My biggest fear come true...

DianeMyra · Aug 11, 2005

Today was a bad day. So I just started at this nursing home, I've only been there a couple weeks and I work part time. Most of the nurses.... well ALL of the nurses in the nursing home are older than me... and most of the CNAs too. I'm and LPN, age 22. And my fear was that no one would take me seriously cause I was new and young and cause they've been there forever and are experienced. So far I've been able to assert myself (in a nice way) but sometimes I feel like a student nurse all over again! I try to help the CNAs whenever I have time but sometimes I AM BUSY and I can't and it seems like they are upset... but they always come to ME for help, I'm not the only nurse there! I think that I have been handeling myself well so far... BUT today, this nurse yelled at me, and she had no right to (at least I don't think so), I did nothing wrong. One of HER patients had a dressing and they were begging for it to be changed before lunch, and it definitely looked like it NEEDED to be changed, so.... I did it, I signed the treatment book, and told her. She went to look at the dressing then came back and yelled at me saying "If you don't know how to change dressings then don't do it! It's all wrong!" I KNOW it was NOT wrong, it was a basic dressing change, very simple, and I'd changed it before (but she didn't know that). I KNOW IT WAS RIGHT. I feel like she doesn't like me for whatever reason but I've been nothing but nice to everyone. I guess I'm just being a baby... sorry. :uhoh21:
~Crystal

Feeling upset over being yelled at does not a baby make. I don't understand why anyone would ever feel the need to yell at someone in the workplace. - Diane

leopold · Aug 11, 2005

Just curious, I couldn't tell from your post whether you told the nurse before you changed the dressing that you were going to do it. Don't want to criticize, could be a communication issue.

As for the CNA issue, I worked as a CNA for a couple years and I rarely asked a nurse for help or even expected it. They have enough to do! In fact, it makes me very nervous when I see a nurse doing something I chould be doing, i.e. positioning or getting a patient up. We had one nurse that came in for wound care at the change of shift -- before any of us were actually on the floor and when he was finished with the wound he would come out and tell us that the pt. had a BM and he had cleaned it up. He did not mean anything but to let me know so I could document it but it made me very nervous and I started trying to get to this pt. before he got to him.

Do the CNAs ask the other nurses on your unit for help? Observe how these aides treat the more experienced nurses and how they respond. You should expect to receive the same respect.

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Aug 11, 2005

I went through something similar when I started at my current job at assisted living. The CNA's and other nurses didn't really know what to think of me...I am very much younger than any of the past and present nurses (I am 35 they are all over 50), so they basically thought I was either an upstart or stupid or both! LOL~!

Took a while for everyone to find out my value, and days went when I thought..what the heck did I get into here!!! I was yelled at by CNA's, sarcastic remarks in front and behind my back by the other nurses. Hey...I was the nurse that filled in every shift when a nurse was needed and then some..why the heck treat me like this!!!

A few months later (seemed an eternity), they finally found I wasn't going to leave them (and I guess it was their fear...they lost 3 nurses before me because they couldn't handle the stress load), and that I was pretty easy going and always there to help! Not to mention I made work more fun (I have a great sence of humor and use it to teach and help).

Give it time and believe in yourself...keep asserting yourself and maybe look into why the staff may not take you too seriously at first...I found out those nurses (both LPN and RN) before me only stayed 3-6 months and left without notice so everyone didn't want to befriend me incase I was like them. Makes sence in a way...but not a very happy welcome and please stay is it??? LOL! Well, seems typical for our field...

Good luck!

krob0729 · Aug 11, 2005

Best thing I can tell you is not to let her know it affected you in ANY way.

Treat her like nothing ever happed. If she sees she can't get a reaction out of you it might help. It usually does me. As for the aide situation, tell the aide that she needs to find another aid on the unit to help her that you are busy at the moment. The only time I ever asked my CN for help as an aide was AFTER I had went to the other 3 halls to get someone that was not in the middle of a bath or cleaning someone up to help me. I am now a CN and this is my first Nursing Job. (3months LVN) At first the aides did me that way too, until I decided that I had my own job to do and that there were plenty of aides on the wing that could help them. When I'm not busy or if I'm making my rounds and I see one of my aides doing something which will require help, I offer my services. After I quit trying to "get along" with everyone and "be nice" to everyone and started sticking up for the title LVN, Charge Nurse, that I had worked my butt off for things changed. Now they ask me what needs to be done by the end of shift that is extra for the night and when I HAVE TIME TO SPARE I help them when I can. I'm finally starting to feel like a CN and in an authoritative position and capable of making sound decisions on my own, but keeping the respect of others I work with at the same time. Hope things get soooo much better for you. Keep us posted.

Editorial Team / Admin · Aug 11, 2005

Could be she's threatened by you, the newbie: young, energetic, pretty and up on the very latest in nursing theory and patient care. So, she had to find something "wrong" with the dressing change. It may have just been that you did it differently than she would have; that's not necessarily "wrong."

It may be that she's been called on the carpet for not doing things, and thinks you will report you're having to do her work; nurse mgr will then perceive her as inefficient, etc etc.

There a lot of "mights" here.

Agree w/Leopold, could be a communication issue. You might try mending things by apologizing to her, trying to explain the reason you changed the dsg. And, with all humility, asking her to show you the "right" way to do it (the next time she has to change it), so you'll know what to do if the pt is ever assigned to you. WE know that you already know the right way to do it; but, again, that isn't the point. Building a collaborative working relationship w/colleagues is the point (as much as you can, that is. Some folks just don't wanna play the game. Too bad for them, they miss a lot and can become toxic to work with).

Hang in there. This hurts and stings now, but you'll grow from it. Ppl can be hurtful. Do what you know is right, according to your training, for your patients. (you'll probably feel better about the incident in a day or so anyway; time and a good sleep are gentle healers) :)

Good luck. -- D

NurCrystal22 · Aug 11, 2005

Well no, I didn't tell her before I did it because she I know her system... well let me explain... It's one unit but two halls... I have one hall and she has another... she likes to start with med pass, and once she is completely done with that, then she does treatments.... I do both, like, I'll give them their med and do their treatment while I'm there, i guess it just seems more efficient and it's easy for me to get everything done. But she likes to do one then the other so.... she was in the middle of her med pass and I've already learned not to interupt her while she's doing that. I thought I was helping her... I mean... one less thing she has to.

NurCrystal22 · Aug 11, 2005

Thank you all for the advice, I feel SO much better already! I guess I just need to hang in there. Maybe she was just having a bad day and took it out on me, I understand that that happens. I guess I'll apologize and ask her how she changes the dressing and if she yells at me again I won't let her see that I'm upset. Thanks for the advice! You guys are great!

~Crystal

Cute_CNA, CNA · Aug 11, 2005

Could be she's threatened by you, the newbie: young, energetic, pretty and up on the very latest in nursing theory and patient care. So, she had to find something "wrong" with the dressing change. It may have just been that you did it differently than she would have; that's not necessarily "wrong."
It may be that she's been called on the carpet for not doing things, and thinks you will report you're having to do her work; nurse mgr will then perceive her as inefficient, etc etc.
There a lot of "mights" here.
Agree w/Leopold, could be a communication issue. You might try mending things by apologizing to her, trying to explain the reason you changed the dsg. And, with all humility, asking her to show you the "right" way to do it (the next time she has to change it), so you'll know what to do if the pt is ever assigned to you. WE know that you already know the right way to do it; but, again, that isn't the point. Building a collaborative working relationship w/colleagues is the point (as much as you can, that is. Some folks just don't wanna play the game. Too bad for them, they miss a lot and can become toxic to work with).
Hang in there. This hurts and stings now, but you'll grow from it. Ppl can be hurtful. Do what you know is right, according to your training, for your patients. (you'll probably feel better about the incident in a day or so anyway; time and a good sleep are gentle healers) :)
Good luck. -- D

I agree with the above. You are an LPN, and therefore you are a licensed professional. You have taken lots of tests, and apparently have been found competant enough to have a license!

Just do the best you can and take pride in knowing you did your best.

Also, don't be afraid to ask lots of questions. You learn (or relearn) something new every day!

Good luck to you. I think you're still settling in. Just keep holding on, as you are.

ZASHAGALKA, RN · Aug 11, 2005

Well no, I didn't tell her before I did it because she I know her system... well let me explain... It's one unit but two halls... I have one hall and she has another... she likes to start with med pass, and once she is completely done with that, then she does treatments.... I do both, like, I'll give them their med and do their treatment while I'm there, i guess it just seems more efficient and it's easy for me to get everything done. But she likes to do one then the other so.... she was in the middle of her med pass and I've already learned not to interupt her while she's doing that. I thought I was helping her... I mean... one less thing she has to.

If someone stepped in my way and did my job without my consent, I would be upset too. Now, I don't have the opportunity to assess that wound because YOU did the dressing. It's MY patient, that should be MY assessment.

You say you know her routine, you knew she'd get to it. Its' routine care, and not an emergency. You made an evaluation that her routine wasn't adequate care, you stepped in without permission and without asking and you took over her care.

OK, maybe trashing the way you did your dressing was an excuse. But you stepped over the line.

Unless you are in a team nursing role, you have no right to unilaterally interfere w/ a nurse's care of her patients. An emergency is one thing. What you did was make a judgment: I'm am better than this nurse and so I will intervene in order to prove it.

You should have asked. You didn't because you KNEW she'd say, "I'll get to it." And so, you were wrong. You made a value judgement on her care: "I do both, like, I'll give them their med and do their treatment while I'm there, i guess it just seems more efficient and it's easy for me to get everything done."

Sorry, that's my take. You might be getting some flak because you're young and new. But then, some of it might be because you are playing the 'I know everything from school' game. It's natural to want to impress with your skills and knowledge, but you have to know your limits.

Stop stepping on toes in order to impress. If it's not an emergency or extremely routine (a glass of water), you have no right to interfere with another nurse's nursing care WITHOUT THEIR EXPRESS PERMISSION. (If she had done some of YOUR job without asking, this thread would be about a more experienced nurse that doesn't trust your abilities and keeps doing your job for you, and rightly so.)

~faith,

Timothy.

tramalady45 · Aug 11, 2005

Today was a bad day. So I just started at this nursing home, I've only been there a couple weeks and I work part time. Most of the nurses.... well ALL of the nurses in the nursing home are older than me... and most of the CNAs too. I'm and LPN, age 22. And my fear was that no one would take me seriously cause I was new and young and cause they've been there forever and are experienced. So far I've been able to assert myself (in a nice way) but sometimes I feel like a student nurse all over again! I try to help the CNAs whenever I have time but sometimes I AM BUSY and I can't and it seems like they are upset... but they always come to ME for help, I'm not the only nurse there! I think that I have been handeling myself well so far... BUT today, this nurse yelled at me, and she had no right to (at least I don't think so), I did nothing wrong. One of HER patients had a dressing and they were begging for it to be changed before lunch, and it definitely looked like it NEEDED to be changed, so.... I did it, I signed the treatment book, and told her. She went to look at the dressing then came back and yelled at me saying "If you don't know how to change dressings then don't do it! It's all wrong!" I KNOW it was NOT wrong, it was a basic dressing change, very simple, and I'd changed it before (but she didn't know that). I KNOW IT WAS RIGHT. I feel like she doesn't like me for whatever reason but I've been nothing but nice to everyone. I guess I'm just being a baby... sorry. :uhoh21:
~Crystal

You are not a baby. I can't stand when nurses eat their own. It really chaps my booty. When I was a student in school a nurse actually called me stupid and said I just don't get nursing because I refused to give a patient 100 units-yes, 100 NOT 10, but 100 units of insulin to a patient with no accucheck!! There is nothing worse then learning and trying and being nervous then to have some dirt old nurse yell at you and publicly humiliate you-it is too much. Our jobs are hard enough! Keep your head up and do what you know in your heart is right! You can't go wrong.

Cute_CNA, CNA · Aug 11, 2005

If someone stepped in my way and did my job without my consent, I would be upset too. Now, I don't have the opportunity to assess that wound because YOU did the dressing. It's MY patient, that should be MY assessment.
You say you know her routine, you knew she'd get to it. Its' routine care, and not an emergency. You made an evaluation that her routine wasn't adequate care, you stepped in without permission and without asking and you took over her care.
OK, maybe trashing the way you did your dressing was an excuse. But you stepped over the line.
Unless you are in a team nursing role, you have no right to unilaterally interfere w/ a nurse's care of her patients. An emergency is one thing. What you did was make a judgment: I'm am better than this nurse and so I will intervene in order to prove it.
You should have asked. You didn't because you KNEW she'd say, "I'll get to it." And so, you were wrong. You made a value judgement on her care: "I do both, like, I'll give them their med and do their treatment while I'm there, i guess it just seems more efficient and it's easy for me to get everything done."
Sorry, that's my take. You might be getting some flak because you're young and new. But then, some of it might be because you are playing the 'I know everything from school' game. It's natural to want to impress with your skills and knowledge, but you have to know your limits.
Stop stepping on toes in order to impress. If it's not an emergency or extremely routine (a glass of water), you have no right to interfere with another nurse's nursing care WITHOUT THEIR EXPRESS PERMISSION. (If she had done some of YOUR job without asking, this thread would be about a more experienced nurse that doesn't trust your abilities and keeps doing your job for you, and rightly so.)
~faith,
Timothy.

I would have taken it as a coworker kindly doing me a favor while I was busy with something else. I don't think it necessarily implies incompetancy or trying to "one-up" someone. Golly.