically asked her to get before I went into another room.
I stayed late to send a email to our manager, actually ended up running into her on my way out and stayed to talk to her. The manager says that she knows that the charge nurse has a problem with confrontation, and that she will talk to her. This woman didn't have any problem confronting me!!! My manager says that she will talk to both of them, but she is going on vacation for the next week, and I feel that there is a very real possibility of lash back, as this is the charge nurse that writes the schedule.
If there is any lash back from this, I will very likely leave the floor.
For the time being, I am going back to the way I have always done things, answering all my own lights, doing all the care for all of my patients, and not expecting anything at all from the CNA's. That way I know that my patients are being cared for, and I wont get in any trouble.

Nightcrawler, we must have the same co-workers. We have a serious problems at my workplace with techs that feel that they are above actually doing their job. Disappearing for long periods of time, angry outbursts, outright refusals and name calling seem to be acceptable to these people. It is very very frustrating. I call them on it, confront them and in the end, the manager listens to "both sides" and stays "neutral". The manager of course listens while the tech is busy spewing personal insults at me and in the end the manager does little. In addition to this, the one who complains about the behavior ends up being the bi***. Lastly, some of these techs happen to be a minority so you know what that means. That management is afraid of a discrimination suit and that this person has to have 10X as many complaints and incidents in order to actually get fired. So much for "equal opportunity".

As angry as I am with these techs, I am sometimes more angry at the passive nurses that won't confront them. I am tired of the excuses, that they are afraid of them, that they have always been "non-confrontational", that it is "easier on them" if they just do the techs job themselves etc etc. The techs win because they split the unit and the nurses that stand up for pt care end up being made out to be the bad guys. Filing complaints has reduced some of the problems with the lazy, hostile techs. Being one of the only nurses that has the guts to stand up to them becomes an exhausting job though. I used to love my job but now I am thinking about going elsewhere. After awhile, it gets tiring.

GIRN · May 13, 2007

Meanwhile, the hospital tries to figure out why their nurses retention rate is so low......it's impossible to be happy under these conditions. Everyone has to be held to a standard and without strong management to back the nurses up and tell the techs that the standard is an expectation that they have to meet............it won't get any better. Good luck...

Summer69 · May 13, 2007

Wow!! I thought I was alone. New employees have different rules than our reliable ones(or at least they think so). Cell Phones, walking by call lights, dressing residents in PJ's during the day and heaven help me if I ask them to put in dentures or give a shower-the resident always says no according to them. Oh and I forgot extra break times!! I am lucky we utilize med aides and the one I work with most of the time is above exceptional and I sic her on them and she can tell it like it is and threatens them with me which works most of the time. I know it is not her job to supervise them but she knows they do not listen to any of the nurses.(I even took her out for dinner for nurses day as a thank you gift). Desperation for cargivers is the reason for keeping them but if I hear "we need to make sure they understand the rules before we do disiplinary action" one more time I will scream. My grandaughter works at McDonalds and she does not get by with stuff like this(cell phone use, breaks )[EVIL] :uhoh3: [/EVIL]

CHATSDALE · May 13, 2007

there are some people i don't know why they come looking for a job when they are unwilling to do the basic work

the tip off is the the ones who say 'I DO MY JOB' these are invarably the ones who are neglectful

allantiques4me · May 13, 2007

I am so glad I work in the environment I do.I used to deal with the same C""""p!Isnt in these peoples job descriptions what is required of them?These people should know whats expected of them and if they dont ,its time for termination.We are not babysitters!!!!