Im doing my job,Im not part of your team

[optimist]

This may seem petty/silly

I work weekends doing wound care in LTC. Recently we acquired a new nurse on weekdays for wounds (2 nurses m-f, just me on the weekends). She is such a nice person and trying very hard to fit in and learn the job. Whats bothering me is she is sending correspondence between departments signed "Sincerely, your wound care team, Nurse X, Nurse Y and Nurse Z (insert my name there). Some of the correspondence include letters of praise and gratitude to physicians and PAs gushing on and on about how wonderful thier care is (signed Your Wound Care Team with names). She doesnt even know these people and has very limited knowledge of their inattention to detail, and lack of respect for nurses. Today she brought in lavish gifts for the managment from the Wound Care Team.Talk about a brown noser! How can I tactfully tell her that I would prefer she not include my name on gifts and correspondence. I go in every week to do a job, and though I do communicate with the weekday people, I prefer to not be included as a part of this "team". I dont want to be rude but this is annoying!

[CompleteUnknown]

. -bolding added-

Beverage alert! Thanks - that gave me a laugh!

I don't think the sentiment behind it is wrong, but I was feeling pretty uncomfortable with the way this person implemented it. I think it's odd that a new person would do that without sounding it out with the other members of the team or knowing personalities first. Many people hate "cute".

The bib issue makes me think there are deeper issues at hand. Who would not know that was a dignity issue? When my mom was in an LTC last summer the CNA was not allowed to call that cloth item a BIB which I discovered as she was tucking the --- well I can't remember now what the tortured phrase was she was trying to say actually was because I said, "oh you mean the BIB? Let me do that!"

Lol @ the lot of you. I'm now so practised at that tortured phrase you are trying to remember that I worry if my grandson's psyche is becoming damaged by his father's frequent use of the dreaded B word!

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Whose budget are the gifts coming out of? I've never worked with/for a department rich enough to give all their patients gifts.

Perhaps with 3 wound care nurses it's time to call a staff meeting and discuss issues that you all need to be on the same page about. Nothing should be signed off from the group unless you've all talked and agreed, and the agreement is reflected in the minutes.

I'd just talk to her though. If she's going to sign my name I'd request a copy of the email BEFORE she sends it out. You can tell her you want to be "in the loop" since people a are asking you about things she's done/said. So it will probably be easier for her to just sign for herself if she has to get the approval of the entire team before speaking for the team.