Frustrated with working with incompetent nurses

Snatchedwig, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN · Apr 2, 2019

Find you a new job. You listed way too many issues within other issues that requires a serious wreckoning with the culture of that building from the top down. I myself is going through that same questionable feeling about this profession now.

Cowboyardee · Apr 3, 2019

If you stay with the job, consider a different tactic than just bringing errors to your charge nurse. It's entirely possible that she doesn't have much disciplinary authority in reality, or that she has too many responsibilities to add your list of problems to it. Or, likely enough, she suspects you're more motivated to make yourself look good than actually improve the conditions of your job and patients, and that you might be a danger to her and your coworkers.

So, consider bringing problems directly to the people responsible for them. Or start up a peer review group or best practice council that meets periodically. Evaluate what barriers your coworkers experience in providing ideal nursing care. Recruit support from the people whose practice you're trying to improve.

Forest2 · Apr 3, 2019

I frequently work with nurses whose care is not up to my standards. Instead of fretting over it daily, I decided to focus on what I was doing, do the best I could and forget what others were doing unless it impacted me specifically. Keep your head down and persevere in being a great nurse. You aren't responsible for the world and it sounds like management doesn't care at this point anyway. Write incident reports according to policy. Keep a private notebook, you may need it to protect yourself at some point.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2019

On 4/2/2019 at 12:50 PM, KN1977 said:
I think it’s back to the drawing board r/t looking for a new job. I am so frustrated and sick of working with incompetent nurses...
I’ve been a nurse for almost 8 years and have always worked in long-term Care. I transferred to a different facility but within the same company about a month ago...
In my first nursing job, I worked my way up from floor nurse to QA nurse. I loved the job and what I learned but hated the hours; it was also disappointing to learn who I thought was trustworthy was totally not. So I transferred...
And unfortunately this last month has been a major disappointment. It is disheartening to learn what kind of nurses you work with—nurses that make up VS, don’t chart, don’t follow-up on something I’ve asked them to (twice), sleep on the job, give 6 am meds with HS meds so they don’t have to do a 6am medpass.
I am in no way perfect, but I strive to learn and do my best everyday. I pride myself in my assessment skills and attention to detail. And because of that, I have found numerous errors. I have brought them to the attention of my charge nurse; but I feel like a tattletale and feel like she’s getting annoyed with me and my findings.
my husband says I should just do my job and quit taking things so personal; just worry about my job/shift and let management take the heat, because I’m not in management anymore.
it is frustrating me so much, I am beginning to hate being a nurse. ?

Incompetence can be remedied. What you are describing is lack of integrity. There are places to work out there where the prevailing culture is one of high standards and patient focused care. It just may take you a bit of sleuthing to find one.

Swellz · May 3, 2019

On 4/2/2019 at 1:50 PM, KN1977 said:
my husband says I should just do my job and quit taking things so personal

My husband says the same. But where I starting my career, I was taught to care, and that every patient on the floor was "ours", if not specifically in my assignment. So yeah, it's hard when you work with nurses who don't do their jobs, because we all know what the repercussions are. But you can't make other people care. Maybe it's time for a new job again.

TriciaJ, RN · May 4, 2019

On 5/3/2019 at 7:50 AM, Swellz said:
My husband says the same. But where I starting my career, I was taught to care, and that every patient on the floor was "ours", if not specifically in my assignment. So yeah, it's hard when you work with nurses who don't do their jobs, because we all know what the repercussions are. But you can't make other people care. Maybe it's time for a new job again.

What you have is poor management who condones lack of integrity. Nurses who conduct themselves with honour and integrity have run away screaming from that job; that's why you don't have them for coworkers.

What sticks around are the ones who truly don't care, and have now found a soft place to land. At some point, their lack of integrity will catch up with them and you really don't want to be there when it does, and risk being implicated.

Time to move on. This isn't the place for you.