I work what is considered, in nursing, to be an unusual shift. As such, I typically follow one of two nurses. Neither one of them is fabulous to follow for various reasons, but one of the two is an...extreme challenge. The other nurse who works my shift and I curse each other when when we are the unlucky one to get report from Frantic Nurse.
Frantic Nurse is a nurse with many years experience. Getting report from her seriously stresses me out and it is a rotten way to start the shift. One day last week, it took 75 minutes for her to give me report on FOUR patients. I kept trying to redirect her back to the task at hand (my shift is only eight hours to begin with) to no avail. So I tried to go get a few things done while she regrouped. Every time I started to do something (signing off orders she should have signed off hours before I got there, contacting doctors about stuff she hadn't addressed all day, etc.) she kept asking me where I was going. Keeping her focused is nearly impossible (and shouldn't be my job- I'm not her nurse, I'm her co-worker.)
Today, she made me wait 30 minutes to get report while she wrote a note on a patient she was transferring to hospice (charting typically gets done after report if there is any left to be done. The transfer note is in the computer and could have waited ten minutes as the hospice people don't need it because though they are in the hospital, they are a separate entity and don't really read our notes.) I did manage to clean up some of her messes while I was waiting. Once she was finally "ready," she wasted my time by complaining to me that the charge nurses wanted her to take her patient to hospice (a five minute proposition, and one I consider a duty and a privilege.)
I honestly don't know what else to do. Nobody likes getting report from her. This is not an exaggeration (and for the record, I like her as a person, I just can't stand getting report from her. I'd almost rather just create my own by reading through the chart.) Nobody likes giving her report- she often doesn't actually listen to what the prior RN is telling her. I don't have this problem with any other nurse.
I work a very stressful shift on a very stressful floor, and I am definitely a team player, as long as it isn't always 75% me and 25% them; I really just can't handle all the added stress of dealing with her.
I didn't mean to be so long-winded and I honestly don't mean to complain- I am looking for some constructive/creative/tried-and-true wisdom that will help make the start of my shift less stressful and more productive. Thought?
