Does anyone else find this disturbing?

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

I just wanted to run this instance by a few other RNs and see if I am the only one who thinks that it could be a problem in the future. I am an agency nurse, and as such I work in different hospitals. The hospital I frequently work at has hired several new nurses in recents weeks, and I had the sheer joy of precepting one a few days back. Normally, I love to precept, but let me go over what happened:

First, the nurse showed up for report 15 minutes after I had started, and, despite my telling her that I would give her what she missed after we finished (so the poor night shift girl could leave), she insisted we start again, and proceeded to ask the same questions on each patient; "Is he a DNR? What did he come in with?", etc. These seem like good questions, however, all that info was printed on the report sheet! She then proceeded to tell myself and the other nurse that she had "ADD". During report, a code was called, and while several other nurses and myself were working on the patient, I asked this new nurse to get the Doppler unit, and told her where it was. Her response? "Someone needs to be writing this stuff down". I asked her 3 more times for the Doppler, with the same response. She never moved, not to get the Doppler, not to get a pen and paper to write. Finally I said, "Either get a pen and write, get the Doppler, or get out and let someone else do it". Later, the nurse manager told me that this nurse would give my meds for me. It was 0930 (the code took a while). Around 1000, I asked her if she needed any help with the meds, since I did have 7 patients. She declined. At 11:30, while I was doing a tube feeding, this swet little geriatric patient asked, "Honey, do you know where my pain medicine is?" The medicine had been due at 1000. I went to find the nurse and ask her, and she was gone, along with my MARs. 15 minutes later, she came down the hall, from the opposite end of where her assignment was. I asked her where she had been and she said, "Oh, I was in with Mr. So-and-So." This man was not one of our patients, and when I asked why she was in there, thinking she was helping someone else, she said "Oh, he's attached to me". I asked her where the MARs were, and when she handed them to me, she had only given 3 out of 7 patients their meds in 2 HOURS!!!!! I was furious and after I finished the meds myself, I spoke to the nurse manager. She proceeded to take up for the nurse by saying the we were practicing "relationship-based care". Like meds were there in case you got around to them. The clincher? I found out that this "new" nurse had been a nurse for 10 years!!!!! She had taken some time off for "personal stuff" and still had "issues". And to add insult to injury, 3 weeks after this fiasco, she got Employee of the Month. I got blown out by family members and patients who did not get their meds on time, and was told, "Milly is not responsible for the medicine errors, even though she was giving them. You need to watch her."

Am I the only one who thinks this is wrong? Thanks!

[TazziRN, RN]

Nope. Did you tell your bosses about what happened? You can refuse any future assignments at that facility, or at least on that unit.

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

I did tell the nurse manager and I informed my agency liason, just in case the hospital tried to conveniently omit the other nurse and say that it was all on me. (Hospitals do not like agency nurses, due to higher pay rates. As such, we are scrutinized almost to the point of unfairness) Nothing was ever done, that i know of. I do not work there anymore, as they have fired all the LPNs and blackballed all travel nurses. A friend that works there told me that they have said that they will not hire any new patient techs (CNAs), and that the RNs are going to have to start doing total care, feeding, bedpans, charting, meds, the whole shebang, for all the patients. I can not see how that will work and am so glad I am not in the middle anymore. Thanks.

[al7139, ASN, RN]

Even as a new nurse still on preceptorship, I know that you finish your responsibilities to your patients before anything else. I am almost done with preceptorsip, and still can get behind. I know better than to hope for the best, and ask for help if it happens. Yes your role is to watch her, but even a first semester student should know that meds are given on time. Yikes! I am very concerned that she "has experience". Is there a chain of command you can follow to get this resolved if you do not get it from your manager?

Amy

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

First of all, congrats on your new career. May yours be far easier than mine! I do not work at that facility any longer, by my choice, and feel that they will not be in operations years from now if that is the level of nursing that they find acceptable. Thanks again, and good luck in your career!

[NurseCard, ADN]

I'm willing to bet that this new nurse is pretty, friendly, and has a brown nose to go with that pretty face.

I just wanted to run this instance by a few other RNs and see if I am the only one who thinks that it could be a problem in the future. I am an agency nurse, and as such I work in different hospitals. The hospital I frequently work at has hired several new nurses in recents weeks, and I had the sheer joy of precepting one a few days back. Normally, I love to precept, but let me go over what happened:

First, the nurse showed up for report 15 minutes after I had started, and, despite my telling her that I would give her what she missed after we finished (so the poor night shift girl could leave), she insisted we start again, and proceeded to ask the same questions on each patient; "Is he a DNR? What did he come in with?", etc. These seem like good questions, however, all that info was printed on the report sheet! She then proceeded to tell myself and the other nurse that she had "ADD". During report, a code was called, and while several other nurses and myself were working on the patient, I asked this new nurse to get the Doppler unit, and told her where it was. Her response? "Someone needs to be writing this stuff down". I asked her 3 more times for the Doppler, with the same response. She never moved, not to get the Doppler, not to get a pen and paper to write. Finally I said, "Either get a pen and write, get the Doppler, or get out and let someone else do it". Later, the nurse manager told me that this nurse would give my meds for me. It was 0930 (the code took a while). Around 1000, I asked her if she needed any help with the meds, since I did have 7 patients. She declined. At 11:30, while I was doing a tube feeding, this swet little geriatric patient asked, "Honey, do you know where my pain medicine is?" The medicine had been due at 1000. I went to find the nurse and ask her, and she was gone, along with my MARs. 15 minutes later, she came down the hall, from the opposite end of where her assignment was. I asked her where she had been and she said, "Oh, I was in with Mr. So-and-So." This man was not one of our patients, and when I asked why she was in there, thinking she was helping someone else, she said "Oh, he's attached to me". I asked her where the MARs were, and when she handed them to me, she had only given 3 out of 7 patients their meds in 2 HOURS!!!!! I was furious and after I finished the meds myself, I spoke to the nurse manager. She proceeded to take up for the nurse by saying the we were practicing "relationship-based care". Like meds were there in case you got around to them. The clincher? I found out that this "new" nurse had been a nurse for 10 years!!!!! She had taken some time off for "personal stuff" and still had "issues". And to add insult to injury, 3 weeks after this fiasco, she got Employee of the Month. I got blown out by family members and patients who did not get their meds on time, and was told, "Milly is not responsible for the medicine errors, even though she was giving them. You need to watch her."

Am I the only one who thinks this is wrong? Thanks!

[ICRN2008, BSN, RN]

Wow- if I had tried to pull that kind of shenanegins while on orientation, I would have been shown the door! Why does this facility have agency nurses orienting new staff anyways? It seems like they should have their own nurses acting as preceptors both for the sake of consistency and because travelers are often somewhat unfamiliar with the hospital.

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

The hospital, on that day, did not have enough staff nurses to orient, so I was left to do it. As I said, I had worked there for a while, and I did not mind training this nurse, but her actions were unlike anything i had ever seen a nurse do, get away with, get praised for, and then be awarded for.

[SICU Queen]

That nurse sounds so... odd. I'd stay the heck away from there if I was you.

Some of the stories I read on here, and hear of elsewhere, make me terrified to ever be in a hospital. There are some scary nurses out there!

[RADONC-RN]

First of all ALL RNs are responsible for their own actions whether on a preceptorship or orientation. So that managaer has no right to say that. I would also check on that hospital's policy to see who can be a preceptor. Most hospitals do not allow agency workers to be one. I worked years as a agency RN and was not allowed to precept. I probably would not return to that unit again if you can avoid it. It sounds like trouble waiting to happen. They will always believe their own staff over agency I am sorry to say.

[Jo Dirt]

Go to the nurse manager's manager. This is ridiculous. Beyond ridiculous.

[fultzymom]

She sounds like my worst nightmare. She sounds like she is not all there and you were left to be in charge of her. Yikes!! Good decision to get out of there. I don't blame you.