How can I stop caring about catty nurses?

[snowyeyes2]

Hi Nurses,

I am a nursing assistant and I work in a big hospital. I don't have a "permanent" floor because I am in the float department. I get floated to different floors either to sit as a sitter or work on the floors. Today I got floated to the pediatric floor. There was another assistant so we divided the patients equally, 11 each. I first overheard the nurses telling each other, "guess who's coming to work on the floor as a nurse.." I just let it go. I worked with that nurse before and she was nice. I did my morning vitals and put them in. I put in the diapers after I weighed them. I put the outputs for the remainder of the patients who either used urinals or hats. I also tried to put in the intakes if there were any. I was standing writing something down when the unit clerk walks down asking me if I knew where nurse A was. I told her I haven't seen her. But come to know, nurse A was in one of the patient's room near where I was standing. The clerk smirks saying she's right there and I told her I didn't know and I said sorry. The clerk then walks towards the other nurses and tells them I couldn't even see the nurse when I was right there. I don't know if she thought I didn't hear, but I heard loud and clear. And then the nurses laugh and make fun of me. I overhear them talking in the breakroom during their lunch about me. What did I do that was so wrong??? I'm trying my best to do my job. I asked each nurse if they needed any help. I put in the vitals for the morning and afternoon. I weighed the diapers and put in the inputs for the formulas, breastfeeding, or breakfast/lunch they ordered. I understand that I'm not from their floor, but I don't get what gives them a right to make fun of someone who came from a different floor to help their patients out...

[hbshearer, rn]

Geez, it sounds like they have nothing better to do. If you're doing your job, then they should be happy to have you. We have a couple of cna/pct's that try to find ways to get out of doing their job so I appreciate it when I have a hardworking assistant. I would politely call them out and ask why it is your job to know where Nurse A is, because it really isn't your job to keep tabs on her. It's hard to float sometimes because a lot of units will still treat you like an outsider. Good luck, try not to let them shake you too much.

[squatmunkie_RN]

Because they have nothing better to do with their time. Nursing floors can become like a high school. Don't worry about it. I have a bunch of back stabbing co-workers. At the end of the day I say to myself: "screw all of you" and go home.

[LTCNS, LPN]

Sounds like the Nurse Manager needs to give them more to do if they have that much time to stand around and act like snots. Keep doing what you're doing and don't let them get to you. Just remember, what goes around comes around.

[NurseFrustrated]

I am a nurse and have worked in hospitals for about 13 years (5 years of that being before I was an actual RN) and I can tell you that hospitals are the crappiest environment I have ever worked in. I don't know what it is but it seems that people (from every department) are always at each other's throats, always ****** or rude, looking down on someone else's job if it isn't as high paying as theirs, etc. I tell people I know who are thinking about getting jobs in hospitals to not ever do it. I am never mean to anyone unless they are snarky or rude to me first, but I am definitely not as friendly to co-workers as I used to be in the non-hospital environment. I think that the stress of being a nurse changed that about me because I am not as happy a person as I used to be and it probably shows. I also became much less afraid of confrontation and much more assertive as well. I had to be in the environment.

You honestly just have to stop caring what they think of you personally and know that you are doing your job as best you can. It's really no better anywhere else because most all hospitals have sucky people. I have had to learn to let a lot of things go and try to get along with people even when they have really ticked me off before and when I really don't like them. I just focus on trying to take good care of my patients because that's what I'm there for, not to socialize. Unfortunately we don't get to choose our co-workers. I tell myself that you don't have to like people to work with them. Just focus on doing your job as best you can and let the catty people act stupid and just not worry about it.