I Have No Words

caliotter3 · Mar 5, 2020

Pretty cowardly to express her displeasure with you through snide comments to third parties. Not professional or nice.

headofcurls, BSN, RN · Mar 5, 2020

She was very inappropriate.

SaltineQueen · Mar 5, 2020

You need to find your words so that next time this person is so inappropriate you can assert yourself & let them know.

And help, how, exactly? You'd tried and couldn't get it...it happens. Did she expect you to open packages for the oncoming nurse? That's ridiculous.

workinmomRN2012, BSN · Mar 5, 2020

Nursing is a 24 hr job! Whatever you dont finish gets passed onto the next shift. Unfortunatly the only way to shut down theses "bullies" is to call her out. I've done this exact same thing when I couldnt get an IV, ask another nurse on the floor/call ICU to get one of their RN;s to get the stick or it just gets passed to the next RN. She was clearly bullying you! You did what you were supposed to do-asked other RN.

allnurses Guide · Mar 5, 2020

That was ugly and inappropriate. I suggest the next time you see her, you pull her aside and express to her that if she has "mentoring advice" to offer, you would appreciate the professionalism of it being done privately.

Bullies tend to cave when called out. Remain cool as a cucumber, but don't let it go unaddressed.

Sour Lemon · Mar 5, 2020

2 hours ago, AlmostThere19 said:
I had a pt. who kept pulling out IV's and needed one at shift change. I attempted twice but wasn't successful. I was always taught you only attempt twice and then you get someone else to try because it's not fair to the patient. Pt. was begging me to stop. I told charge nurse I wasn't successful, and I put supplies in the room so that she could try. Meanwhile I gave meds to another pt. Charge nurse asked for me to come help with IV but when I went in the room to help she was already giving report to another nurse. I just gave report to the day shift nurse and let her know I was unable to get IV on pt. As I was leaving work, charge nurse said "You're just gonna leave knowing your pt needs an IV? Go and help the other night shift nurse start that IV." She said this in front of the nurse I had given report to. Then she belittled me again in the room when I was helping the night shift nurse with the IV, saying "yeah she was just gonna leave when this pt. needed an IV". I have never been so humiliated. What do you think of this situation?

It wasn't the nicest way to communicate, for sure ...but personally, I would have stayed behind until dismissed by the other night shift nurse.

I'd see it as somewhat rude to go home while she stayed behind working with my patient. Beyond that, she may have had loose ends of her own that she needed to tie up and could not because she was helping with my patient.

I'd thank her and ask if there was anything I could help her with. If she said she was fine and shooed me away, then I would leave and feel perfectly okay about it. ?

AlmostThere19, BSN, RN · Mar 5, 2020

29 minutes ago, Sour Lemon said:
It wasn't the nicest way to communicate, for sure ...but personally, I would have stayed behind until dismissed by the other night shift nurse.
I'd see it as somewhat rude to go home while she stayed behind working with my patient. Beyond that, she may have had loose ends of her own that she needed to tie up and could not because she was helping with my patient.
I'd thank her and ask if there was anything I could help her with. If she said she was fine and shooed me away, then I would leave and feel perfectly okay about it. ?

Yeah I get what you're saying. I just didn't even realize the other night shift nurse was even attempting the IV on my patient until the charge nurse called me out because no one had told me.

HippyHappyRN · Mar 5, 2020

51 minutes ago, AlmostThere19 said:
Yeah I get what you're saying. I just didn't even realize the other night shift nurse was even attempting the IV on my patient until the charge nurse called me out because no one had told me.

I find it odd that she put the task on another nurse that you asked her to help take care of. She was the one who put that task off on someone else and then placed blame with you when you were unaware of that happening.

CanIcallmymom, BSN, RN · Mar 5, 2020

Pretty unprofessional and rude of her. Definitely mention it. I might even do so in front of a witness, but like others have said...maintain your composure and be cool as a cucumber.

I find it odd that you would be expected to stay to "help" with an IV insertion? I have only ever worked in the ER at the hospital level, though, so there were literally ALWAYS tasks like that that go from shift to shift. I guess I don't understand the dynamic that you're expected to have a neatly wrapped bow on your patient for the next shift.

Wuzzie · Mar 5, 2020

7 minutes ago, CanIcallmymom said:
I guess I don't understand the dynamic that you're expected to have a neatly wrapped bow on your patient for the next shift.

I think the issue was that it wasn't the day shift nurse attempting the IV it was another night shift nurse staying over to try. I would have stayed and helped because I'm pretty sure the other nurse wanted to go home as much as I. Still no excuse to be mean.

CanIcallmymom, BSN, RN · Mar 5, 2020

27 minutes ago, Wuzzie said:
I think the issue was that it wasn't the day shift nurse attempting the IV it was another night shift nurse staying over to try. I would have stayed and helped because I'm pretty sure the other nurse wanted to go home as much as I. Still no excuse to be mean.

Ahhh gotcha. That makes sense then. But you're right.