How to handle cussing nurses?

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Oct 12, 2004

We dont necissarily have a "charge" nurse that makes out assignments. Usually its done by whoever has a minute and can do it before the next shift comes in. There has been a bit of nastyness running around my unit also. LPNs mad cause they shouldnt have to work CNA duties, CNA's complaining cause they think they have to many patients. Do the best you can for them and simply lay it out. This is your assignement for today,, if you dont like it you can head your behind to administration and we can discuss it with the nurse manager. They usually will stop the whinning and get to work, because that is the last place they want to end up. They know who will win and it wont be them. I usually tell them if they spent as much time doing their job as they do the whinning they might be able to get it done.

EVer notice how the ones who whin and cry the loudest are usually the first ones done sitting in the conference room or at the nurses desk? Go talk to their patients, i bet half of their work isnt done. I love the person who tells the patient "oh we'll wait until after the doctor comes in to do your bath,, then never goes back and actually does the bath. Real Gems they are!!! Go check and see if they took the TED hose off and washed the patients legs,, bet 10 bucks they didnt. Did the patient get a toothbrush? Bet not. Shave? Doubt it. I'll go check and you bet ill go get them and have them finish, meanwhile bringing up the fact they were the ones who said they had to much to do, but had time to sit and chat. GEEEZZZZ

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Oct 12, 2004

We dont necissarily have a "charge" nurse that makes out assignments. Usually its done by whoever has a minute and can do it before the next shift comes in. There has been a bit of nastyness running around my unit also. LPNs mad cause they shouldnt have to work CNA duties, CNA's complaining cause they think they have to many patients. Do the best you can for them and simply lay it out. This is your assignement for today,, if you dont like it you can head your behind to administration and we can discuss it with the nurse manager. They usually will stop the whinning and get to work, because that is the last place they want to end up. They know who will win and it wont be them. I usually tell them if they spent as much time doing their job as they do the whinning they might be able to get it done.

EVer notice how the ones who whin and cry the loudest are usually the first ones done sitting in the conference room or at the nurses desk? Go talk to their patients, i bet half of their work isnt done. I love the person who tells the patient "oh we'll wait until after the doctor comes in to do your bath,, then never goes back and actually does the bath. Real Gems they are!!! Go check and see if they took the TED hose off and washed the patients legs,, bet 10 bucks they didnt. Did the patient get a toothbrush? Bet not. Shave? Doubt it. I'll go check and you bet ill go get them and have them finish, meanwhile bringing up the fact they were the ones who said they had to much to do, but had time to sit and chat. GEEEZZZZ

nursenatalie, ADN, RN · Oct 12, 2004

I personally dont think it is a good idea for a previous shift to make out an assignment. It is too easy to make you the scapegoat because you "made the assignment and left." I am not saying there arent problems with the present charge nurse making assignments, just seems to add fuel to the fire that you are the previous shift.

As a night shift nurse myself I do take offense to some of your comments. Perhaps the night shift has picked up on the attitude that you have and this is part of the reason for the problem. I would talk to my nurse manager about the night charge nurse making out the assignment and then you just have to give report and leave.

nursenatalie, ADN, RN · Oct 12, 2004

I personally dont think it is a good idea for a previous shift to make out an assignment. It is too easy to make you the scapegoat because you "made the assignment and left." I am not saying there arent problems with the present charge nurse making assignments, just seems to add fuel to the fire that you are the previous shift.

As a night shift nurse myself I do take offense to some of your comments. Perhaps the night shift has picked up on the attitude that you have and this is part of the reason for the problem. I would talk to my nurse manager about the night charge nurse making out the assignment and then you just have to give report and leave.

stbernardclub · Oct 12, 2004

Nurses that have 7 patients on nights in a hospital and sit on their butts?? I think someone needs to check into that. Usually you have plenty to do between assessments, med passes, call lights, charting, documentation, taking off labs, equiptment maintenence, and many more...Maybe you should rethink that comment, sounds like your not being fair either!

I work on a very busy acute care med/surg unit. I began doing charge several months ago. I make out the assignment for the on-coming shift. Yesterday they called me from the break room and began cussing at me about the assignment. We aren't no d.... f....ing super nurses, and yada yada.
Later I heard from my co-workers, several who were in the breakroom at the time, that they were cussing about me amongst themselves before they called me. They were saying how I shouldn't be in charge if I don't know how to make out an assignment. The whole deal was that they were starting out with 6 pts each. They are allowed to have up to 7 each on nights. We frequently start out with 6 pt each on days. I hate to sound stereo-typical but I know for a fact that from 11 pm to 5 am they sit on their butts. One of our day nurses went to nights and also I used to work nights so I know. Anyway, they come out to the desk complaining. They were still cussing and fussing. I said come on I know you're not overworked ! They were like well on days at least you have discharges. Yeah and we get another one right back ! Plus we deal with direct admits, three meals, more meds, frequent med changes, Doc's around all the time wanting us to help them, family members and visitors interferring all the time. The patients on the call lights all the time. Give me a break !!
My nurse manager tells me she thinks I'm doing fantastic in the charge roll.
I'm not intimidated by these nurses I just think they are so rude, I often hear them cussing amongst themselves at the station. I know occasionally the patients must hear them and how does that reflect on our hospital? Our nurse manager is aware but is not willing to start replacing them because they are very reliable as far as always being there and always willing to work overtime. She has asked me several times to work a night shift and I have told her that I won't work with "potty mouths" I cuss when appropriate, don't think I'm a prude, they just seem so lower class to be around. There is always such friction between the shifts. I know this is very common. Should I send an e-mail to the entire night shift? Any opinions appreciated.

stbernardclub · Oct 12, 2004

Nurses that have 7 patients on nights in a hospital and sit on their butts?? I think someone needs to check into that. Usually you have plenty to do between assessments, med passes, call lights, charting, documentation, taking off labs, equiptment maintenence, and many more...Maybe you should rethink that comment, sounds like your not being fair either!

I work on a very busy acute care med/surg unit. I began doing charge several months ago. I make out the assignment for the on-coming shift. Yesterday they called me from the break room and began cussing at me about the assignment. We aren't no d.... f....ing super nurses, and yada yada.
Later I heard from my co-workers, several who were in the breakroom at the time, that they were cussing about me amongst themselves before they called me. They were saying how I shouldn't be in charge if I don't know how to make out an assignment. The whole deal was that they were starting out with 6 pts each. They are allowed to have up to 7 each on nights. We frequently start out with 6 pt each on days. I hate to sound stereo-typical but I know for a fact that from 11 pm to 5 am they sit on their butts. One of our day nurses went to nights and also I used to work nights so I know. Anyway, they come out to the desk complaining. They were still cussing and fussing. I said come on I know you're not overworked ! They were like well on days at least you have discharges. Yeah and we get another one right back ! Plus we deal with direct admits, three meals, more meds, frequent med changes, Doc's around all the time wanting us to help them, family members and visitors interferring all the time. The patients on the call lights all the time. Give me a break !!
My nurse manager tells me she thinks I'm doing fantastic in the charge roll.
I'm not intimidated by these nurses I just think they are so rude, I often hear them cussing amongst themselves at the station. I know occasionally the patients must hear them and how does that reflect on our hospital? Our nurse manager is aware but is not willing to start replacing them because they are very reliable as far as always being there and always willing to work overtime. She has asked me several times to work a night shift and I have told her that I won't work with "potty mouths" I cuss when appropriate, don't think I'm a prude, they just seem so lower class to be around. There is always such friction between the shifts. I know this is very common. Should I send an e-mail to the entire night shift? Any opinions appreciated.

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Oct 12, 2004

Nurses that have 7 patients on nights in a hospital and sit on their butts?? I think someone needs to check into that. Usually you have plenty to do between assessments, med passes, call lights, charting, documentation, taking off labs, equiptment maintenence, and many more...Maybe you should rethink that comment, sounds like your not being fair either!

Do not get me wrong. I have worked nights. If they have time to sit, when their work is done that's great I did 12 years of nights, I got many hours of studying done on my shift but it ruined my health. I wouldn't do nights again for double the pay. But gripping about having too much to do is ridiculous. Please don't assume that you know what the night shift is doing ;excuse me, is not doing. They are not required to take off labs, do equipment maintenence, change needle boxes, change dated IV tubing, they have no other duties than the patients they are assigned. They have a tech for each 10 pts. The techs also do the I&O's including IV's. On days we are required to take off the labs as well as rounds reports, change needle boxes, calicbrate the accuchecks, restock the needles, check the crash cart, etc...... It is totallly beyond me why this is allowed. The usual Charge Nurse on nights works 5 x 12 a week. She spends the majority of her time painting and cruising e-bay. Admin checked into her habits several months ago and she had logged a whopping 27.5 hours in one week on e-bay. They deleted e-bay from the allowed sites. Now she plays Ma Jong online !!! We had an agency RN several weeks ago who did teching on nights. The nurses all had 6 patients apiece and she was assigned the new admission at 0230 ! She was pissed, she came to me and said, "why did I have to take that patient? the charge nurse sat and painted all night"! All I can say is that it's a good thing that I am not the nurse manager because I believe I would end up running them all off. Sitting is one thing, complaining about it is a totally different matter !!!!!!

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Oct 12, 2004

Nurses that have 7 patients on nights in a hospital and sit on their butts?? I think someone needs to check into that. Usually you have plenty to do between assessments, med passes, call lights, charting, documentation, taking off labs, equiptment maintenence, and many more...Maybe you should rethink that comment, sounds like your not being fair either!

Do not get me wrong. I have worked nights. If they have time to sit, when their work is done that's great I did 12 years of nights, I got many hours of studying done on my shift but it ruined my health. I wouldn't do nights again for double the pay. But gripping about having too much to do is ridiculous. Please don't assume that you know what the night shift is doing ;excuse me, is not doing. They are not required to take off labs, do equipment maintenence, change needle boxes, change dated IV tubing, they have no other duties than the patients they are assigned. They have a tech for each 10 pts. The techs also do the I&O's including IV's. On days we are required to take off the labs as well as rounds reports, change needle boxes, calicbrate the accuchecks, restock the needles, check the crash cart, etc...... It is totallly beyond me why this is allowed. The usual Charge Nurse on nights works 5 x 12 a week. She spends the majority of her time painting and cruising e-bay. Admin checked into her habits several months ago and she had logged a whopping 27.5 hours in one week on e-bay. They deleted e-bay from the allowed sites. Now she plays Ma Jong online !!! We had an agency RN several weeks ago who did teching on nights. The nurses all had 6 patients apiece and she was assigned the new admission at 0230 ! She was pissed, she came to me and said, "why did I have to take that patient? the charge nurse sat and painted all night"! All I can say is that it's a good thing that I am not the nurse manager because I believe I would end up running them all off. Sitting is one thing, complaining about it is a totally different matter !!!!!!

allnurses Guide · Oct 12, 2004

Making assignments sounds so foreign to me. We split the patients up ourselves after report. Sometimes our supervisor gives us some recommendations but hardly ever makes assignments unless we have a post-partum mom and an infectious patient.

I hate the night shift vs. day shift wars. Each shift has its own challenges. Nursing is 24 hours/7 days and if I could ever find a way to make everyone more appreciative of each other, I'd love it.

Regarding the cussing, I think one on one with the offender when it happens is a good idea. It is not professional to use profanity. And if you do an email it needs to go to everyone.

steph

allnurses Guide · Oct 12, 2004

Making assignments sounds so foreign to me. We split the patients up ourselves after report. Sometimes our supervisor gives us some recommendations but hardly ever makes assignments unless we have a post-partum mom and an infectious patient.

I hate the night shift vs. day shift wars. Each shift has its own challenges. Nursing is 24 hours/7 days and if I could ever find a way to make everyone more appreciative of each other, I'd love it.

Regarding the cussing, I think one on one with the offender when it happens is a good idea. It is not professional to use profanity. And if you do an email it needs to go to everyone.

steph

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Oct 13, 2004

Making assignments sounds so foreign to me. We split the patients up ourselves after report. Sometimes our supervisor gives us some recommendations but hardly ever makes assignments unless we have a post-partum mom and an infectious patient.

Wow ! I can't even imagine that ever happening ! It would be utter chaos on both shifts !! I used to work OB and we also made out our own assignment but then we usually only had 2-3 patients total. It was a really small hospital !

anndoodle · Oct 13, 2004

Only thing I can say is to never think that all the 11-7 shift nurses do is "sit on their butts". Trust me, those call lights can go off just as frequently during the night as they do on the days. Ben there on both those shifts, and I've had to deal with it. Not to mention those bright-eyed residents at 3am who think it's time to get up. But yes, if you go with the group email, be sure to email everyone and don't just single out the night shift. A quiet night for me back then was a rare occasion.