Help with a "micromanager" RPN

[GeriatricSunshine]

I work in long term care in a new facility. We are a Retirement home. Right now I am the office manager and I am also a Personal Support Worker (that is not my role at the facility though). The place is run by my manager who is also an RPN and a Nursing Manager also an RPN.

Here is the problem, I am the managers 2nd hand lady. I run the office, do the books, the payroll etc. The Nursing manager has her nose in everything.She spends all day looking for stuff and barely has time to communicate with the residents.When she does she diagnoses them with all kinds of wierd things. She told everyone that a vomiting patient had the Norwalk Virus! She treats the residents like babies and talks to them in really a big baby voice. These are not babies they are adults.

I was in ER with high blood pressure and chest pains, 5 minutes after I told her about it my boss knew.She tells the boss everything and they appear to be pretty good friends. My boss is great but she does not see this with her its like there is a smokescreen.

I am considered a manager at the facility as well. All the nursing staff talks to me about her and I tell them to go to the boss. They are scared and I will not even consider it.

I am afraid this woman will sabatoge my job because she wants to be closest to the manager, she is truly frightening. I don't want to lose my job but I think I should speak out.The other thing that bothers me is she is not so smart on medical things, I am ashamed to say that I know more after my 1 year program then she learned in nursing school.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

I am afraid this woman will sabatoge my job because she wants to be closest to the manager, she is truly frightening. I don't want to lose my job but I think I should speak out.

Specifically what do you think you need to speak out about? If you are both managers who report to the same person, you're probably not in a position to speak out about her job performance unless there are issues which directly compromise patient care.

Other administrative/"flow" issues are probably best brought up at a staff meeting, particularly if you have a concrete alternative which you can suggest. Your boss might find it difficult to hear "I don't like the way X does this." "If we complete _____ task/responsibility this way instead of that way it should eliminate xyz problem" often goes over much better.

On the other hand, if this is simply a personality/work style conflict between the 2 of you, there might not be a lot that can be done about it. You'll have to think through just how upset it makes you, and whether or not it's worth it to stick with it while you're in school or to leave.

Best of luck to you.

[GeriatricSunshine]

As I said I believe this is compromising patient care. She is losing important documents that interfere with the way patients are cared for.As well everyone feels the same way about this, most of the staff and the other management.

I know it may be hard to hear but there are some people who already are nurses that make nursing mistakes. How would you feel if your mother phoned you at 3 AM and said the nurse said she should get checked for colon cancer? When the nurse had no basis to say that.

I believe I also said in my original post that I am not the only one who notices this. Residents families have come to me with questions regarding this behavior.Does that sound like a personality conflict? I really don't think so.