I am the RN here, you are not! -long

[BlearnRN]

So I walk into a pt room and the dad and the pt home "nurse" is there. The first thing I hear is the nurse complaining about how dirty the room is and why hasn't it been cleaned yet..blah blah blah. I tell her that is is early in the morning( 8 am) and that the floor is really busy and someone will be cleaning it today. Then I walk out. I come back in to check on the pt and the nurse is just standing there telling me about how the pt is dirty and needs to be cleaned and starts going on saying stuff like when was the last time he was cleaned and blah blah blah. I say I just cleaned him up not too long ago and that I will do it again. The dad actually vouches for me and says to the nurse that I had cleaned him up earlier. So I go get an aid and we clean him up again. The aid leaves and I decide that I need to change the dressing on the pt g-tube. As I am cleaning it, the nurse is standing over me and telling me that it is not clean enough.:angryfire I clean it again telling her that I have cleaned g-tubes before and it is clean now. Then she starts in about infection this and that and then how he is allergic to the tape that I am using ( pt not allergic - just the skin is red from me taking it off). I walk out because I need to. I go to the social worker and tell her what went on and that I am ready to kick this woman out because she does not work for the hospital and she is telling me how to do my job. Luckily she diffuses the situation and the home nurse backs off. The thing is, is that if this were family telling me this, it is one thing---its okay. But this is a nurse who does not even work for the hospital!!!! During our little conflict resolution session with the social worker, I told the nurse that she was being really aggressive ...that I work for the hospital, she doesn't ... I know what I am doing and I don't need someone hovering over me when I do my job criticising me...and if she kept on being aggressive , I was going to make her leave the room. The nurse actually backed off and calmed down. But what the heck!!! So I told my supervisor what had happened and all she could say is that " oh they are the type to go to the admin" -she did talk to them and she said that the dad had nothing but good to say about me. But the super was

not supportive eventhough I explained to her that the home nurse was not asking questions like the home nurse said, she was criticising me and telling me how to do my job. I told the supervisor that I will not be told how to do my job by a home nurse who does not work for the hospital and isn't just a worried family member.:angryfire The super then understood, but geeze it would be nice if she were just supportive. I just want to run far away sometimes and never come back.......... or just break out and do this. I wonder what the home nurse would have done if I just said for her to hold that thought and just started doing the robot ...

[Fiona59]

I've never seen a "home nurse" at our hospital.

We do have guidelines for what care a "private duty" nurse is allowed to perform.

I would have given her the sheets to read.

[bigsyis]

It sounds to me as though that nurse was trying to show off in front of the father, perhaps to "cement" her job situation with the pt more soundly? She also sounds like a total PIA. What a waste of time! Think of all the things you could've been doing for other pts instead of having to pacify/defuse her. Gag!

[Agnus]

i agree with tazzi-if a "real" home care nurse is there, it is for coordination of care. i strongly suspect this "nurse" was either an aide or a private duty caregiver/sitter, with nothing better to do than try to stay in the $$$ loop while "her" patient is in the hospital!!

sorry for your bad day--please don't judge home care nursing professionals by this jerkette!

my suspicions exactly.