what nerve!

Published

just to vent...

OK, we are experiencing a few growing pains and have a few newly hired nurses that are beginning orientation to our unit. one of them has been orientating for a little over a month....and i think i could count on one hand the times she has been actually on time to work! when i started orientation, i was always early and would never have considered coming to work habitually late! and when she does come sauntering down the hallway fifteen minutes after the shift has started...what does she do? pours herself a leisurely cup of coffee, dinks around in the galley for 5 minutes or so, and then doesn't even bother to pick up a pen during report. seriously?! is what i'm saying that unimportant to you as a new nurse that you don't have to write anything down? :devil: we have complained multiple times to our manager, who has done nothing. she acts like a know it all, but is a new grad, and she is making most of us late clocking out and we get in trouble for incidental overtime! our manager says she is 'usually' clocked in by the required 7min after shift-so technically most of the time she is not late on her time card...but then she sits back in the locker room and spends time fixing her hair, changing her clothes, putting on makeup etc..etc... so we don't see the whites of her eyes until much later than that. :uhoh3:

one of our other new orientating nurses called in her first 2 days of orientation for, get this, routine yearly check ups at her doctors office! um...routine check up/new job...what really matters here? can't your routine check up wait until your day off? or schedule it after your shift is over?

what nerve! talk about first impressions!

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

Does your unit have performance standards built into the program. If you are doing daily evals, she should be seriously dinged for this. Hopefully your orientation program has some failure criteria built in, but now might be the time to get something in writing. Wouldn't she be missing shift report? If you have the HR oomph I would tell her that her continued employment is in serious question. There are many new grads on this site desperate for jobs, surely you could do better. Too bad you can't make your manager step up.

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Specializes in LTC.

This type of behavior is probably a large part of the reason why so many of us new grads are having such a hard time finding that much sought after first nursing position. In Dutchess County, NY, where I live, many hospitals are now starting to only hire from within. They will not hire new grads from "outside" no matter if the school you went to was prestigious, your GPA or anything else. Their new grad hires must have been working for them as CNA's for a substantial amount of time prior to hire as an RN. This way they can see what your work habits are: if you come to work on time, how you get along with coworkers, how you get along with patients, how are your time management skills? Do you even have or care about time management skills?

For those of you out there just graduating and looking for your first job who do NOT care about these things, then please step aside and give those of us who do care a chance! There are many of us out here who are anxiously waiting for that opportunity and who will not abuse it.

I remember when I lived in Egypt for 4 years...I found out that Western women who looked like me: fair, long blonde hair..were constantly being assailed by Egyptian men on the street. I don't mean assaulted, I mean approached in a sexual fashion. Come to find out after I had been there for a while that we, as Western women, have a bad reputation. Aside from the fact that we come there without male family members to protect us (sometimes), many of us have behaved "badly" when we are on vacation. We sleep around and figure that no one at home will know what we are doing and it does not matter because this is a far away place. Well, just like with the new grad scenario, it does matter. It matters because those who come after you will have to pay the price for your bad behavior. Please try to remember this little story the next time you are tempted to come to work late as a new grad or do other things that might harm your sister nurses later on.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry/PCU.

Wow, I am really disturbed by the behavior of the new nurses you are describing! I believe I would feel the same as you in if I were in that situation. I am a new grad myself (STILL looking for a job), and I am appalled at that behavior!! ESPECIALLY seeing how difficult it is for new grads to find jobs, I would do everything I possibly could to be professional, respect my coworkers and institution, adhere to policies, make the most of learning experiences, and make a good impression on my coworkers and manager. I would do that even if they were handing jobs out left and right. It sounds like some of your new grads are just not getting it. They don't realize the standard they are expected to meet, and from my perspective, they don't realize how fortunate they are to have a job...

I hope the other new grads on your unit are not the same way!

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It must take some gall to keep being late even when being on call out on it. Has she ever given any reason for her habitual lateness? Do they know how bad the job situation is for new grads and other applicants would be showing up 1/2 hour early just to have a job?

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Specializes in L&D.

Karma is a bugger!! :rotfl:

This can't go on forever...

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I know I am and ty.( Reply to Karma's a Bugger!! lol) Really to tell you the truth those are the type of people that will stay on the job. I know people like this and they don't do crap all day and they are the first to point fingers at other people so they don't get caught doing what they are doing. Watch and see. You all know what I'm talking about.. These are my thoughts use them as you wish

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just to vent...

OK, we are experiencing a few growing pains and have a few newly hired nurses that are beginning orientation to our unit. one of them has been orientating for a little over a month....and i think i could count on one hand the times she has been actually on time to work! when i started orientation, i was always early and would never have considered coming to work habitually late! and when she does come sauntering down the hallway fifteen minutes after the shift has started...what does she do? pours herself a leisurely cup of coffee, dinks around in the galley for 5 minutes or so, and then doesn't even bother to pick up a pen during report. seriously?! is what i'm saying that unimportant to you as a new nurse that you don't have to write anything down? :devil: we have complained multiple times to our manager, who has done nothing. she acts like a know it all, but is a new grad, and she is making most of us late clocking out and we get in trouble for incidental overtime! our manager says she is 'usually' clocked in by the required 7min after shift-so technically most of the time she is not late on her time card...but then she sits back in the locker room and spends time fixing her hair, changing her clothes, putting on makeup etc..etc... so we don't see the whites of her eyes until much later than that. :uhoh3:

one of our other new orientating nurses called in her first 2 days of orientation for, get this, routine yearly check ups at her doctors office! um...routine check up/new job...what really matters here? can't your routine check up wait until your day off? or schedule it after your shift is over?

what nerve! talk about first impressions!

What have you said to her directly? If it were me, I'd explain to her -- ever so politely, with a big ol' smile -- that my shift ends at X, and I must clock out at X, so report must start by Y. Then I'd be sure to clock out at X every time, telling the charge nurse that you must leave, and explaining to him or her why report is incomplete ("There was no nurse here at the nurses' station to take report until 1910." Short, sweet, no editorial. Each and every time.) Your problem is not with this rude newbie. It's with your manager.

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Specializes in OB.

As I have suggested before to others try this: Every time you clock out late fill out a slip to send to payroll - "Clocked out late d/t Jane Doe RN arriving at report room at 0723". Send this to payroll a few times from several different nurses and your manager will be required to address it.

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Specializes in PICU.

I would think that anyone with a job right now would be so grateful they would at least put in some kind of acceptable performance. And everyone knows that making a good impression on your coworkers can make or break your experience.

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Specializes in ER/Ortho.

I am a new nurse, graduated last Dec, and been at my hospital since July (5 months). I have NEVER been late, not even once. I also find I must start earlier, stay later, and work harder then the nurses who have more experience to get the same amount of work done. The more experienced nurses often find time to chitchat etc, and I never do because lacking experience everything takes me longer.

How does this new nurse do it? I blame this on your hospital because they allow the behavior. When another nurse starts she will see the behavior of this nurse, and think its ok for her too. The hospital sets the standard for which everyone must adhere. The unit manager needs to step in and have a conversation with this employee.

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Specializes in Geri-psych, corrections, wound care, MDS.

I think the issue is not so broad as with new nurses in general; IMHO, people who treat their jobs (and co-workers!) with the kind of disdain that you describe have probably never had a crappy job, and are thus inclined to not care about a decent one.

The problem extends beyond nursing...we had the same issue with new c/o's at the prison where I did my contract: Most were young (18-20ish), and had never had to struggle in a low paying and/or demanding work environment, so they didn't realize how lucky they were to have a good one. Especially in this economy! :bugeyes:

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