It was bound to happen, unpleasant coworker issues

[Catch22Personified]

I work in an assisted living facility that feels more like a SNF/LTC seriously I have 4 G tube patients and most of them are total care. I'm the night nurse and the only unit regular nurse so I receive the work from floaters everyday for the past two months. Since there is no regular during days and evenings a lot of orders don't get followed up on so on the report it tends to say follow up with the doctor a lot. However lately I've been getting this one floater who has been nothing but problems for me. This post is going to sound horrible because I do not want to reveal any details if possible not even gender.

1. This nurse comes pretty late, I'm supposed to have clocked out 10 minutes after my shift ends (we are allowed 10 minutes overtime). The individual will come seriously three minutes before that comes.

2. When the person does come on time, I see the nurse who is supposed to be taking over chatting with the other nurses and arguing over assignment so ending up coming late again. It's gotten so bad even the day supervisor goes when they see me: "Late relief again? Don't worry the office knows already."

3. When I get report, the person will at random just talk to someone making me wonder if they are listening.

4. The other day the person just got on my case: "You are the unit regular, why aren't you calling the doctors?" By the time I finish getting report from the evening staff it is already almost 12AM. Our shift had a staff meeting with administration, basically doctors complained about our shift calling them early in the morning over stuff that can be left for the other shifts to follow up.

5. "You're the night shift, you have a lot of free time so call them up". Seriously when I heard that I should have taken out all the charts and med records telling the person off: "I have to do med record reconciliations AND take care of 38 patients while you complain about having 10 patients in the morning." This person has been spreading slander to the other nurses saying I'm lazy some of the floaters fight over who has to take over my post in the morning.

How do I deal with this person? So far I say hello, give the unit keys, give report, make sure the patients are alive and wish them a good day. I cannot even look this person in the face because I am angered by it. I miss having regular nurses on the other shifts so work actually gets done and actually recognize I do work at night.

[carolmaccas66, BSN, RN]

This is a no win situation.

If anyone is late again, I would be completing incident reports (you can complete IR for anything, not just patient incidents) and ensuring the DON/NM gets it - everytime, & I would be complaining loudly.

Secondly, this is going to keep happening. I would brush up my CV & get the heck out of there quick smart.

I don't wait for staff anymore. I don't do unpaid overtime either - I've done my years of slogging my guts out and having no-one hardly appreciate it, and then not getting paid for it.

The managers can get out of their warm beds & cover for the late staff, why don't you ring them at 3am and see how they like it? They will get p****d off very quickly.

I wouldn't stay there myself. It gets old listening to the same excuses: my alarm didn't go off (get a new alarm!), my car wouldn't start (catch a bus or get the car fixed!), my son wouldn't get off to school quickly (he's using you, because he doesn't want to go to school - be more firm with him!) I try to get to my shift at least 5-10 minutes beforehand (not always possible with traffic delays) but I always get there on time (& if I don't I ring to let someone know how far out I am). It's not impossible or unreasonable to expect others to do that as well. And it's always the same people who make the excuses!

Your manager is slack, but unless you start saying something and complaining, nothing will happen. They are using your good nature to their advantage! You need to start saying you will report them.

I learned a looong time ago you can't make friends at work - not if you're managing them too. You need to take a firmer stance or leave.