Egos....insecurities

iluvivt, BSN, RN · Sep 25, 2008

She had a need to put you down...be better than you and even try to do it in front of your co-workers......worse yet it was not even the truth!!!!! You better watch out for this one. Though people like this can be annoying and try to cause problems for you the reality is that they feel insecure,small and often need to feel they are in control. This often will backfire on them as their behavior ultimately will reflect their character. In the meantime you have to deal with them if they are co-workers. I say nip it in the bud....or they keep on trying. Only accept honest and straightforward communication and confront assertively (not aggressively) any suspected game playing.Nursing can be stressful...do we really need this crap....I say NO. Often life has a way of of teaching nurses like this a lesson. I was able to place a PICC line in easily after 3 failed attempts by a very competent co-worker who hates being wrong or unsuccessful. If she can not get the job done she thinks no one can. I focused on taking care of the pt but rather enjoyed the fact that she got a real BIG lesson.

FireStarterRN, BSN, RN · Sep 25, 2008

I think you run into these types in all walks of life. They will toot their own horns loudly for all to hear. Some of them will also lie to detract from the reputation of others. This is sociopathic behavior and I agree, watch your back around that one...

LSRNgrad2008 · Sep 25, 2008

Yeah, she's one of those people that HAS to be right..and be the shining star.....that's ok with me.....I don't need to be that way. I had also given him a pillow to splint his abdomen (he had a lap chole) not major abdominal sx, and she felt the need to take the pillow away and give him a taped up blanket that said "hug me" with a smiley face.......the pt is a 70 yo A/O man......the extra smiley face is nice and cute but c'mon now.

gentlegiver, ASN, LPN, RN · Sep 25, 2008

my problem is a 7-3 nurse was busted for not signing out in the MAR some of the meds she gave pts. She was given a suspension and put back on probation. She decided I was the one who turned her in, so, she reviewed all the charting I did on the 3-11 shift and turned me in for not signing out an antibiotic. (Which I was able to prove I gave.) She does not know me, has been a pain in my side since I started working in the company. Trying to get me in trouble with management and other staff. I ignore her, which probably ticks her off more. What I would give to not have other nurses judge me until they get to know me. But that wont happen in this lifetime, Nurses are, as a whole, great people, but, there are those few that you really want to go away.

RNperdiem, RN · Sep 25, 2008

Ah, yes the Shining Star nurse.

She brought out all the insecurities in me and my fragile new grad ego.

Shining star stirred up that little inner voice that said "you could have done more" "just doing your job is for the mediocre".

Shining star never seemed happy as a nurse even she went above and beyond so much and was a big patient advocate. Her expectation of others was so high and unreasonable that I think she burnt out from disappointment.

meadow85 · Sep 25, 2008

Oh yes, I have finally met someone like that at my new place. He eyes everything I do because I am new. He told me not to wear gloves in the hallway, when I was had just put them on to wipe down my equipment with Virox. Not to "run" in the hallway or "walk fast" (as I described it as) unless it was a code situation. And he moaned about not getting to write up an incident report on anyone for a month, until today when the night RN put on the wrong dressing for a patient. Are we not all adults here? Is he being paid extra to spy on everyone? Gosh.

Oh and on the weekend when I was setting up my pt call system, he said I didn't need to because it was the weekend. I said I'd do it anyway to learn how to do thinks correctly around here plus he was sizing me up all the time. He said not to worry it was the weekend and since the TL was away he didn't care what I did/didn't do!

PiPhi2004 · Sep 25, 2008

I think a LOT of people treated me this way during my first few months off orientation. Now that I have a year in, people tend to trust my judgement (thank God!). However we had one SUPERNURSE but she left and the whole unit breathed a sigh of relief. I feel sorry fo these people, because they really don't have a life outside of being this way. I learned a lot about this nurse's personal life (as we all gossip lol) and it was downright sad. She had never let anyone into her life, pretty much disowned her parents, divorced, lived alone, etc. Now I kind of just feel sad that she doesn't have the capacity to have meaningful relationships in her personal life, and I think she controlled people at work because it didn't work so much outside of work. Work was literally all she had. You can just work on yourself and be the best nurse you can be!

1TachyRN, RN · Sep 25, 2008

Anyhoo.....just needed to chuckle about this......for any nurse out there that feels the need to be this way....I feel terribly sorry for you.....life must be mundane.....so my lesson learned......I now write progress notes in addition to my assessments......just to cover my ass.

I think it speaks well of you that you are able to get a giggle out of it instead of fuming about it. :up:

I can't stand those types of co-workers.

RN1982 · Sep 25, 2008

Oh yes, I have finally met someone like that at my new place. He eyes everything I do because I am new. He told me not to wear gloves in the hallway, when I was had just put them on to wipe down my equipment with Virox. Not to "run" in the hallway or "walk fast" (as I described it as) unless it was a code situation. And he moaned about not getting to write up an incident report on anyone for a month, until today when the night RN put on the wrong dressing for a patient. Are we not all adults here? Is he being paid extra to spy on everyone? Gosh.
Oh and on the weekend when I was setting up my pt call system, he said I didn't need to because it was the weekend. I said I'd do it anyway to learn how to do thinks correctly around here plus he was sizing me up all the time. He said not to worry it was the weekend and since the TL was away he didn't care what I did/didn't do!

In my experience, nurses who act like this also do their own substandard assessments and charting. When I first graduated and went through orientation, I knew a nurse who had no problem picking on anything that I had done, but she would sit at the desk at the beginning of each shift and fill out her assessments on the flowsheet before even seeing the patient. Some people can be very immature and this is when management needs to step in and set limits on what can be written in an incident report. Like the dressing, did it really harm the patient? Probably not.