I ignored my instincts...

Nurses General Nursing

Published

In work related situations I can be like iron and hold my ground very well, but in social situations I have a deep and serious phobia that I might put my foot in my mouth, for example company picnics or hanging out at kids' birthday parties with the other parents. :down:

I avoid social gatherings like the plague. It's bad enough I occasionally put my foot in my mouth online where there is a vague amount of anonymity, but face to face? :bag: I'd rather have a megacode in the middle of drilling a skull to put an IVC on a pregnant woman!

At work another nurse was organizing a kickball team for a 6 week recreational league. I was asked to play and then when I said I'd rather not, they promised that I wouldn't have to be sporty and they just needed bodies to cover in case of people's shift schedules. I agreed and had to work through the first day (whew!) but went to the second week. Needless to say I was awful, but I cheered for the good plays the other teammates performed.

The next day I was told by the person who invited me that my name was never on the roster and that I shouldn't have even showed up. She said their roster was full and that she'd put me on the sub list in case they needed me.

I was hurt. I was very very embarrassed. I told my work friend what happened and of course, they told everyone else. This morning when I was reporting off, the original organizer/nurse came up to me and yelled at me in front of everyone. I told her that I felt bad about being invited and then being told I shouldn't have come. I couldn't stay and talk further because I had to get home in time to let my husband go to work.

It's bothering me enough to post about it, and I feel like I did something wrong and now everyone at work will think I'm a bad person for showing up to something I "wasn't invited to". :no:

When I first became a nurse, an RN-friend whom I'd known for quite some time gave me the best work-related advice I've encountered since: "Don't confuse work friends for real friends."

Lest I forget, I'm always reminded.

Specializes in ICU.

Sounds like a bunch of highschoolers. But yes I have similar anxieties about social stuff too. Give me a horrible mega trauma pregnant code anyday, haha. Find better people to hang with. And tell that witch that shes a witch. But with a B.

Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.
I would rather have a molten lava enema.

:o .... Good Lord!! :D

Specializes in Rehab, critical care.

Sounds like your co-workers need something more important to worry about. (i.e. their patients?). Ugh. Really? Who says that to someone anyway? I disagree with the high school comment.....most people aren't even that immature/rude in high school; that would be the rare exception.

I bet they're a real joy to work with, too. Too busy to lend a helping hand lifting a patient in bed, I'm sure, since they're organizing their kickball league.

Specializes in Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy.

My classmates in school were like this... don't bother saying hello if you're not from the same clique, and forget about asking about an assignment or clarifiction of something said in class. At first it was hurtful to be in that environment, but then I learned to just tune them out and go to school to achieve my goals, not to make friends. I'm normally a warm, friendly person who likes to help people, so it's not easy for me to be rebuffed when I'm just trying to be nice.

YOU did nothing wrong or embarrassing by showing up. Just remember that!

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