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? 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.
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?
I've had a few of those, but I didn't let them control my routine. My first obligation is my patient, then my coworker or their patients, then perhaps a family member or other medical staff, then ..., and then the orientatee (just a quick reference to another thread [orient vs. orientate]). The first thing I tell them is," I will teach you everything I know, but it is your job to keep up with me". I already have a track record at my job, so if I share knowledge and experience I expect that to be honored with respect to my time and person. Sure, I've had a few who claimed I didn't tell them anything, but again, I have a track record.
I work with a nurse who's been around for 17 years and she STILL shows up 10-15 minutes late. One quarter she had 72 write ins for "forgot to swipe", so she could say she was there at 5! We tape report for her, because otherwise we'll be there till 45 minutes after our clock out time!
how frustrating to deal with that...and a new grad too? somebody doesn't care about their job.....
woo hoo maybe it's sinking in...3 consecutive shifts and she's been on time...now if only she'd pick up a pen. the other one 'got off early' from orientation the other day to go to another doctors appointment....she only works til 3pm can't she schedule her appointment after her shift? i work nights and i schedule my appointments in the middle of my sleep-time so i think the day shift people could adjust accordingly as well..especially when you are on orientation. we don't have tons and tons of deliveries so every one counts, shouldn't be missing things on orientation that you don't absolutely have to.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
I work with a nurse who's been around for 17 years and she STILL shows up 10-15 minutes late. One quarter she had 72 write ins for "forgot to swipe", so she could say she was there at 5! We tape report for her, because otherwise we'll be there till 45 minutes after our clock out time!
how frustrating to deal with that...and a new grad too? somebody doesn't care about their job.....
Yep. I really believe some people are just "punctuality challenged" - it's a personality trait (flaw) that's very difficult to change. My XH was like this, and I work with a few people who are like this as well.
I, OTOH, am the opposite - I have a personality flaw in which I must be at least 10 minutes early for everything. If I'm not, I absolutely panic. It's a manifestation of my anxiety disorder, and I've always been this way. I'm usually 20-30 minutes early for my shift at work, and the other nurses always comment on it. If I'm less than 15 minutes early, I feel a lot of anxiety. To me, that is LATE. Like the habitual late people, it's just not something I can help.
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. 
systoly
1,756 Posts
I've had a few of those, but I didn't let them control my routine. My first obligation is my patient, then my coworker or their patients, then perhaps a family member or other medical staff, then ..., and then the orientatee (just a quick reference to another thread [orient vs. orientate]). The first thing I tell them is," I will teach you everything I know, but it is your job to keep up with me". I already have a track record at my job, so if I share knowledge and experience I expect that to be honored with respect to my time and person. Sure, I've had a few who claimed I didn't tell them anything, but again, I have a track record.