Gossiping CNA

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Back in November a new CNA grad started orienting in the ER. The first few days she seemed very enthusiastic, but then her true colors started to show. She complained often about the tasks our CNAs are responsible for, frequently asking "Why do we have to do this? (fill in blank) should be doing this, not us!"

One day I went to the boss because her complaining and poor work ethics were getting on my nerves. A few days later I overheard her complaining to the night tech about the day tech that was orienting her, saying the day tech was complaining about her for no reason, etc. Basically trashed the day tech. I closed the door and told her to back off because I had been the one to say something.

She also lied through her teeth about many things, but then when confronted would say "I never said that. Nobody listens to me."

As time went on, whenever someone tried to show her a new task she would refuse to learn, saying, "I'm not staying in the ER, I don't need to learn that."

Last week she got her eval and came out of the boss's office crying. Yesterday she was booted to med surg. We all hoped a different environment might help. Yesterday afternoon an off duty ER nurse stormed in and demanded a meeting with the M/S manager. Apparently the new CNA, yesterday, had proclaimed loudly to staff members -- in front of pts -- that the nurse had come in over the weekend "high". She's apparently been very busy dissing everyone in the ER, including me. She said I had gotten in her face and screamed at her about something. What she's too stupid to realize is that we are a small hospital and we all know each other. She's saying this stuff to people who know better than to believe her.

Today I had to go to M/S to get something and passed her in the hall. She actually told me, "Hi! I really miss you guys (in the ER)!"

Huh????

Okay, vent over

You won't have to worry about her long...if your hospital is small as you say, and you all know each other, she'll eventually cause enough disruption to where management will get rid of the problem...her.

No way would I put up with such a slanderous comment -were it made at myself, I'd tell management that she would either be GONE by my next shift, or I'd be back with a lawyer as regards a hostile workplace. People get sued over stuff like this. It could potentially cause the slandered person a LOT of damage.

She really crossed over the line -especially when she said things like that in front of patients (the line was crossed when she said it to co-workers, but she went back, drew another line and crossed it again when she did it in front of patients). People talk -and "dirt" travels fast and can certainly come back to haunt.

No, nothing short of fireing would be good enough -and even THEN she had better hope I cooled off enough not to pursue legal options.

This cannot be tolerated.

I agree with this - to tolerate this kind of behavior is irresponsible.

Let us know what happens.

steph

Specializes in Trauma ICU.

Maybe she misses you guys in the E.R. because she is actually having to work her a$$ off on a Med Surg floor giving baths, emptying bedpans, feeding patients.....not the typical things done in the E.R.

Specializes in PCICU.

I hope the hospital figures out a way to fire her. Behavior like that is like the plague...

Maybe she misses you guys in the E.R. because she is actually having to work her a$$ off on a Med Surg floor giving baths, emptying bedpans, feeding patients.....not the typical things done in the E.R.

:rotfl: I didn't think about it that way!!! Maybe we are looking pretty good now!

She's burned her bridges in the ER, though.

Like Hopefull stated, in a small hospital, she is digging her own grave. There will come a time when her behavior will catch up with her one way or another. Most of the time, however, I have found that people who act like this, or some version of it. will get along and get along. Supervisors don't do their jobs in correcting inappropriate behavior or everybody just acts like having the warm body present is such a blessing.

Specializes in ICU-Stepdown.

Yeah, but when that happens, what you have is a powderkeg with a lit fuse -you don't know how or when, but eventually it WILL go off. God help those who are present when it does.

No, I stand by my bit -I'd DEMAND that she be canned (her actions alone would make that a reasonable outcome that no EEOC agent would question) or that the place itself would face possible action as regards a hostile workplace (because as long as she is present, and people like that don't quit behaving that way on a whim) that is exactly what the place is.

A 'gotcha' can ruin a hundred 'attaboys', and when the 'gotcha' is slanderous (to actually claim a nurse arrived inebriated!?!) it spreads so easily, and is so difficult to 'correct' that its close to impossible to rectify -character damage is real, and can be very costly). Faced with those options, she would be gone in a heartbeat -a hospital does NOT need bad publicity.

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