Mean nurse?

Nurses Relations

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So I recently got report from a nurse that is new to our unit. She didn't know the patients history (intubated/surgery ect) or why specialists were consulted. During the report, I asked questions as I assumed she wasn't mentioning these things because she wasn't sure how much information I wanted. Midway through, she simply got up, said bye and left, without going over the new orders, brady and apnea history, and medications as is expected on our unit. When talking with a coworker about the new staff on the unit I mentioned this experience as I was a little shocked. My coworkers response was to tell me I was being mean and as the new nurse was used to ward nursing it was unfair of me to expect her to know how we give report.

The new nurse did receive our normal training, and has been on the unit for 4 months. I received report from another girl who started at the same time and her report was great.

Am I out of line? I like to think I am good with new staff and many staff members routinely come to me with questions, but this has me doubting myself.

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Threads merged

0 Votes
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

Maybe she's just feeling overwhelmed and will hit her stride. From everything you've said I don't think you were being mean. After all report happens for a reason. If glaring issues don't even get mentioned, then what does?

There's another thread on here somewhere about report pet peeves. One of mine was listening to a drawn out spiel about what a nice person the patient was, but no mention of surgical procedure or postoperative day number. Drove me nuts.

And when I'd ask a question and get told "I knew you were going to ask me that!" Well yes, you did. Why do you not have the answer?

Hopefully your coworkers all help the new person get up to speed, including giving an appropriate report.

2 Votes
15 hours ago, TriciaJ said:

Maybe she's just feeling overwhelmed and will hit her stride. From everything you've said I don't think you were being mean. After all report happens for a reason. If glaring issues don't even get mentioned, then what does?

That's the way I look at it. If the important information isn't given, then we might as well not have report and simply hand over the chart. I should find the report pet peeve thread, it would be a good read! Thanks for the feedback! I'm hoping given time she is more comfortable and she doesn't get yelled at in the meantime.

1 Votes

1) Try not to peg people based on one report. That is to say, a pattern of not knowing anything is way different than a one-off.

2) The idea of talking about how we can help the newer people is the excuse of every gossip-lover. The way to help new people is to make a kind and professional inquiry with them if you identify a concern.

8 Votes

Why not have a chat with her directly instead of speaking about her to other staff?

She's only been on the unit for 4 months. Perhaps, give her the benefit of the doubt that she's not use to the way things are done on your unit or at your facility. Everyone has their own communication style, and in addition to her giving the shift report... you should also be reading the progress notes from the previous shift to get a better picture on your patients' status/Hx. A polite conversation with her could potentially clear up a lot of things.

4 Votes
Specializes in ED, ICU, PSYCH, PP, CEN.

You said she just stood up, said bye and left. That sounds like very strange behavior to me. That does not sound like professional, mature behavior. In the 17 years I've been a nurse I have encountered every type of report taker and giver. No one has ever done that to me, and I have never done that to anyone.

Sometimes you get someone who wants to know everything about the pt including last time they "ate steak", and you just calmly sit there and if you don't have the answers you still wait until all questions are answered whether you like it or not.

Since I have worked in the same unit for 5 years I now know what kind of report each person will want and tailor it for that person. It's a survival skill.

It's also possible she had a terrible night and didn't have a chance to look hardly anything up. I still have those nights once in a while and just say, "I know nothing, I just kept them alive for you." LOL

It sounds like you have never taken report from her before, so it's hard to know if she is always like that or just had a bad shift.

One place I worked at had a shift report sheet, and it had to be filled out to give report, and then turned in to unit director each day, I still use that sheet to keep me on track.

4 Votes
39 minutes ago, gonzo1 said:

I just kept them alive for you."

Sometimes, "I kept them alive for you" is enough because almost all clinical areas have electronic shift report in addition to progress notes (which every nurse should be reading especially for their own assignments). Also, we all know that ONE nurse who asks redundant questions and wastes everyone's time... to which I say, "more details, as per usual, are updated and can be read by you in the chart, shift report, progress notes." Short and sweet reports are fine. So, while it is definitely the ideal to get report from the horse's mouth.... sometimes people are fried/exhausted at the end of their shift and we need to be kind.

Also, I agree with what another poster stated about this new nurse + you perhaps needing to adjust your communication according to who you're speaking with. Maybe you both need to compromise, but you won't know this without addressing this with her directly. Best of luck!

2 Votes
Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.
On 5/23/2020 at 1:22 PM, will_power27 said:

Fair point. The nurse saying I was mean wasn't working that day, and didn't seem aware of the interaction. I was more taken back that she saw me asking a question in report as mean, as people frequently clarify or ask questions during report on our floor. The new nurse didn't seem upset when she left, she just seemed to think she was done giving report. I was trying to help her out cause some of the nurses we work with would be very upset with the report she gave. What would you have done differently?

I would have directly just told her after asking a question or two where she didn’t know the answer “I’m only asking because this is part of our report protocol on this floor.” By asking a whole bunch of questions to “help her out” as you said, you may have come across in a completely different way than you realize.

5 Votes

Thanks for the responses! I am not pegging her as a clueless person or anything. This post was intended as an attempt to reflect on the way I approached the situation and hopefully find a better way to handle a similar situation in the future. As I have mentioned I have been working on this unit for 3+ years and know where to find the information I needed and do review progress notes ect on all my patients. The information not given is expected to be passed on in report as per policy. I promise I was not trying to ask redundant questions and waste everyone's time.
I have never had someone leave the way she did in report, which was what surprised me. We only give and get report on our patients and our patient load is 1-3 pts per nurse so time is not a concern. I know 12 HR shifts can be long and sometimes at the end giving report can be difficult especially on a new unit. I am always looking to find better ways to communicate with new and experienced staff, and to be the best nurse and person I can be.
My biggest fear with approaching directly her is: her feeling I am trying to bully her, or finding out she thought her report was fine and I am wrecking her confidence. I was planning wait until I got report from her again to see if it was simply a bad day.

1 Votes
1 hour ago, will_power27 said:

1-3 pts per nurse so time is not a concern.

Not a concern? Careful now... 1-3 patients/nurse can be a hella heavy workload depending on individual patient complexity and acuity. That why ICU nurses sometimes only have 1 pt, because that 1 pt needs can equal that of 10x patients. Assignment #'s are not always indicative of workload. Just try to be mindful.

2 Votes
1 hour ago, CaffeinePOQ4HPRN said:

Not a concern? Careful now... 1-3 patients/nurse can be a hella heavy workload depending on individual patient complexity and acuity. That why ICU nurses sometimes only have 1 pt, because that 1 pt needs can equal that of 10x patients. Assignment #'s are not always indicative of workload. Just try to be mindful.

I was not trying to say a 1 pt assignment is easy or diminish how much a nurse may need to do with a 1 pt assignment. All I was trying to get accross was that she wasnt giving me report on several pts. She did not leave late because I was asking questions, and was actually able to leave before her shift was officially over. Sorry if there was a misunderstanding

0 Votes

I think it's important to contemplate what your goal is (with the situation you reported, not this discussion specifically).

Possible goals:

- To improve patient care and/or maintain what you believe is the best/safest method of reporting

- To make sure you are able to acquire information necessary to provide appropriate patient care

- To help another nurse give a more complete report

- To have it noted that someone had an incidence of not following a particular policy

- To make sure that coworkers follow policies

- To sound an alarm (through various official and unofficial channels) that this nurse may not be the "cream of the crop"

Etc.

There are too many policies...there are so many that no one can keep track of them let alone do them all perfectly. Half the time managers and supervisors can't even produce them when there is a question because they have disappeared into that great abyss known as the online policy center. Unit-specific policies and expectations are important but they certainly don't inherently represent universal nursing standards of perfection. They are even sometimes reactionary responses to isolated issues. And they pile up and pile up. So use caution in judging your coworker based on this kind of thing. This nurse is newer to your area. Maybe she has spent her time concentrating on something else. And the other newer nurse who gave a perfect report might just be dropping some other major ball you don't know about.

It also sounds like you just want to understand the experience. In that case just ask the nurse about it. Say something along the lines, "I've been hoping to touch base and ask whether there was a problem the other day--you kind of stopped/left when I thought we were in the middle of report..." If she indicates her abrupt end to report had something to do with your questions, you'll have your chance to let her know of the policy. If she says there was no problem, you can just state that you thought maybe it was the questions, and you want her to know you're used to receiving that info because it is the unit policy.

Other than that just stop worrying about it. You have spent considerable time thinking of what excuse she could theoretically make, and rebutting these (her orientation/training, workload/time constraints, getting out on time, etc., etc) even though she made no excuses. You've spent time asking other nurses about this IRL and online. Altogether you have expended some mental and emotional energy...you're thinking about this too much. Makes for unhappy life.

Talk to her or else just let the manager worry about it if it is eventually found to be part of a larger performance issue.

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2 Votes
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