LPN's negative attitude is driving me nuts!!

[CNAinNeb]

Just need to rant! There is one LPN on my unit whom I have yet to hear a positive remark from. He constantly complains about how much he hates the nursing profession, how he doesn't get paid enough (he works part-time, and gets 1000/mo on top of his salary and for nursing school living expenses, plus free tuition), how his wife makes X dollars per year and how he should have studied business, how I should really reconsider my decision to go to school for nursing. We have students on our unit on a regular basis, and he complains just as much to them. His chronic complaining drains my spirits even more than patient Suzy Q puking in my crocs! Whenever a pt falls, he always says "F-it, now I have to do a mountain of paperwork!"-- right in front of the resident!! Many of my residents have made comments about his attitude as well.

What really bothers me is that he knows he hates nursing, but he is continuing his education in the field of nursing. I ask him why he is continuing his education to become an RN, if he hates it so much. He says he is becoming an RN only because the company is paying for it, and would like to eventually go in to management.:angryfire

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

Some people complain a lot. He'd probably complain no matter what job he had. I just don't listen. If he starts complaining, just walk away.

[leslie :-D]

let him complain....in private.

NOT in front of the pts, especially using cuss words.

i'd have no problem in informing him that such unprofessionalism, warrants a writeup/complaint to the nm/DON.

that crap has got to stop.

leslie

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

His negative remarks will zap the soul out of you, but only if you allow it to occur.

I learned to effectively tune people out several years ago. This was the best thing that ever happened to me.

"Ignore, and it will go away!"

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

I worked with a nurse like this once. No matter what, she could turn any positive into a negative.

It got easier to deal with when I remembered this saying from my childhood: "She wouldn't be happy if she had a job in a pie factory tasting pies." After that, every time I was around her I just thought about pies! (And, of course, pictured her in the factory, tasting pies and complaining).

[ann945n, RN]

I worked with a nurse like this once. No matter what, she could turn any positive into a negative.

It got easier to deal with when I remembered this saying from my childhood: "She wouldn't be happy if she had a job in a pie factory tasting pies." After that, every time I was around her I just thought about pies! (And, of course, pictured her in the factory, tasting pies and complaining).

I love this saying, I cant believe Ive never heard it! Thank you Ill start using that one with difficult people I work with :)

[I love my cat!]

Here is a great article!!!!

Dealing With Complainers

(excerpt from article)

The things we normally do about complainers and why they don't work.

There are several strategies people use around complainers, none of which really work.

1: Cheering them up doesn't work

As in "Oh, it can't be that bad", "Come on, cheer up!" or the perennial favorite: "Time heals all wounds".

Saying things like this shows the complainer that you're not taking their pain seriously. When you tell a complainer "it's not that bad", he wilpainten complain even harder to convince you (and himself) that his problems are very serious indeed.

2: Suggesting solutions doesn't work

"Why don't you...", "have you tried..." or even worse "You should really have..."

The complainers' problems are really serious and can't be solved by a few smart-ass suggestions from you. Or so they've convinced themselves. The more you try to suggest solutions, the harder they will work to convince you and themselves that these solutions could never possibly work for them.

3: Telling them to pull themselves together doesn't work

"Quit complaining and do something about it" or one of my favorites: "You either want the problem or you want the solution".

Yeah, telling them that their problems are trivial and they just need to pull themselves together is going to work juuuuust fine. All complainers magically stop complaining at this. Or do they?

4: Complaining about the complainers doesn't work

"Damn, that Sally complains a lot doesn't she?"

Guess what, you just became a complainer )

5: Ignoring them / avoiding them doesn't work

This makes complainers clamor for attention even more - which usually makes people ignore them even more. That's a vicious cycle right there.

6: Complaining along with them doesn't work

"You know what, you're right, the boss IS a jerk. And the weather sucks. In fact everything sucks."

This can be kind of cosy because it creates bonding and an us-against-the-world feeling. But ultimately it's a bad idea because the more people complain the less prone they are to doing something about their problems.

I remember one of the first jobs I had where my manager was a complete dolt. My co-workers and I couldn't start a meeting, go out for a beer or just meet in the hallway without spending 15-20 minutes complaining about him and his stupid ways.

But all those man-hours spent complaining changed nothing and none of us ever did anything about it. Except quit the company one by one )

7: Confronting them doesn't work

You can drive the complaints underground where you don't see them, but they will probably still be going on. And repressed complaining is worse than open complaining because it gets to stew and grow while it's hidden.

*To add, Also, I have worked with complainers in the past and I would say a lot of them have Anger issues that really need to be addressed and/or undiagnosed Depression.

[scottlgarrett]

Its too bad that you have to work with someone who bacically sucks the life from his coworkers, and others. We have all had to put up with someone like this, and in some cases we were like this at one time or another in our lives.

Ultimately his **** poor attitude will do him in, hopefully he does not kill or injure a patient in the process.

If his whining and complaining is creating a hostile workplace, or jeopardizing the patients you should report it.

[husker_rn, RN]

I'd take a step back and remember that you can learn from everyone. In this case you can learn how NOT to conduct your nursing practice when you get thru nursing school. Sometimes those types of lessons are just as important as positive experiences.

[Jo Dirt]

My husband is filled with negativity so I know what a drain it is to be around someone like that. Just be glad you get to go home, and this job won't last forever, one day he will be a vague memory.

[jessiern, BSN, RN]

He says he is becoming an RN only because the company is paying for it, and would like to eventually go in to management.:angryfire

A a$$wipe like that needs to be in management about as bad as I need a hole in the side of my head.