DON keeps getting me confused with other nurse

[KarynicaRN]

Hello everyone!

I need help on how to deal with a DON who keeps getting me confused with other nurses, or just outright blames me for something that happened on the shift before me.

I work in long-term care on the night shift. We are a new facility with 6 patients. My DON keeps getting me confused with other nurses and calls me at home, leaving terrible, nasty messages. I'm really tired of calling her back, her realizing it's me and then trying to backtrack. She blamed me for the med cart keys getting locked up in the med cart. That was the other Karen. She blamed me for another nurse calling the physician concerning a patient with a 100.9 temp and getting an order for a CBC and urinalysis. That was the evening nurse. I turned in the midnight census and because she couldn't find it, she discusses it with the evening nurse instead of asking me directly where I had placed the form.

This is really getting old. I don't see the other nurses going through this stress. What is this DON going to do when we get 120 patients in this facility if she can't keep track of just a few nurses?

Please help me!

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

First off, I would edit the post to not reflect your true name. Just to protect you.

Second, I am not sure how much longer the nurse with the same name as you will be at the facility if she is receiving lots of calls from the DON!!

I would ask that you be referred to as your first name, last initial. And that the other nurse do the same.

I would be a little cautious if any DON is calling and leaving nasty messages to anyone. True colors right there.

And a 100.9 temp may not be huge, but to an elderly person could mean something is brewing--so I am not sure I would be all worked up over a nurse calling the doc to report it, then the doc doing what they want to from there. I am sure there will be chart audits at some point, and a low grade fever that was not responded to is not a good thing.

Get some malpractice insurance if you have not already done so. Make sure that HR as well as your main administrator knows that this is happening, to cover yourself. Make sure that all phone lists have "K**** (Last name) NIGHT NURSE and "K**** (Last name) EVENING NURSE.

And finally, tread carefully. This doesn't sound like a very effective DON. If she is acting this way with 6 patients, I am not sure what is going to happen with more. If you are in a place where this is happening a whole lot, then you may want to consider moving on, filing a complaint--there's lots of other avenues, but first things first and protect yourself.

[malenurse69, MSN, NP]

Give your DON some Exelon, see if the confusion clears up

[firstinfamily, RN]

Maybe you need to give the DON a poster board with the 6 nurses names and pictures so that she can remember who is who!! You could address her on a daily basis and have her guess who you are, eventually she will get so embarassed at not knowing she will make a point of learning who you are!! She should not be calling you at home with facility issues, I do see the need if the narcotic keys are lost etc. but for other things she can talk to you while you are at work. Good Luck!!