I need help. Do I need a new job?

[Grande_latte04]

I've been an RN for almost 2 years. I worked at a SNF, outpatient and mental health and am now working in corrections. I am feeling hopeless and angry about my current job. I have only been working at my current place for less than a month. I've been on the clinic floor for around 3 weeks. I have been harassed and yelled at and accussed of all sorts of things (ill get into it). There is a nurse who from the very beginning- ill call her Sam, who has found every opportunity to criticize me. At one point she pulled me aside and accused me of not working as hard as everyone else. Tonight she accussed me of signing off meds I did not pass. I don't think this is true. I passed meds last night to three floors with over 500 people. I don't believe I signed off anything that I didn't give. I do knownthere were people I didn't have time to pass to, and night shift helped me because it was past the time it was for me to go home. She has accussed me of having an attitude- honestly, after the convo with her telling me I wasnt working, I have developed an attitude towards her. Im angry. I work hard. And im being accused of not doing my job. This is in all light of her telling me tonight that she would not put away meds that belonged to her cart, and then also remarking in the beginingnof the shift that she was not going to do any other "RN" duties because she was passing meds and that was lpn work. I heard this woman say today that she was going to find all the med errors everyone made and then relishing in it when she found them. I didn't see the med errors....no idea if those existed or not. 

The charge nurse (shes a traveler) started out being really helpful, but then after the run in with Sam, has been super cold and has refused to help me learn to do anything related to my job. A week ago she set me up with like 3 different tasks and then told me at 7pm that I was passing meds. I had no time to go through the cart, to see if I had all the meds and if anything was organized at all. It was a mess. When I got back to the clinic and asked her why she told me so late, she said it wasnt her responsibility to tell me who was doing meds.... I wasnt scheduled for meds that night, Sam was. She yelled at me and then told me to figure out the tasks I had started. I was so overwhelmed when I left, I left some charts out, a piece of paper, some paper clips etc. Completely unintentional. The next day she screamed at me that she was not my mother, and no one heres your mother and no one is going to pick up after me. She then claimed I did it on purpose. 

Im so down. I want to be in a situation where I work hard and people don't harrass me, where my coworkers don't berate me and humiliate. 

Do I need a new job? Im thinking about quitting. I don't know how much more my mental health can take.

 

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Yes , you need a new job. This one is not going anywhere. It's only 3 weeks in. Don't think you need to give notice, or put it on your resume.

 

[Davey Do]

I can identify and empathize with your situation, Grand_latte.

Back in '91, I got a position in OR at St. Anomaly's Health Center and was accused of ineptness and wrongdoings. Even when I excelled, I was criticized.

After nearly three months of this, I found another position, said, "adios!"  to St. Anomaly's and didn't let the screen door hit me in the behind.

[Hannahbanana, BSN, MSN]

I had a charge nurse once in an ICU who was intimidated by how competent her staff were and made up for it with petty crap, just like that. One time she announced she was going to inspect all our rooms during the shift (we had 1 or 2-bed rooms, no more than those 1 or 2 pts apiece). We made everything ridiculously spotless ... and she dinged somebody for having too many pens in the cup on the desk. 
She got told to tone it down, but this sounds beyond beyond to me. Start looking, and leave immediately while you’re still in orientation period. Don’t bother to list it in your resume, either. Go, and never look back. 

[Grande_latte04]

I called out yesterday because my mental health just couldnt take it. The head charge nurse called me at home and apologized for how I have been treated. Both of the nurses that I spoke about in the original post are leaving...one on Friday and the other in a couple weeks. The charge nurse asked me to stay and that she appreciated me. I feel like a sucker because Im going back today. I set up an interview for Friday and have been lookimg around for a new job. So I guess we will see how it goes. 

[JKL33]

Well that's an interesting twist.

I'm guessing you need to buck up before walking back in there. From your original post some of the interactions that have happened seem like they would be good things from which to just walk away. Example: An absolute nobody accuses you of signing off meds you didn't pass. In a situation like this there is no need to question yourself; you know you are being messed with. You know you passed the meds and signed them off, therefore you don't entertain this individual, you just walk away. And when you perceive that people are up to no good you stay away from them.

Maybe you did do this, but your post sounded a little bit like the writings of someone who might have reacted in an overly-concerned, defensive, or self-deprecating manner. You can't do that. When people eff with you, you need a strong (not necessarily loud or angry) response.

This is just friendly advice about being appropriately assertive. These things help protect your interests.

2 hours ago, Grande_latte04 said:

I feel like a sucker because Im going back today.

Well don't feel or act like a sucker: Go to the one who called you on the phone and thank her again for the call and tell her that you will not tolerate poor treatment and expect it to end immediately.

Plus keep your job search open. All of this malarkey is Strike # 1 and 2.

Good luck.

[Daisy4RN]

If you feel like the Charge is sincere and that you may like the job (assuming the trouble makers leave) I don't see how giving it another try makes you a sucker. But if you do go I would definitely keep your guard up and see how it goes. Is the charge who called you the traveler, might make a difference if they will be gone soon. And maybe it is commonplace now to have a traveler as charge but could also be a red flag.

On 4/28/2021 at 9:25 AM, Hannahbanana said:

and she dinged somebody for having too many pens in the cup on the desk. 

This sounds beyond to me too, sounds like a real peach to work with!

[TriciaJ, RN]

If I'd had 4 jobs in 2 years I'm not sure I'd relish starting over again.  Hopefully with the petty schoolgirls gone, you can help your workplace develop a more professional culture.

Always remember who you are accountable to.  You do not need to defend or justify anything to someone to whom you are not accountable.  Therefore don't give "nobodies" any opportunity to ruin your day.

Here's another twist:  when people are working and behaving poorly, that just gives you more opportunity to shine.  It's a lot harder to feel adequate when you have stellar coworkers (although they certainly make life easier).  The crowd you described won't leave very big shoes to fill.  That's an easy win for you.

[Nunya, BSN]

Just be careful of the nurse leaving in a couple weeks, she has nothing to lose by giving you more crap.....

[Grande_latte04]

I should have listened to you all. Went into work tonight and traveler charge nurse was in charge. She spent the entire afternoon gossiping about me. At one point another nurse told her... you know she can hear you... I was suppose to be giving meds to the heavier side of the building and doing bs and bp checks. I was getting ready to go at 600pm to start meds when she asked me to do intakes. I politely told her I had to do meds and to get done I needed to start at 6pm. She told me I couldnt start meds at 6pm to which I told her that I had the permission of the charge nurse to start at 6pm. 

The entire night escalated into a giant mess. We had a code that I didn't hear, she screamed at me in front of the entire med unit for not responding to the code. I genuinely didn't hear it as I was passing meds. She then made me in charge of caring for this poor woman who was vomitting. Which was fine but I had a med pass to do. She then got my cart brought it up to the clinic, locked it and refused to open it. I had to call the head charge nurse to find out what to do because I wasnt finished with my med pass. So I had to wait till noc got in to unlock the cart. The head charge nurse said I could endorse my meds to nocs. The noc nurse said she would continue the pass, because at this time I was emotional. The charge nurse then told the noc nurse not to do my meds. Knowing the head charge nurse had ny back I endorsed to nocs, left the meds for the noc nurse as well as the vomitting woman. I felt bad, endorsing all this work to the poor noc nurse, but I needed to get out of there. I couldnt breath. I sat in my car and cried for an hour. I cried about how I was being treated, how I was allowing to treat me, how I felt like a horrible nurse, an idiot, and just completely inadequate. I worte a letter to hr entailing the bullying I was experiencing as well as my resignation. I don't even know if I want to be a nurse anymore. Part of it just hurts too much. I became a nurse because I love people, I love helping people. At one point it felt good to be helpful. Now im just sad. 

["nursy", RN]

I'm so sorry you had to go through that, but don't give up on nursing.  Corrections is notoriously tough (did it for 5 years).  I loved the job, loved taking care of inmates, really felt like what I did mattered.  BUT....unfortunately, corrections (many times) seems to attract the outliers, nurses who couldn't make it anywhere else or got fired from everywhere else.   And, because of  constant short staffing, and it's really hard to get fired from a corrections job.  I worked with drug addicted nurse who were diverting, psycho staff who were impossible to  work with when they went off their meds, and I could tell you some stories.  It's what made me quit corrections.  Don't take the experience at this job as any kind of a failure on your part.  Meanwhile, there are so many other areas of nursing where you can be treated like a human being and make a difference.  Don't give up.

[TriciaJ, RN]

Lesson #1:  Boundaries.  That's where you figure out what's yours and what's not yours.  If you just plain can't get things done, that's you.  If you're not getting things done because you're being actively sabotaged, that's them.

Sounds like the traveler charge nurse is a problem child.  The main charge nurse probably hates getting called about this stuff, but sided with you.  That's huge.

Then the traveller CN countermanded the main CN and caused further problems.

I get that you had a discouraging shift, but this has NOTHING to do with your worthiness as a nurse.

Have a heart to heart with your boss.  You may need to leave this toxic job if they can't get their personnel problems undercontrol.  But do not make drastic decisions about your whole career because of the actions of a few *up people. 

Does your BON publish the disciplinary actions?  Keep an eye on it the next couple of years.  Ms Traveler might have her name in print.