gum chewing-lip smacking bad manners

>--stethoscope--o · Apr 13, 2008

I'm not a nurse yet, but in clinicals we're not allowed to chew gum, I guess b/c it isn't proffessional. If you don't do it in clinicals I don't think you should be allowed when you're working. Maybe you should start off with that. lol Good luck.

Queen216 · Apr 13, 2008

Get some gum and chew it just like she is. Smack for smack, even pull it between your teeth and twirl it around your finer and re-eat it. Or you can always put a specimen next to her. That always worked for me. :)

Mommy2NQ · Apr 13, 2008

I would tell her straight out "your gum chewing is unprofessional and I can not concentrate when your doing it" If she gets mad, well she will get over it. Since she is bad mouthing everything it is likely she may not last long at your facility anyway. Just my:twocents:

Blee O'Myacin, BSN, RN · Apr 13, 2008

You can always tell her that she sounds like a cow chewing cud... (or just moooooo at her) :chuckle

Blee

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Apr 13, 2008

I tend to be a 'tell it like it is' kinda person, so I wouldn't give it much thought before saying "I'm sorry, I hope this doesn't sound silly, but I just can't seem to concentrate when I hear certain sounds over and over: and your gum-chewing is one of them. Do you mind?"

Either she'll mind or she won't. Either way, she's at least LIKELY to stop. And if she doesn't, you haven't lost anything by trying. Rude people will be rude no matter what, unfortunately.

ktwlpn, LPN · Apr 13, 2008

I am ready to pull my hair out. I am working with an agency nurse in a small unit, just the two of us. She is chewing her gum so loud and smacking her lips, I just am afraid I am going to scream.
Bad enough she already trashed talked some of our Drs and our charting, and how we dont keep XYZ drug in the pyxsis.
Bad enough that I have to pull all of her paperwork off the computer and enter all of her labs and order all of her diets, but now I must sit here trying to chart listening to the gum chewing!!!
I dont want to be rude, the advice I would give to someone like me would be simply say "excuse me, but the gum chewing is bothering my concentration" yet I cant find myself to say those words.
Any other advice before I scream!!!!

After the first few times you assert yourself it does get easier.No one has to suffer in silence. Don't fall into passive aggressive behavior.

Think about exactly what you want to say-practice a few times and then do it. Refrain from "you " statements such as "You make me sick,you pig": and instead work with "I". Say something like "I am really bothered by your loud gum chewing and lip smacking-I can't concentrate and it makes me sick"

Also-STOP doing her work.She is required to follow the P and P in every facility-offer to show her this stuff one more time and tell her she can do it herself.Make it clear that you are not responsible for her-make sure she understands you are NOT going to continue doing it.Refer her to staff developement if she needs more help. "There are no victims-only volunteers" You are making it too easy for this person to expect the world to revolve around her-she needs a reality check.

Good Luck

tatarn2b2007 · Apr 13, 2008

I had the same thing at a facility I used to work. One girl was so obnoxious about it they put it on her performance review, but she still continued to crack her gum and chew like a cow. Another girl was also obnoxious about it and I finally had to approach her and say I can't concentrate on my work with your gum cracking, could you please stop?! She did that night, but was back to doing it again. Unfortanately, some people can't take a hint, but it doesn't hurt to try. Good luck.

oramar · Apr 13, 2008

I had an outpatient proceedure and the nurse that admitted me cracked gum the whole time. I thought "thank goodness I only have to listent to this for two or three hours". She also had long, dagger like nails, they were scary. She seemed quite competent and I guess when you get down to it that is what is important.

rnmomtobe2010 · Apr 13, 2008

That was a recent habit I had to break. I did not realize how rude and unlady like it was until I heard someone else doing it. Talk about annoying. I apologized to myself and vowed never to be unlady like again!!

santhony44, MSN, RN, NP · Apr 13, 2008

I tend to be a 'tell it like it is' kinda person, so I wouldn't give it much thought before saying "I'm sorry, I hope this doesn't sound silly, but I just can't seem to concentrate when I hear certain sounds over and over: and your gum-chewing is one of them. Do you mind?"
Either she'll mind or she won't. Either way, she's at least LIKELY to stop. And if she doesn't, you haven't lost anything by trying. Rude people will be rude no matter what, unfortunately.

I think that's the best approach. If she gets offended, then that's her problem, not yours.

I had a teacher in high school who would not tolerate gum chewing. She would embarrass you terribly. She'd just sit there and stare at you until the whole class was quiet and looking, then she'd remark on your gum-chewing and how it reminded her of this little poem. Then she'd recite this poem. It compared a cow chewing cud and a girl chewing gum. The difference was "the intelligent look on the face of the cow."

I think she only had to recite it twice a year or so.

I was so afraid of being caught chewing gum in her class, I quit chewing altogether and to this day never picked the habit back up.

Olli · Apr 13, 2008

Just tell her you can't enter any of her stuff on the computer when she is chewing the gum like that cause it distracts you... it will help right away, you'll see :)