I asked one simple question...

[TLSpaz]

Me: "Where can I find saline for a wet prep? There isn't any in the drawer."

Co-worker: "I'll show you. What's all that for?" (Pointing to various implements presently being held by me with gloved hands)

Me: "For the patient in room ###. The only thing I couldn't locate was the saline."

Co-worker: "Ok, so what you do is, when you go in the room, you...(blah blah blah arrogant lecture about how to set up and assist with a pelvic exam)...and you only need a couple of drops of saline for the wet prep, and these swabs...(takes two swabs resting in a glass tube from the tube with her un-gloved hand and shoves them back into their original plastic tubing)...are for the chlamydia test.

Me: "Ummm....yeah....we've already DONE the pelvic. I know what to do with this stuff. I just needed some saline."

Co-worker: "This stuff is already used?!"

Me: "Yeah. All I asked for was some saline. I worked in an OBGYN clinic and three other ERs before I came to work here. I know how to do this."

Co-worker: "But this isn't how we do it here."

Me: "What?! I have the specimens. I just need to get them to the lab so we can get this lady out of here. She'll be ready to go as soon as these results are back. All I needed was some saline."

Co-worker: "Well I don't know how you did stuff where you used to work, but here we do it different. I'll show you when you get back from the lab."

Me: "Better go wash your hands."

The thing is...this co-worker (who is, despite her young age and relative few years of experience, quite knowledgable and competent) is constantly "correcting" my technique. For the past five weeks, since I began this new job, she has tried to "coach" me on things like IV starts and collecting blood specimens; EKG lead placement and even bedside manner! Never mind the fact that I learned to do EKGs and start IVs and draw blood when she was 5 years old, and have been honing my bedside manner since she was in diapers.

By the way...the lab results miraculously appeared in the system, despite the fact that I didn't do it the way "they" do it.

[ComeTogether, LPN]

Oh Dear.

I haven't heard the word "Johnny" in a looooong time. We are a different breed, for sure. On behalf of my fellow m*******s, I am sorry. I promise we aren't all like that. ;-)

QUOTE=Esme12;8025981]I don't know what it is...what is wrong with people?? I suppose when I was younger I would be offended.

After almost 20 years in nursing in the Midwest...I moved to the East coast. I had more experience than ALL (yes all) of my co-workers. My experience was more intense due to the acuity of my experience at a level one trauma center, years in the ICU and trauma flight. Okay whatever Okay. I kept my mouth shut (a special feat I might add) and my head down.

I smiled and said thank you whenever directed about how they "do things here". I smiled and thought...whatever. I thought orientation will only be so long and would someday be over...I kept my head down and smiled.

One day we had a code come in that died. They said it's your patient yo do the post mortem care (bag and tag). I smiled and said Okay. I thought how hard can this be? I was wrong.

Let me preface this with....In 20 years I have never done post mortem care, outside of school, except bag and tag traumas. The funeral homes where I came from came right away and took the body right to the funeral home...they came with their own bag...heck we didn't even have a morgue. We had some cold storage for limbs and such but no real morgue.

So I cleaned the patient up...it was not a coroners case so I removed all the lines and what not. I thought "Well...they can't berate me over this one"...WRONG! They were disgusted that I had "not done any post mortem care" when I asked what was that....they looked at each other ....rolled their eyes and audibly sighed in unison...I thought......."Oh Lord here we go:sarcastic:".

They said "I thought you came with experience...go get him a different Johnnie". Since the patient was already spit shined in a new patient gown and "The John" and "Johnson" was a nick name for the restroom, the place where we dumped bedpans was the Johnnie hopper, and male nether regions...I went and got a commode. WELL!!!!!! THAT WAS A MISTAKE.

Here the deceased needed a specific PATIENT GOWN for a body bag. Who Knew? I didn't.

As they preceded with their version of post mortem care...tied the hands and ankles together...toe tag and wrist band with teeth taped to the chest...and zipped this poor man in a plastic bag. They berated me with disparaging comments about my ineptness and ignorance. They went on to say that they seriously doubted me competence over all.

WHAT? I tred to explain that I have never done this their way and that my experience, although extensive, didn't include post mortem care of how to speak the language of Massachusetts.

This was one of many such faux pas. They of course wrote me up. I got counseled. They extended my orientation. Whatever. I smiled and collected my paycheck and went home.

I use my "In a hundred years is this really going to matter?" Nope...I smiled and moved on.

Why do people act this way? I think it is insecurity and the need to dominate when threatened.

((HUGS))

[TriciaJ, RN]

Why do people act this way? I think it is insecurity and the need to dominate when threatened.

And it's not just in the workplace. Look what happens when someone starts a thread here to ask for support, vent a particular frustration or even just share a laugh. Inevitably some self-righteous goody-two-shoes has to weigh in with "Where's your compassion?" (Ahem, where's yours?) "Can't you put yourself in someone else's shoes?" (Yes, can you?) "I don't think you should be a nurse!" "I always respect everyone! (Um, no you don't.)

No matter who posts what in this forum, someone has to remind you that they're a much more exemplary nurse and human being than you. (Extra points for saying "I'm not a nurse yet, but when I become one, I'm certainly going to be a much better one than you!")

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

Ok, so a wet prep can also detect gonorrhea as well, no? Which if your ever so helpful co-worker is touching the specs....with her bare hands....and it can be spread by not washing one's hands and touching one's mouth, using the ladies room before washing hands....

What if the test came back positive? I am just picturing her explaining to her s.o. that she got the clap from work......

OK, sorry, back on topic...

I just find it amazingly amusing that along with a lecture, infection control is not high on the list of priorities for this nurse.

[HappyWife77, BSN, RN]

I worked with someone who was like this when I was new( to that facilty....not to nursing) :) after a few months she realized I knew what was doing and quit projecting her character defects on me. However I see her do the same behavior with quite a few other nurses and kinda felt empathy for them.

It must be rite of passage for nurses..... putting up with all the personalty differences and clashes we deal with interpersonally. We should all be proud of ourselves! Beautiful diamonds come out of chunks of coal when they are compressed.

[Guttercat, ASN, RN]

I've never witnessed physicians treat incoming practice partners or cohorts in this manner. Why do nurses feel an inherent "right" to treat their incoming coworkers with such lack of mutual professional respect?

If it's truly a case of "that's not how we do it here," meaning there is a well defined facility protocol that the incoming RN must acquaint his or herself with, it's quite easy to convey this information in a manner that is respectful.

[Spangle Brown]

You are very right. Until recently I was a Food & Bev trainer at a very popular place. The place was huge and the workers were allowed to transfer to other locations. Same company, different theme, food, etc. Each location was supposed to be the ‘same’, but each had their own traditions and ways of doing things. Everyone went through training, including the managers.

Training someone from a different location was always harder than training a new person. Because so much time was spent on how they do things at a different location. Some days I would constantly have to redirect them to the topic at hand.

When I would learn of fellow workers transferring to different location, I would go have a talk with them about this issue. It is human nature to want to tell these stories, to ‘relate’ with your new coworkers and to show them your not stupid, that you get it. So, I told them to save the stories until after training, let the trainer do their job. We KNOW it was different elsewhere, that is way everyone goes through training when you relocate.

There are some trainers that when they teach, they have a speech ready for that topic. If they are interrupted, they either start over, or forget it all together. Which is also why it wasn’t a good idea to constantly interrupt a trainer. Their specialty isn’t teaching or training. Some do not want to do it, they were forced to do it.

That isn’t even touching personality issues and learning/teaching styles. Lets just say, I no longer assume that everyone is smart enough/logical enough to ‘get it.’

One sad story is about a new hire. She was standing in a shop that had a beeper going off. When I came in and noticed the situation, I also realized she was new and in training. It is very common for new persons to not hear the beepers and realizes they are supposed to respond to them. Being a trainer, instead of handling the problem myself, I tackled the training issue and brought it to her attention. She turned her head towards me and said she heard it, then turned away from me and ignored it. Totally blew my mind. Most new hires want to learn their job and jump to please. I pointed out that she should take care of it, she turned back to me and informed me that I should take care of it. Wow, just totally Wow. I took care of it, and then I pulled her for a little talk. She said her problem was that everyone was telling her what to do and she was tired of it. She had no response to the question of how she was supposed to learn the job, without being told what to do. The sad and SCARY part is that this person was in collage to become an elementary teacher.

[Spangle Brown]

Pretty much the way I see it.

We can personally take it negatively (which I think most of the time it was meant to be), or we can be positive and think they are doing it for their own self need to feel needed and important. It's a human need that most of us have. And if that is what they need to do, to feel better about them selves, then so be it. I am laughing, because to me, they look rather silly, don't they? Then I blush, cause I'm sure I have done it too.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

How long have you been in your current position? That condescending behavior occurs all too often when you are the new face.

I myself, cannot tolerate it. .. having been the new face many times as a traveler and agency nurse. I had a nursing assistant, start "instructing" me for God's sake!!

I look 'em in the eye and say " I've been a nurse for xx years, I've got this down" and always with a pleasant tone.

[caringnursey]

I've had a nurse with only 4 years experience try to tell me how to put a foley in, I have done them (the correct technique) since way before she was born, only needed her to hold a leg, the younger ones think they know more??

[klone, MSN, RN]

I just find it amazingly amusing that along with a lecture, infection control is not high on the list of priorities for this nurse.

I think that the particular nurse in the OP's story was not aware that she had already collected the specimens.

[MizChelleRN]

I'm unclear too....did you bring all this used stuff out into the hall or to the nurse's station? Or was this still in the exam room?

[klone, MSN, RN]

I'm unclear too....did you bring all this used stuff out into the hall or to the nurse's station? Or was this still in the exam room?

You have to, if you're doing a wet prep. You have to take the tube with the swabs, add saline (which was what the OP was looking for) and then mount it on a slide to look at the specimen under a microscope.