Need advice! 2 Rotten apples spoiling bunch!

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in geri.

I work on a great unit - or at least, it was great until recently. I have an intelligent, competent nurse manager. I graduated in December, and have had a nice, long, orientation with a wonderful preceptor. Prior to graduation, I worked on this unit for about a year as a student nurse tech.

We have 2 employees that hired on in March, a couple of weeks apart. One is a new grad, the other is an experienced nurse. They seem to have a lot in common, and became friends right off the bat, which is wonderful. One is male, the other female, so of course the rumors started to fly. Whatever. None of my business. I tried to stay out of it.

One day, their 15 minute break turned into 20 minutes. Nobody said anything. 20 turned into 25. You get the idea. At 45 minutes one day, I "tattled". Yep. That's me. 30 year old tattle tale! It was a mess. She is very confrontational; wanted to know why I didn't go to her. I had, but she had forgotten. He didn't particularly care. He is laid back to the point of being lazy. He's just along for the ride.

The other day, an aide caught them kissing in a patient's room. A nurse walked in on them making out in the breakroom. I saw them (their feet, anyway) behind a curtain. . . standing very close to each other. He'll call the desk from his cell phone while he's in a patient's room and ask to speak to her if they're not working on the same team. He gives a phony name.

She is the new grad. ANM has talked to her about professionalism a couple of times. She straightens up and flies right for a few days. He has been talked to as well. It just rolls off him like water off a duck's back.

The nurse manager says she can't do anything unless someone comes forward and says they saw them kissing in front of the patients. I didn't technically see them, only heard them and saw their feet. NM says that's not proof!?! Others won't step forward or even mention their long breaks anymore because she is confrontational to the point of being a bully. And now, my NM says they are being picked on because they're minorities, which they brought to her attention.

So. . . now what? Now everybody is pretty much miserable. Nobody gets along anymore, everybody is choosing sides. Charge nurses have a hell of a time making assignments because there's so many people that can't get a long with them even for the sake of taking care of patients. My NM is acting like she's scared or something. They're driving me crazy!!!

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

Yeah, that can be very frustrating. I wouldn't say anything more. It doesn't seem that anyone else is willing to. It's gonna take something really crazy to happen for the nurse manager to actually do something. Right now, just don't say anything and go about your business. Perhaps avoid them if you can.

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I personally feel these two nurses are not acting professional at all if they are kissing at work and extending their breaks. As far as I am concerned the two should not be working on the same floor or shift if they cannot act in a professional manner while at work. Patient care has to take first priority. However, on the other hand. If the couple is merely taking breaks and working together because they are a couple I don't see a problem as long as they are acting professional and put their patients needs first. I have a similiar issue where I work. I just have to place my focus on my patient assignment and worry about my license and my professionalism. It does get on my nerves and it is very annoying at times. I try to schedule myself when they are not working so it limits my awareness of the issue. Eventually, if they keep up this behavior they will get caught or a patient will complain or they will neglect some aspect of their job and it will get ugly for them.

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

More advice:

The more you complain about them, the more management is going to look at you as if you are singling them out because no one else will say anything. Just stay quiet and let themselves get in trouble. Focus on your patients only.

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i don't know...

i would find it hard to ignore the extended breaks.

workplace romances are fine as long as employees are responsible and conscientous.

this 'new grad nurse' sounds a little bit too cocky.

but i wouldn't have a problem speaking my mind.

and i'd completely ignore the race card comment.

as long as you stick to the issues at hand, the rest is irrelevant.

but-

if you're not going to say anything to her, it sounds like the nm isn't going to either.

it sounds like she doesn't want to deal with it.

if that's the case, i guess you have to let it go.

leslie

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The manager needs to reiterate for the entire staff the length of breaks and not put up with extended breaks.

Last summer while I was in Vietnam, there were two of the college students who got a little lovey-dovey and that night we all got together for a team meeting and the head honcho doc made an announcement that PDA's were not professional but did not mention names . . . and he laughingly said he would stop kissing his wife in public from now on . . . he used humor to get the message across.

Your manager needs to step up and do the job.

steph

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Specializes in Telemetry.

ok, just to be clear. how exactly does this affect you? i can understand being upset about the extended breaks if you are watching her group. i personally, don't care what anyone does. i get my work done. i don't time other people's breaks. i'm too busy doing my job to know what other people are doing. so again, how does this affect you and getting your work done?

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Specializes in geri.
ok, just to be clear. how exactly does this affect you? i can understand being upset about the extended breaks if you are watching her group. i personally, don't care what anyone does. i get my work done. i don't time other people's breaks. i'm too busy doing my job to know what other people are doing. so again, how does this affect you and getting your work done?

I work on a dementia unit, and we do team nursing. 2 partners to a day room, with 10-15 patients. 3 day rooms. 1 staff member must be in the room at all times for patient safety. So - even if I am just passing meds, I may get stuck in a day room because his or her partner must leave to go get supplies, shower a patient, whatever. I can't leave until one of the love birds gets back. So when I'm done with my med pass, I must wait around for someone to come back so I can leave. It puts me behind. Happens to every med nurse. If they're MY partner, I have to wait until they get back to help me on max assist patients, or whatever. Again, it puts me behind. When I'm in charge, I must make sure that their patients get fluid rounds, and make sure the work is getting done so I don't end up with a roomful of patients with BUNs in the 50's because they're kissing behind the curtain instead of taking care of our patients. I want EVERYBODY's work to get done - which is making sure the patients are taken care of.

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I work on a dementia unit, and we do team nursing. 2 partners to a day room, with 10-15 patients. 3 day rooms. 1 staff member must be in the room at all times for patient safety. So - even if I am just passing meds, I may get stuck in a day room because his or her partner must leave to go get supplies, shower a patient, whatever. I can't leave until one of the love birds gets back. So when I'm done with my med pass, I must wait around for someone to come back so I can leave. It puts me behind. Happens to every med nurse. If they're MY partner, I have to wait until they get back to help me on max assist patients, or whatever. Again, it puts me behind. When I'm in charge, I must make sure that their patients get fluid rounds, and make sure the work is getting done so I don't end up with a roomful of patients with BUNs in the 50's because they're kissing behind the curtain instead of taking care of our patients. I want EVERYBODY's work to get done - which is making sure the patients are taken care of.

You have a huge reason to be upset and I agree that something needs to be done.

steph

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Specializes in LTC, wound care.

It seems to me that whoever is in charge of scheduling staff could very easily fix this problem.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Nursing Education.
i don't know...

i would find it hard to ignore the extended breaks.

workplace romances are fine as long as employees are responsible and conscientous.

this 'new grad nurse' sounds a little bit too cocky.

but i wouldn't have a problem speaking my mind.

and i'd completely ignore the race card comment.

as long as you stick to the issues at hand, the rest is irrelevant.

but-

if you're not going to say anything to her, it sounds like the nm isn't going to either.

it sounds like she doesn't want to deal with it.

if that's the case, i guess you have to let it go.

leslie

what in the story makes you think that the new grad is cocky?

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.
what in the story makes you think that the new grad is cocky?

The part about her being confrontational.

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