How can my shift deal with a nurse who is always causing drama?

[vampcna]

NEED SOME ADVICE

I have been working at my facility for over two years now and my shift gets

along really well,except for one lvn. She is constantly complaining about how

she is the only nurse who does her job correctly. If another nurse doesn't chart

something she has to broadcast it to everyone within earshot. She bullies my

fellow cnas. She hasn't ever treated me that way (maybe because she knows

how outspoken I am). If she decides she wants to mess with someone she

will use evey chance she gets to say things about them. It has gotten to the

point that we try our best to avoid her. She even made a cruel comment about

a former coworker, who recently had a massive stroke. She said what goes around

comes around bcuz ”she didn't change her patients and now she has a bedsore”

We have talked to our DSD and our DON but she is still causing trouble.

One of the cnas refuses to work on nights when she is there. When she

doesn't work the work atmosphere is much happier. When she is there everyone is

tense. What can we, as a shift, do to her to stop messing with her coworkers

so we can be more harmonious group?:hdvwl:

[firstlight]

She is bullying and will continue to hurt those around her. She needs to be stopped.

She must be reported. We need to stop allowing these behaviours in the work force.

[Dezy]

firstflight I wish I could give you more kudos. I really wish everyone would be together on problems like this . More problems would get solved.

(of course I don't mean ganging up on someone for stupid stuff but real problems such as this.)

[pixie120]

NEED SOME ADVICE

I have been working at my facility for over two years now and my shift gets

along really well,except for one lvn. She is constantly complaining about how

she is the only nurse who does her job correctly. If another nurse doesn't chart

something she has to broadcast it to everyone within earshot. She bullies my

fellow cnas. She hasn't ever treated me that way (maybe because she knows

how outspoken I am). If she decides she wants to mess with someone she

will use evey chance she gets to say things about them. It has gotten to the

point that we try our best to avoid her. She even made a cruel comment about

a former coworker, who recently had a massive stroke. She said what goes around

comes around bcuz "she didn't change her patients and now she has a bedsore"

We have talked to our DSD and our DON but she is still causing trouble.

One of the cnas refuses to work on nights when she is there. When she

doesn't work the work atmosphere is much happier. When she is there everyone is

tense. What can we, as a shift, do to her to stop messing with her coworkers

so we can be more harmonious group?:hdvwl:

I have a couple of questions and then a comment. Where is the supervisor when all of this is going on, what shift is this, and why don't you call the DNS everytime she starts this nonsense? As a DNS I would be right on top of this. If the nurse has a legitimate complaint regarding CNA's not giving good care, then she needs to tell the DNS and if the CNA's have a legitimate compalint that this nurse simply harasses them, then the DNS also needs to know. WHy aren't the resident's complaining? This is just bad all the way around, sounds like very poor leadership on her part, and poor patient care by all. When I was a CNA, when I had a difficult nurse, I simply called the DNS or came in early to talk directly to the DNS. I never held back and I was only rewarded each time and usually those "bad" nurses ended up quitting because the DNS would be right back on them. If your DNS doesn't do this, then talk to your Administrator. Your residents have a right to quality care, and a team that functions.

[suanna]

She is bullying and will continue to hurt those around her. She needs to be stopped.

She must be reported. We need to stop allowing these behaviours in the work force.

How true- when I'm feeling negative and hyper-critical about my job, nothing makes me feel more supported and able to see the positive than a nice long talk with management about whay a bad person I am.

No one wants to be the bully in the workplace. Helping an experienced, skilled nurse find a way to share thier skills and knowlage in a positive way is a lot more benificial to the patients and the unit than attacking them into shutting up or getting out. How do we at AN know this "Negative Nelly Nurse" isn't in the right. I've seen really good units go to pot when a few careless care givers get in on the good side of unit management. The next thing you know your smile is more important than the care you give. BOTH are important, but given the option between a happy nurse who dosen't give a hoot about the care they provide and a cranky negative nurse who will use every skill she has to make sure I get better- I'll take the negative nurse every time.

I agree we have to stop there behaviors in the work force, by empowering the nurse to find a way to direct her energy to promoting positive change.

[nola1202]

We try not to say anything outside of work

related topics. Alot of the bullying is her

hounding a cna about her pt care, call lights,

etc. She once checked a cnas patients briefs

every 30 minutes so she could say the cna

wasn't changing her. This cna is our best cna.

Another time she told the supervisor to write

a cna up for not being on the floor, but the

cna was toileting a patient.

As a Supervisor, I did not just fall off the turnip truck. I take everything with a grain of salt and would not write up anyone because someone "told me to."

I think the person with the the issue should write up whatever incident she deems necessary. I notice when this happens, CNA's will call in when she is on duty, switch shifts, anything to avoid her. The drama queen often gets so frustrated she quits. Don't assume mgmt isn't on to her and waiting untill there's enough rope to hang herself. In the meantime AA has a story for you. There were one two men watching a Whirling Dervish. One of the men said, "what do you do about that?

The other shrugged and said, " I just let whirling dervishes whirl." In other words I can listen without judging or commenting and then walk away and let her whirl herself out.

[achot chavi]

So sorry you have this, it really gives LTC a bad name. With an LVN like this, I would ignore her, and know that eventually her behavior will catch up with her and she will be fired. I have seen nurses like that come and go. How does she get along with the head nurse or nurse supervisor? Is the supervisor aware that she is killing morale and ruining the pleasant work environment?

[vampcna]

Thanks to all who have replied to this thread. We will try these tactics and

see what works. One of the biggest problems with the problematic nurse is that,

while she treats her fellow lvns and cnas like crap, she is a fabulous brownnoser

with management. She is a profecient lvn. She passes meds quickly and is an

avid charter, but she doesn't seem to have much compassion for her patients.

I think she picks on those she knows won't call her on her sh**! As I said:jester:

before she doesn't ride my butt. I'm just tired of her looking her nose down

at my coworkers.

My coworker that had a stroke is now a sub acute patient at my facility.

Nurse X works on the snf side. She hasn't said anything else about my

coworker and hasn't stepped foot inside her room. For that I am grateful.

I think she's really unhappy with her homelife. She is in a loveless marraige

and works 2 full time jobs. Maybe she is one of those people who only feel

better when someone else feels worse. In any case, we have started documenting

every incident of bullying and badmouting she does.

Feel free to post about coworkers who cause trouble on this thread, and again

Thank You.

[firstlight]

Keep us posted.