Giving report-rude nurse

Nurses Relations

Published

:madface: I have just started a new job as an LPN at an assisted living facility. I try to give report to the eve shift which consists of the LPN and the caregivers. :madface: Whenever I give report the eve shift nurse is rude and makes remarks like "Oh I wouldn't have done that. You should have done this or that instead. etc. etc. etc." I am worried that all the caregivers are going to think I am totally incompetent and I'm not. I am an experienced LPN. If you were in my situation what would you tell this rude nurse during report? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Up Vote Up Vote ×

The caregivers will know you are a good nurse, just by working with you... Perhaps you can take this nurse aside and tell her how you feel about her comments... but don't take them to heart, there are just some people who try to make themselves look better by tearing others apart. Hang in there...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in midwifery, NICU.
:uhoh3: What a rude person she is then! Just don't let her get to you, (I know, this is sometimes easier said than done!) Just say to her in front of everyone," Oh right, is that how YOU do it? That seems a good way too, but I've found blah etc works for me!" I've been in this situation before, I know how low it makes you feel, but I adopted the above quote, looked interested in what she said, nodded my head and was SUGARY SWEET to her!:lol2: She stopped the put downs after a while! AND I continued doing things the way I was taught! All the best to you ;)
Up Vote Up Vote ×

You are an experienced nurse, just new to that facility? Are you perhaps MORE experienced than the nurse you give report to? If so, maybe she feels the need to say things like that to validate herself. Sad, but it could be true. You keep doing what you are doing, and do the best you can. Remember that some people are just the commenting (complaining?) type.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

Seems she is trying to make herself look better at your expense. I would either total ignore the comments or if you cannot... reply with "I do things the way I was taught" and leave it at that.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks all for your suggestions.;) I am definately going to have to say something to her if she keeps it up. She's one of those "know-it-all" types. Another nurse told me that she has been written up in the past for being rude to the residents.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I worked with a nurse kind of like that. She was hyper and ran around like a chicken with its head cut off. I would try to be winding thingd down for the shift change and she would come into work about 45 min. early and start going through the medicine cart and questioning me about this or that...I think she was just nutty but to someone else who wasn't familiar with what she was like I always thought it made me look like some incompetent, like she was coming in to supervise what I had done and make sure everything was alright. And if something was amiss she would always lay the blame on everyone else. Inservices were as bad, she would constantly seek affirmation from the bosses by talking about the things she had done to fix what everyone else had messed up, and the inservices would drag on much longer than they had to because she kept inserting herself in everything.

Yes, she was rude, but I think it also has to do with low self-esteem. Maybe your co-worker doesn't mean to be that way, but I understand how you would want to scream, it is hard to take.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

With people like this....I keep keep talking, and talking and talking. I go into very lengthy detailed explanations about why I did what I did the way I did....

Very soon they are eager to get away from me .....

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Home Health, PDN, LTC, subacute.

I like VAC's comments! That is sure to work!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

When you are sitting with her in report and say, I did this or I did that and she begins to comment about it, I would politely wait until she finishes and continue on. Say nothing. Do not respond. This is called negative reinforcement (doing nothing about it). Arguing back with her is only going to aggravate her. You are only interacting with her for what, a half hour? Confronting her over a few minutes of her commenting on everything isn't worth the bad feelings that it will create between the two of you. If time starts to get short you just say, "Oh, look at the time, lets finish this up fast so I can get out of here." Afterall, you are the new guy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

See, this is one of the things that I love about my new job. Taped reports!!!!!

I used to **HATE** giving face to face reports; probably one of my very least favorite parts of my Med/Surge job. I used to have that same problem, but I got it from more than one oncoming nurse.

The best thing to do is 1) don't worry about what the oncoming caregivers/PCA's think of you. You know that you are competent, and that is all that matters. 2) perhaps take that nurse aside and nicely explain to her that all nurses have different ways of doing things sometimes, and one way of doing things may not be the only correct way.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks so much for the great suggestions.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment