Mobbing support - threats, hostile work environment

[NurseBrittney]

I have a meeting with my manager today.

I know that she feels I am the problem. I have asked to transfer shifts as well as opportunities in the hospital in the past, only to be told explicitly now. I have expressed my concerns to my boss before in regards to my treatment and she calmly listened, and seemingly took no action. My best guess is that she assumed it would just go away.

I was physically threated by a coworker Sunday when she stated to another nurse "I am about to kick her ***". This was because I asked her to work as a team. As charge nurse she has to help me take care of my patients, if she feels I am not doing an adequate job. She refused. Stated she did not have time to do my job. All this while my patient was being appropriately cared for.

For a year and half I have faced challenges with these 4 women. But I can honestly tell you now is the first time I have feared for the safety of patients among these nurses. I also notice they throw other new nurses, techs, pulled nurses to the wolves and often call other departments and nurses "stupid". I fear my my safety at work as well. I don't want to go into the med room, supply room, or walk to my car at night for fear of a verbal assault.

I am doing my very best to do the right thing. 2 of the nurses will be leaving in December, for different opportunity. 2 will be left.

I really enjoy the patients, doctors, and care I am allowed to provide in my current position. I have so much faith in the good of mankind that I hope for these best out of these situations. I also am fearful for the safety of these patients. Not so much with them, but the patients of nurses that aren't in their social group.

What can I do to make this better? How can this be fixed?

[Jules A, MSN]

Blackheartednurse said:

I totally disagree with you about the role of charge nurse..I'm really sick and tired of people saying that the charge nurse is holier than thou and cant get her hands dirty...when another nurse is drowning under a pile of work it is the charge nurse responsibility to step in and help..have you forgotten about patient safety..Egos aside we are talking here about sick patients and we should work as a team..

Well as a charge nurse who didn't ask for the title, gets no extra compensation and has her own full load of patients that require my hands very getting dirty "I'm really sick and tired" of the couple that repeatedly aren't capable of doing their own work.

[CeilingCat, ASN, RN]

toomuchrock said:

I don't want to go into the med room, supply room, or walk to my car at night for fear of a verbal assault.

Stop hiding from them. LET them become verbally abusive. LET one of them touch you. Because from now on you'll carry a notepad and jot down everything inappropriate other nurses say. Then you'll have it word-for-word when you file additional complaints with HR. If any of them touches you, this is actually a good thing: you can file charges AND expect the hospital to take disciplinary action. When you wake up tomorrow, tell yourself that you will not be a victim. You will not be afraid or intimidated. You are just as worthy of respect as anyone in your facility, and if they can't control themselves & act professionally, they're the ones who will be feeling the consequences.

I hope you can also look beyond this and let go of the me-vs-them mindset. Stop blaming them for your unhappiness at work; it's not other peoples' job to make you happy... it's yours. Do your job the best you know how. Do perfect documenting so nobody can take a swipe at you. Leave work each day knowing you made a difference to your patients and that's really what matters.

If these women want to be petty, it's no longer your problem. They have to live with the consequences of their actions. You just worry about you.

[MassED, BSN, RN]

REPORT the nurse - sounds like you did, since the manager is bringing you in. Do NOT tolerate that behavior - that's lateral workplace violence. I dealt with that when I lived in North Carolina. I reported it - and promptly moved to another department. Some things (nurses) won't change, but don't accept it - don't allow yourself to be BULLIED. Report the nurse that threatened you to the nursing board if the hospital refuses to back you up.

[MassED, BSN, RN]

toomuchrock said:

I went to house supervisor immediately. She reported to Hr and my manager. I spoke with HR, they said my manager would handle it.

In regards to charge nurses role. The instance that occurred, involved her sitting at the nurses station, arms crossed, calling physicians and getting orders for my patient when she felt they were having difficulty breathing. I did not see her assess the patient. I feel that If she as charge feels I am not handling a situation appropriately, it is her responsibility to remedy it.

The patient was not having any difficulty breathing. The alarm on the pulse ox sensor was sounding erroneously. She discussed this with every nurse but me, and choose to call the physician without discussing it with me. She had him order unnecessary medication and worried and stressed the family.

It is her job to take charge, and she refused, stating she did not have time.

Sounds like that charge nurse is completely disrespectful and diminishes your position as the primary nurse. Sure, she's in charge of the floor, but YOU know what is going on with the total care of that patient - she only has a glimpse/snapshot from you.....that nurse definitely needs to be addressed by HR.

[MassED, BSN, RN]

Blackheartednurse said:

I totally disagree with you about the role of charge nurse..I'm really sick and tired of people saying that the charge nurse is holier than thou and cant get her hands dirty...when another nurse is drowning under a pile of work it is the charge nurse responsibility to step in and help..have you forgotten about patient safety..Egos aside we are talking here about sick patients and we should work as a team..

[MassED, BSN, RN]

toomuchrock said:

This is my point exactly. We have to work as a team, regardless of our personal feelings, the patient is always the priority.

She called the doctor without assessing the patient herself. She went upon a previous days assessment and the words of another nurse. I don't think it is at all appropriate to call a physician and request orders without assessing the patient. It completely disregards the nursing process.

While I don't want anyone to do my job, what I do want is teamwork. I want the charge nurse to take charge when she feels it is needed. I want to feel like when I need help, it will be given.

I was written up at my meeting. First time I have ever had it happen in my entire life. I was told I was the problem and my personality is to blame. My concern of the threat, and harassment were disregarded. I was told that She denied it and no one else came forward and said she said that. When I asked if she asked anyone point blank if they heard her say it. She said no. She told me if I felt so passionately about it that I was more than welcome to take it up with human resources. She basically told me it was my fight to fight and that she couldn't take my word.

I feel defeated. I was forced to transfer to a night position. She refused my request to transfer to a different floor.

I do not know what I have done to deserve this. This is wrong and I have been punished for standing up for myself and my patients.

FIND A NEW JOB. I'd write up that manager and take it to HR - sounds like you're being pushed out, unfortunately. Upon your exit interview, bring all of your documentation of your treatment to HR.

[MassED, BSN, RN]

Jules A said:

Well as a charge nurse who didn't ask for the title, gets no extra compensation and has her own full load of patients that require my hands very getting dirty "I'm really sick and tired" of the couple that repeatedly aren't capable of doing their own work.

Sounds like YOU are in a bad position... but this is about the OP and her dealings with a horrible situation.....

[Jules A, MSN]

MassED said:

Sounds like YOU are in a bad position... but this is about the OP and her dealings with a horrible situation.....

Lol, I wasn't complaining about my position just adding that it might not be the charge nurse's sole duty to do other nurses work as some have written.

[KateRN1]

Interesting . . . . I didn't hear a self-assessment of your role in the situation, other than that of "victim." Lateral violence is never to be condoned, but my first question to anyone is "What was your role in this chain of events?"

[Intern67]

Jules A said:

Well as a charge nurse who didn't ask for the title, gets no extra compensation and has her own full load of patients that require my hands very getting dirty "I'm really sick and tired" of the couple that repeatedly aren't capable of doing their own work.

This brings up a question - just what are the responsibilities of a Charge Nurse supposed to be? In Jules' case, it seems that she just got a title and additional responsibilities shoved on her while doing all the work of a floor nurse. In this case, she is in the weeds herself and has no availability to help.

I don't know if this is the case for the rest of the posters or the OP. When I worked in LTC, I never saw a Charge Nurse perform a single care on a patient whether it was called for or not. I think they were justifiably worried that if they did perform cares even once, many of the floor nurses would simply stop working altogether. In the case of my old facility, they were exactly right. The Charge Nurses did have a lot of other duties, which seemed to be centered around staying one step ahead of state inspectors threatening to pull the facility's Medicare Cert.

So, what is a Charge Nurse's duties supposed to be (in general) and what do you folks see in practice at LTCs and hospitals?

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

I remember one day when I was

Charge plus had a full patient load - and as we practise Total Pt Care that means I was responsible for every aspect of my pts care - plus all the Charge duties. At the end of the day, a new staff member was complaining to another nurse that I never helped her. That nurse came to me around lunch time and asked me if I had helped "Jane" at all that morning. I said "No - she never asked me for help and besides, I was pretty busy myself". She then said "Well, Jane only had a 20 minute break in the morning". I informed her that that was 20 minutes more than I had gotten so I didn't really know what more Jane wanted from me. It never occured to Jane that if she was busy with the easiest assignment on the unit (we always try to give new staff member easier assignments) that perhaps the person in Charge might have just been too busy to help her.

to the OP - are you sure that the Charge Nurse never checked your pt? Could she have checked the pt when you were in another room? And did you every tell your charge nurse that the sat monitor wasn't working correctly? Or did you just assume she knew? How much info were you providing the Charge Nurse? And just perhaps she saw something that you did not which is why she called the MD. I know that when I have been charge and have discovered something critically wrong with a pt, sometimes I let the MD know first - then the nurse.

I'm not saying the Charge Nurse was right, and you were wrong, or vice versa. I'm just looking at it from another perspective.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Intern67 said:

This brings up a question - just what are the responsibilities of a Charge Nurse supposed to be? In Jules' case, it seems that she just got a title and additional responsibilities shoved on her while doing all the work of a floor nurse. In this case, she is in the weeds herself and has no availability to help.

I don't know if this is the case for the rest of the posters or the OP. When I worked in LTC, I never saw a Charge Nurse perform a single care on a patient whether it was called for or not. I think they were justifiably worried that if they did perform cares even once, many of the floor nurses would simply stop working altogether. In the case of my old facility, they were exactly right. The Charge Nurses did have a lot of other duties, which seemed to be centered around staying one step ahead of state inspectors threatening to pull the facility's Medicare Cert.

So, what is a Charge Nurse's duties supposed to be (in general) and what do you folks see in practice at LTCs and hospitals?

Thank you.

I'm now a unit manager of a 44-bed unit in a SNF. There is a lot to be done beyond passing meds and doing treatments, neither of which I am expected to do because managing IS actually a f/t job. And, as you said, it's laregely to satisfy State and CMS. Every third weekend I am supe, and am not supposed to have floor duties. We have been short lately and they have regularly been scheduling one unit short a nurse on weekends. Guess why.

Now, I have no problem taking a cart or wiping a behind or any of it. But last weekend was insane, I have accidents and incidents and Easter Sunday with a bazillion family members - I am in my office (a lovely ex-supply area adjacent to the toilet) and have done the a.m. med pass on another wing. One of the LPNs says, "I'm going to go see if M needs any help with treatments." My main LPN says, "Isn't Sue helping?" then looks at me and bleats, "You know, when you're scheduled to work the floor it means you're on the floor!" I was speechless and the other nurse stuck her head in and said, "She didn't mean that the way it sounded."

Well, first of all, she damned well did mean it the way it sounded. Second, I was not scheduled to work the floor and could have dumped the entire a.m. pass on M and did not because I am not a princess and don't see any point to not pitching in. It benefits no one, least of all the residents, to have an exhausted, overworked nurse trying to do it all. Third, who the he!! does she think she is to tell me what my job is or for what I was scheduled?

I have been a floor nurse. I busted my butt to get the RN so I didn't have the limited scope LPNs in NYS have. If you are burned out and want off the floor get the credentials and get off my back.

As to the OP, I am sorry you are having such trouble. I have been targeted for bullying and it is horrible. I wish you a satisfactory resolution to your problem.