I have support staff that frequently become verbally aggressive when asked to do something or when asked if something was done. This happens in front of patients and staff members. It is out of control and I can't believe no one else will speak up. No one else seems to have a problem with it, but then again I am the only regular on my wing during my shift.
I avoid asking my cna's for help as much as possible because I want to avoid the confrontation. It is very difficult to provide good care when you cannot ask your staff for help when you need it. Sometimes its not even related to my asking for help its related to things not getting done. I will mention it politely and I get yelled at for it. As if, I have no right to stick my nose in it. They will then turn it around and ramble on about how the nursing staff needs to take on some of thier duties because they can't be expected to do it all. Its like they are trying to let me now whos in charge and I am not getting it so they come at me stronger. It has become exhausting and I am a nervous wreck just thinking about going to work.
Try: "Mrs. X needs her diaper changed, she had a BM" or " Physical Therapy wants the wrist brace put on Mr. Y. every morning, I don't want them to see that we are neglecting that"
That way you're not asking, you're reporting. Use objective statements. The staff knows what their job is, you shouldn't have to turn it into a personal favor.
I find if I respect my co-workers, smile and talk to them pleasantly I don't get rude talk. If someone talks rudely Its usually a sign that somethings bothering them and I ask if everythings ok- 8 times out of 10- theres a personal problem behind the behavior. The other 2 times - its just a matter of time- either they leave or improve
In my personal experience, as a former CNA and now an RN, alot of it has to do with how nurses "ask" the CNAs for help. When I was a CNA, there were nurses that would say, "You need to empty the foley in room 283", and others who would say, "Whenver you have a minute, can you empty the foley in room 283?" and others who would say, "I went ahead and emptied the foley in room 283 because you look really busy."
Of course, it all depends on personalities. I find that 99% of the CNA's I work with are more than happy to do their jobs, once they realize that I consider them part of the team. The other 1% are just plain insubordinate, impossible to work with, and make your 12 hour shift seem twice as long.
It used to be that 99% were great, now it is almost 60/40...grrrr...things have changed.
Yes....it is all in that approach, but when that other perecent starts creeping up....
How true....nothing makes a night longer and more stressful than working with ANY staff memeber that doesnt do their job. I wonder why the majority of nurses are scared to write a coworker up? If its in writing, it HAS to be dealt with. I wrote up e3 doctors in and 2 week time period last month for rudenss and intimidation. I wish I had the same courage to do it with a coworker that you just can seem to reason with.....we have one CNA that sleeps, preaches religion ALL the time to patients, uses foul language, will come right out and refuse to do a task.....and almost all of of us are "afraid" to officially write him up for fear of retaliation. Even as I type this, I see how ridiculous it is, and its true: we are to blame for not officially dealing with it.
Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.
I am appalled that any one of you would tolerate ANY kind of intimidation at work whether it's from the CNAs or the managers. It's the same as insubordination....they need to be counseled and this behavior needs to stop. I don't order people around, but I don't expect to have to sugar coat every request. I support my CNAs and expect them to do their jobs without attitude.
When the labor runs wild it is because management is not doing their jobs. ACtually I got that from the military (it was privates and sergeants but whatever).
People behave this way because they have been ALLOWED to behave this way. We seem to have this strange culture in nursing where you 'talk' to people and 'educate' people or 'remediate' them. Or you yell at the person complaining and tell them to get along with others.
This is just positive reinforcement of bad behavior. It shows them that nothing happens.
There is only one answer for this. As the DON or any person with the power to terminate employees, the first time someone publicly behaves in this manner you publicly terminate them. I've seen that happen only once in my 9 years and guess what happened. Everyone else shut up and got to work. Everyone was on their best behavior until the DON left that particular facility.
Specializes in cardiac, psychiatric emergency, rehab.
Ditto.
done. i left a message for my manager that I am tired of the bullying behavior and being 'threatened ' with being written up when i'm too busy taking care of other messes that were not addressed and didnt do one thing that the next shift couldn't find it in themselves to do but threatened ME that if the test came back positive , it would be an incident report. In other words, I clean up from one shift and get threatened by the next shift because things are not done.
How true....nothing makes a night longer and more stressful than working with ANY staff memeber that doesnt do their job. I wonder why the majority of nurses are scared to write a coworker up? If its in writing, it HAS to be dealt with. I wrote up e3 doctors in and 2 week time period last month for rudenss and intimidation. I wish I had the same courage to do it with a coworker that you just can seem to reason with.....we have one CNA that sleeps, preaches religion ALL the time to patients, uses foul language, will come right out and refuse to do a task.....and almost all of of us are "afraid" to officially write him up for fear of retaliation. Even as I type this, I see how ridiculous it is, and its true: we are to blame for not officially dealing with it.
I was told by my supervisor that I can't write them up because it creates a hostile environment. I then contacted the Director and found that this was completely untrue. So in addition to the crap I'm taking from CNA's, I am being lied to. So now that I know, believe I will be writing people up.
Specializes in cardiac, psychiatric emergency, rehab.
We all have to look at the real issues at hand! Is it a matter of 'the person NOT doing their job' or are they cleaning up messes from the previous shift , therefore providing 'double' care including working with family members , emergency health issues that were not identified or over looked, or are they just plain refusing to do their job? I cannot identify how many millions of times I am left to finish work from a prior shift on top of providing care due on my shift only to have the next shift BERATE me for not getting things done.
The real issue is the ability to EVALUATE the entire picture and understand how to work as a TEAM! Being treated rudely or in a condescending or threatening fashion is called 'bullying' or 'work place harrassment'. It is UNACCEPTABLE , not a form of TEAM WORK and is against JACHO effective January 1, 2009!
When the labor runs wild it is because management is not doing their jobs. ACtually I got that from the military (it was privates and sergeants but whatever).
People behave this way because they have been ALLOWED to behave this way. We seem to have this strange culture in nursing where you 'talk' to people and 'educate' people or 'remediate' them. Or you yell at the person complaining and tell them to get along with others.
This is just positive reinforcement of bad behavior. It shows them that nothing happens.
There is only one answer for this. As the DON or any person with the power to terminate employees, the first time someone publicly behaves in this manner you publicly terminate them. I've seen that happen only once in my 9 years and guess what happened. Everyone else shut up and got to work. Everyone was on their best behavior until the DON left that particular facility.
I can't tell you how much I agree. This behavior continues because no one has addressed it and it will continue until someone does. I have, on several occasions, witnessed behavior that should have resulted in immediate termination. When I reported it they acted like it was no big deal, nothing a little talking to couldn't fix. What a joke!
dude...try working at a place as a brand new nurse where you've been working as a cna for 2 years at the same facility.
i know how cnas bust their asses every day so i find it hard to ask them to do things but if i do, i thank them for doing that job i asked of them. im trying to put myself back in their shoes.
but as far as intimidation goes, it really only takes once incident where you have to grow a back bone and "let them know whats up" so to speak. but remember that they're working just as hard(if not harder) for half of what you make.
CapeCodMermaid, it was nice to hear that you find intimidation by management unacceptable. I live and work in the same area, southcoast of MA. I bring with me 30 years of business experience, college graduate, LPN almost RN and love the geriatric population and the Nurses and CNA's that I have been blessed to be teamed with. Management in this facility and its sister facility seem to think that waging war on nurses, writing up nurses for crazy infractions such as making a suggestion on how to make new admission procedures more efficient and making for an easier transition for the patient. The 'Management by Intimidation" and fear and loathing seem to be the norm, not the exception. At first I thought I would get used to it and thought it was a local way, I am not from this area. But I was wrong. One day last week I had 30 sub-acute pts on 7-3 and there were 11 management nurses in the conference room thinking of ways to unload more work on us. I am done. I feel like a failure that I only made it in this endeavor for 2 years. My co-workers have been great, assuring me that I will make a wonderful RN. The CNAs want me to write references for them and take them wherever I end up because we made a great team. If not for the CNAs and LPN's that I know, love and respect, I think I would have given up nursing and gone back to business. I just love nursing and hope that I never go thru another experience such as this one.
achot chavi
980 Posts
Try: "Mrs. X needs her diaper changed, she had a BM" or " Physical Therapy wants the wrist brace put on Mr. Y. every morning, I don't want them to see that we are neglecting that"
That way you're not asking, you're reporting. Use objective statements. The staff knows what their job is, you shouldn't have to turn it into a personal favor.
I find if I respect my co-workers, smile and talk to them pleasantly I don't get rude talk. If someone talks rudely Its usually a sign that somethings bothering them and I ask if everythings ok- 8 times out of 10- theres a personal problem behind the behavior. The other 2 times - its just a matter of time- either they leave or improve
Its like dealing with my teenage kids!!!!