I'd kill you

Nurses Relations

Published

Specializes in ED, ICU, PSYCH, PP, CEN.

I was switching from diprivan to versed drip on a vented patient a few days ago because his blood pressure was down. The diprivan ran out and I turned on the versed. The patient kind of came awake for a short time and I was comforting him while the medicine started to kick in.

My charge nurse (a real butthead) comes in and says, "Thats stupid, you shouldnt have stopped the diprivan yet. If I was your patient I'd be ****** and track you down and kill you when I got better"

I think that is a completely inappropriate thing to say to another nurse. Any one agree.

I will most likely be quitting this job today.

I've had enough.

Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

The comment from the charge nurse seems overly dramatic, but it would have been best to transition the sedatives in such a way that the patient remained sedated.

Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.

needless to say, your charge nurse should have kept their observation to themselves then pull you aside and explain a better way to address the procedure, without making such unnecessary comment in front of your pt. that's the proper way to handle the event in question.

This was a very unprofessional way for a charge nurse to act..... She/he should have corrected you in private and explained why you should have done it differently. Then you may have learned something !

Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

I believe your assessment of your supervisor as a "butthead" is completely accurate.

Specializes in Infusion Nursing, Home Health Infusion.

If you do not leave there will probably be more coming from her. So next time address it right away b/c if she thinks she can get away with treating you in an unprofessional manner she will keep doing it! '"Excuse me..since I find your remarks unprofessional and rude and your timing inappopriate I cannot listen to anything you have to say".Should you choose to share with me in the future I except that it be done with a courteous demeaner and in professional manner". Bet she will NOT do it again. Otherss have let her get away with this behavior so she keeps doing it...she is really crude

Specializes in Emergency.

Yes it would have been better to transition smoothly from one sedative to another, but maybe you turned the diprivan off to get the BP up, who knows.

Secondly, the charge should know there will be no way for that patient to track you down once they are better, because they frankly will have little if no memory of their time in the ICU.

I'd ask the manager to address the behavior. It is unlikely that anything you say will make a difference.

If it is likely that you are resigning your positon, be sure that you have a meeting with the DON first. Explain the exact reasons why it is that you are leaving. In order for an enviroment change, someone needs to say something. And if you really like what you do, then at least consider giving the DON time to try and change things for the better. The patient doesn't need to hear any of the ramblings of this nurse's lack of filter. You used your nursing judgement specific to the patient's situation for best outcome. Sounds like her way and the BP would have been in the toilet--a darned if you do darned if you don't situation. Some people just have no filter. But they make poor managers.

Specializes in ICU 3+ years, travel nurse 1+ years.

Agree with jadelpn, have a meeting with your manager and/or DON first to let them know about the situation(s) that are causing you to feel uncomfortable. They will (hopefully) appreciate it (even if you are so done with that place) and you will not have burned a bridge. But also keep in mind there are buttheads everywhere :uhoh21:

Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

Your charge nurse was definitely inappropriate. Is this how he/she usually talks to people? If it is, the manager should address it, and I'd make it a point to talk to the manager about if talking to the culprit doesn't ease your irritation about it all. If this isn't a pattern, maybe she just wasn't picking her words carefully...

Has more gone on than this? It seems so, since just this incident would seem to be not-enough to get a person to quit a job.

Don't quit until you have something else lined up. Jobs are not waiting around every corner these days.

Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

I wouldn't leave over one comment. Yes, she should have approached it in a different matter, but every job will have someone like this and you have to figure out some way of dealing with them.

Specializes in ER, ICU.

Better yet, write it down word for word and make a complaint at HR of a hostile workplace. She needs to go, not you. Of course we don't know the workplace culture but hopefully that isn't a representative sample.

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