How to work with nurses who have attitude?

[NurseCam, BSN, RN]

I'm a new nurse, and I have difficultly working with other nurses and nursing assistants who have attitudes. I love when I am with the nice ones who don't mind helping ever. But some people just have an attitude. I don't want to be the bad guy and decrease my favor with them, but I also don't want just pick up for their slack. How do you normally handle situations like this? 

[Davey Do]

7 hours ago, NurseCam said:

How do you normally handle situations like this? 

I have repeated the words of a wise man who said, "With these oxen we must plow" and went about my business to the best of my ability.

As long as the attitude wasn't aberrantly inappropriate or overtly affected patient care, they could could be gila monsters climbing the walls for all I cared.

"As long as they're climbing the walls, and not up your leg, let 'em ride!"         -Chris Stevens

[AceOfHearts<3]

Keep things cordial and don’t stoop to their level. If they need called out on something do it professionally and don’t get into a fight with them. Do your job and don’t let them get to you. 
 

I had an issue with someone on my unit at one point. I did exactly what I said to do above and didn’t let them get to me. You’d never know now that we used to have issues. 

[NurseCam, BSN, RN]

Yeah, that's how I've been feeling. As long as it's not over the top, I'll not let it affect me. But sometimes it's hard to tell and some things are just so dumb. Like this patient pulled out her foley and the nurse before me said she reinserted it then I go to find out it's not even in her urethra. Then the patient doesn't allow male to touch or look at her down there so I had to have female RN reinsert it twice during my shift because she pulled out again. Then oncoming RN acts like, "Why didn't you put it back in?" And I was explaining how she keeps pulling out and she won't let a male do it and last time was 2 hours ago so I just wanted to talk to her about it during report. What am I supposed to do, hold her down and force it in just for her to pull it out again? No. And we didn't have another size slightly bigger to insert(goes from 16fr to 24fr!) But the nurse gave attitude like it was bad I didn't do anything about it. 2 hours isn't long and I already said she refuses to let me do it. Yet there's no appreciation or recognition for all the labs I addressed, urine and stool samples I sent that were ignored by others, orders that were fixed, skin treatments that were done, or the prevention of falls and any complications. It's just about what can be complained about. I actually do my job thoroughly and ethically, unlike several others I have witnessed. I just don't understand. It's just hard to pop people's ego bubbles because they are old and have been nurses for long time and I am new. 

So far, I just keep it professional and don't take anything personally. I express my opinion and leave it there but it just feels unfair sometimes. I definitely don't want to fight with anyone, but sometimes it is just so hard to wrap my head around the fact that some nurses are so incompetent, defensive, and rude. 

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Ignore nurses with nasty attitudes and those that won't help. There is no time and no professional way to confront an equal.

Nursing assistants are a different matter. Assistants are there to help you, and work under your direction. If you ask them to do something , and they refuse, remind them of that. If they still refuse,  get nursing supervision to the unit. Also .. write them up each and every time they refuse. This may sound extreme, but in certain units.. it's the only way to handle lazy assistants.

Good luck.. it's a jungle out there.

[NurseCam, BSN, RN]

That's actually a whole another problem I have. A couple CNAs are just so nasty about having to do stuff. And I want to be strict and say do your'e F*ing job! But I know if I'm the bad guy they will be even more less inclined to help me. It's hard to find that balance. Like I want to say, all our patient's better have water, be changed, and have vitals done. I'm tired of seeing people sit on their *ss and do a crappy job thinking it's okay.

And, of course, I would never actually be mean or rude to anybody. I'd say it very nicely and with respect. But even with that, the amount of tension it creates is insane. 

[JKL33]

32 minutes ago, NurseCam said:

But the nurse gave attitude like it was bad I didn't do anything about it. 2 hours isn't long and I already said she refuses to let me do it. Yet there's no appreciation or recognition for all the labs I addressed, urine and stool samples I sent that were ignored by others, orders that were fixed, skin treatments that were done, or the prevention of falls and any complications. It's just about what can be complained about. I actually do my job thoroughly and ethically, unlike several others I have witnessed.

That's what you are there to do.

You are not there for kudos, appreciation or even approval from your coworkers. What they think doesn't really matter if you have tried your level best and done good work, unless they have some positive/constructive criticism that they can manage to deliver professionally in order to improve your practice.

You actually aren't addressing labs and doing skin treatments and preventing falls to make life easier for your coworkers, you are doing those things because you are a nurse and that is your role in caring for your patients. Think about that.

Begin training yourself to remain neutral (feelings-wise) when you  encounter these situations. Work against feeling anxious or really anything other than neutral. Make good eye contact, hear what is being said, respond if a response is necessary (and don't feel the need to answer everyone's random commentary if a response is not actually required), and keep things moving along.

[JadedCPN, BSN, RN]

1 hour ago, NurseCam said:

Yet there's no appreciation or recognition for all the labs I addressed, urine and stool samples I sent that were ignored by others, orders that were fixed, skin treatments that were done, or the prevention of falls and any complications. It's just about what can be complained about. I actually do my job thoroughly and ethically, unlike several others I have witnessed. I just don't understand. It's just hard to pop people's ego bubbles because they are old and have been nurses for long time and I am new. 

Get it out of your head that you should get appreciation and recognition for doing your job just because you  believe other people may not do theirs. And if you witness something unethical, that needs to be addressed. 

It also wouldn't hurt to do some self-reflection to make sure you don't have a "holier than thou" type of attitude that might be coming through in your interactions.

[sevensonnets]

JKL and JadedCPN have given you excellent advice. It's up to you to take it and run with it or continue to be miserable. If everybody you work with is 'giving you attitude,' examine your own attitude first.

[CommunityRNBSN, BSN, RN]

There must be one at every job. I work outpatient which means there are no “my” patients and “your patients.”  All of the nurses are responsible for everyone in the building and on the phone etc. Almost all of us are a wonderful team. We work together well, we ask and receive help from one another when we get swamped. But there is ONE who has the worst attitude. If anyone says “Hey two patients just walked in, I’m going to take one, can you please go grab the other”—- she gives a hard stare. Makes comments. “Oh... you want ME to do that?  Hm.”  It’s bizarre behavior, it’s exhausting, it makes it hard to get things done because it’s a super fast-paced environment where we need all hands on deck. I’m reading my own post now and realizing I have no advice for you. I guess I just wanted to vent too haha. I feel your pain.