How to deal with coworker during report?

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Why is it that when I give report to this one nurse it seems like I have to spoon feed it to her? She actually wants me to tell her when her meds are due on her shift!!! If I say I don't look ahead past my shift she tells me "YOU should". Or if i tell her I didn't change a dressing on a IJ because I told to pt I would after dialysis and the dialysis is still going on during report...she goes " It only takes a few minutes..you should have done it before". She seems to only focus on things that I have not gotten done...or things like her med times... One time she got all bent out of shape because I didn't document an IV on the computer... I told her I didn't document it because I had a blood exposure and had to go down to the ER... But it was like she didn't even care... I heard the next day that she was complaining about me not documenting the IV and the nurse she reported to did not even know I had an exposure...... What should I do?:angryfireI am about to completely fire off one at her, but I don't want to!!!

do NOT allow her to interrupt you...if she keeps asking questions make a big point of writing down the questions and tell her you will come back to it when you finish report

writing down a report and giving her a copy is also a good thing because she cannot say that she wasn't told anything in report

there are people who like to establish themselves as the top of the pecking order

good luck

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.
Remain calm, slightly lean into her physical space, maintain direct eye contact, and be deadly silent whenever she interrupts you. Silence is uncomfortable for some people, and most sane people will get the idea that you will not tolerate being interrupted or whined at while attempting to give report.

Whatever you do, do not allow her to continue to bother you during report. She'll only escalate the situation by becoming even more annoying and argumentative. Experienced nurses know exactly who to pick on.

For example, a nurse was angry that she was being floated to another floor. She proceeded to walk to the other unit and receive report from the 2 offgoing nurses. One of these nurses has a reputation for being a passive softie, so the floater screamed, cursed, threw things, and asked impossible questions. The other nurse had a reputation for not tolerating bad behavior, so the floater calmly accepted report from her.

If you're perceived as a softie, you'll be treated like a soggy soft-serve ice cream cone: tossed around, eaten, and spit out into the wastebasket. If you're perceived as someone who is not a pushover, you won't be pushed over during report.

Ummm, *I* consider myself a softie most of the time, yet if someone had come to my unit and behaved like that, I wouldn't have cried or had my feelings hurt... I would have been pretty incredulous and wouldn't really have had a choice but to totally laugh at that person's idiotic behavior.

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Specializes in Emergency.

Sounds sooo very familiar to me! I am a new grad working on a telemetry unit (hard enough!), but I work the 3-11pm shift and have to give report to the night shift who have a rep for eating the newbies alive! There are two particular people who I have had to give report to who intimidated me at first because I was new. On our unit we tape our reports so the oncoming shift can hear report while the outgoing shift can see to the patients. I have learned to just say to the night nurse who is getting my pts "do you have any questions for me?" If she says "No.", then I leave after giving her any updates (prn pain meds, etc.). If she has questions, it is usually about a lab, or a pending procedure (i.e. The pt is having a pacer inserted, is the consent signed?). I was asked to work a double shift once to help out when we were short b/c of callouts, and stayed all night. The funny thing was that I had to work with this nurse all night and she was great with helping me out and answering my questions. It just goes to show me that I can't judge a book by it's cover or the first impression. Since I did that shift with her she has been fine. As a coworker said to me "She's a punk, just show her you have a backbone and you willl be alright." She may have more experience than me in the unit, but she still is my equal, and if I stand up for myself, she doesn't give me any trouble.

Amy

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Specializes in vascular, med surg, home health , rehab,.

Yep, once you stand up for yourself, it ends. The nurse who shows up late, declines the printed forms you have for her, has to write out her own, yaps on her phone during report, asks stupid questions, "is she diabetic?" um dont you think I might have mentioned that? And my fave, "So you'll take care of that before you leave right?". Well are we closing at midnight? Didnt think so, of the dozens of thing I did take care of today, that I didnt get to, so isnt it great were a 24/7 operation? Just don't entertain this nonsense, they get the message pretty quickley I have found. I guess its a power issue, I don't know, where I try never to leave a disaster zone for the next shift, and will stay over to clear up if circumstances are appropriate, I am not here to make your job perfect. Mine isn't, so get over it.

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Specializes in ED, ICU, PSYCH, PP, CEN.

What about the opposite ones. There are a couple of nurses I work with occasionally that won't let the off going nurse give them report because they feel they know it all and you can't tell them anything.

At first this used to piss me off that I could not give report to them, but now I'm just glad they are there and I can leave. If they screw up because they wouldn't take report from me it's their problem not mine.

I need to find a way to chart that nurse wouldn't take report, but I haven't figured out a good way yet.

I mean I can't chart "unable to give report to --------rn as she states she already knows it all" That would go over really big, wouldn't it

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Specializes in onc, M/S, hospice, nursing informatics.

If all else fails, try Xanax! Works wonders for those type of people!

:yeah:

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Specializes in Med/surg,Tele,PACU,ER,ICU,LTAC,HH,Neuro.

On top of what Suesquatch said about the meds......

It only takes a few minutes..you should have done it before".

say..."Why? Are you unable to do it? It was the PATIENTS request !"(address her by her name and ruffle your report sheet like you have better things to do)

and just go on like you think she can't seem to perform the littles of tasks from meds to dressing changes.

She has self esteem issues.

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

I'm probably that nurse- try to grit your teeth and be kind and professional. My favorite answers are " that's why we have more than one shift" or the ever popular "someday I hope to be as good as you." Try to smile and sound sincere with eather answer.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.
What about the opposite ones. There are a couple of nurses I work with occasionally that won't let the off going nurse give them report because they feel they know it all and you can't tell them anything.

At first this used to piss me off that I could not give report to them, but now I'm just glad they are there and I can leave. If they screw up because they wouldn't take report from me it's their problem not mine.

I need to find a way to chart that nurse wouldn't take report, but I haven't figured out a good way yet.

I mean I can't chart "unable to give report to --------rn as she states she already knows it all" That would go over really big, wouldn't it

I've seen this too.

What the OP describes is overtly aggressive. This is more passive-aggressive. But the intent is the same - to establish the pecking order - and it needs to be dealt with just the same.

I worked with a nurse who would blow off anything you had to say in report unless the patient was critical. I learned to say, "It's up to you whether or not you listen, but I'm going to do what I need to do which is to give you report."

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My favorite question: "Which arm is her IV in?"

(Why, so you won't have to check it?)

My answer: "Well, it's either in the right or the left......."

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When I was in ICU, I used to have to give report to this bubble head - sorry, that's what she was - she would interrupt report to talk to someone else about something, or go to get something, etc., etc., etc.! I HATED having to give her report because she would stretch it out, not pay attention, then I'd have to repeat what I'd already told her.

One day I lost it for a second, and slammed my hand down on the desk - it got her attention - I asked her to please pay attention, because this was important. I guess it made an impression because I never had any problems after that.

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Specializes in Psyche, neuro.

Probably got Anxiety problems. I have the same problem with some nurses.

Just be calm, count to 10, and continue with the report.

Just say - have no idea! when you actually don't know!

Nurses that "think" they have know everything needs to focus on the overall clinical problem.

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