Well, this weekend I found myself charge nurse, working with 3 LPN's (two of them hired within the last month), and one RN. The "charge nurse" idea is fairly new to us, since our staff is mostly RN. So, this weekend I was given 2 patients so I could be available to assist the LPN's with admits, and give IV pushes, and basically just be there for backup, since it is a very new staff. The RN I was working with has been a nurse for 6 years, but has only worked at our facility for the past 4 or 5 months. And I have never worked with anyone like her before. She gets offended when anyone helps her! It blows my mind. And she always runs around, as momma would say, like a chicken with its head cut off. Stressed, and anxiety high--whether she has 1 patient or 7. And I can't help but try to help someone that obviously in need of it.
So, yesterday, she had two discharges. She I wrote up all the paperwork. She walked by the desk, and I told her the patients were d/c and I was going to remove IV's and give them paperwork. She put her hands on her hip and informed me she was more than capable of doing her own work, thank you. I told her I was just trying to help, since that was my job today. She actually said "fine, thanks a lot, but I'll discharge them myself". I think a lot of her attitude comes from her previous facility, because the nurses there seemed very backstabbing (I did many many clinicals there). But on the other hand, if you don't make an effort to help her, she will make comments about how easy the rest of us seem to have it compared to her. I've tried to explain that is because the rest of us help one another.
I just hate not to help her if she needs help, but I hate to get her attitude as well. Most of the staff has given up trying to help her. I've just never seen anyone act like that when you try to assist them.
