New Grad Co-worker driving me NUTS!!!!

[dinah77]

Okay, full disclosure, I am still pretty much a new grad on the floor myself with a whole whopping seven months on the floor- I work in a very busy TCU, with a patient population that ranges from Total knee replacement A&O x3, to higher acutity with us to see if they need LTC services in the near future

Having said that, here is what I have learned on the floor thus far about being a new grad

1. Keep your eyes and ears open at all times

2. Ask questions all the time!

3. Be very honest about what do you do and don't know from the get go! which as a new grad is NOT MUCH

4. Addendum to #3, be humble

5. Obvioulsy follow all rules and company policy to keep management happy but first and foremost form good bonds with your co-workers, especially the more seasoned knowledgeable nurses- you need them more then you can ever know initially!

Having said that, one of my coworkers is driving me frickin' nuts, and is the EXACT OPPOSITE of eveything I wrote aboved

She's a new grad in her mid twenties, been on our floor two months- very OVERLY confident- refuses to admit she doesn't know something, in fact for the first two weeks she had managed to trick me- whenever we would explain a new procedure/tx on the floor with a patient in report she would say " Oh sure just like in the hospital!" which I thought meant she had worked in one until I found out SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT CLINICALS

anyhow, due to being a family friend of the one of the higher ups she got position as a shift supervisor after one month on the floor- ( the word on the street is that she plans to stick at our facility as a supervisor for a year so that she can go have her pick of hospital jobs) I told her straight up when she told me "You're crazy to take that job- I wouldn't have- it's stressful for nurses with 20 years on the job"

So basically she is overly nice Suzy sunshine , but really passive agressive too- yesterday was a hellish day at work for me- one of my patient's went into crisis, every annoying demanding family member that has someone on our floor all visited at once, several meds were missing resulting in more work phone calls for me to pharmacy, etc.

THen PM shift pulls a no call/no show, so after waiting for 1/2 an hour past my shift to go home little miss Suzy is gonna take the shift so I report off to her- I explain my hellish day, how all I wanna do is get the hell off the floor and she is all sympathetic-

so what does she do as we are counting narcs? a bottle of liquid oxycodone is a little OVER (thank god not under) the # of MLs in the book ( my theory pharm over filled it a little initially, they have done so in the past) She creates this big drama about how " I'm not signing off with you until this is resolved!" and gets managers from other floors who happen to be hanging around haivng just all completed a meeting on our floor- Most of the managers were just like " Just be happy it's not under, just waste the extra"

BUT OH NO!Suzy has gotta get an official stamp from the DON, calling her at home while she has taken the day off to visit her new grandbaby

I finally get out of there, and an hour later I get a VM from my actual manger sounding weary, stating "Suzy has found a few meds you forgot to sign out, you need to call us so we know what meds you didn't give" (okay, bad I know, but given my constant interruptions during med pass yesterday I'm surprised I got half of them signed out- we are old school, use carts, cards, and paper charting- and I ALWAYS give all of my meds, wanna know how you can know? MAYBE CHECK THE EMPTY BUBBLE NEXT TO THE DAY'S DATE)

This btw, in light of a conversation I had with Suzy where I made it clear that no one should call me at home for little things that can wait until the next day- correction, you can call me, but if it is petty, I will not call you bak on my own time, sorry.

In short, how do I work with this newbie without punching her in the Larynx?

If you read this far MANY THANKS

[dinah77, ADN]

No it is not. Not at all.

thank you.

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

Lol. Not ideal?

If I had a workplace that allowed a 6mth new grad nurse to be in charge I'd walk right out. Which is probably why a 6 mth nurse is in charge! Haha...sounds like a highly unsafe job situation...

Again, the fact that someone with such little nursing experience actually accepted an assignment as charge proves that they aren't ready or appropriate for the job.

But I guess when experienced nurses "get irked" then it's an ego issue? Uh-huh...right.

You don't even know what field/specialty of nursing I am in, except that it isn't acute care. So many assumptions.

But this thread isn't about my workplace. It's about the OP, and I (sincerely) wish her well with a stressful and not-ideal situation.

[3dayRN]

I would be annoyed if this supervisor acted this way also. I work with a nurse, the most senior nurse on the floor. If I have to follow her I always, and I DO mean always, find mistakes. She is the first one however to write someone up for a mistake. Then proceeds to tell everyone about someones mistake!! When we had to count our narcs the liquid meds were almost always off by a little bit. If many people are giving this med and each time someone gives just a LITTLE bit less then after a few shifts it starts to be noticable. You just happened to be the one working when it was found. That sucks, and I do think she made too much of a big deal about it being a little over, seriously at least it wasnt less. Sure, maybe someone got just a little bit less but it could have been a few people that got a little less over a few shifts and probably didn't even amount to much. I know people are going to say this is just horrible that I say getting a little bit less is no big deal but seriously there's no way to determine who made the mistake, what patient it happened to so get over it. I would be upset also if I knew this supervisor made mistakes earlier and acted like it was no big deal but when she fould a mistake it all of a sudden was a big deal. I think not giving meds is an issue but unless you are perfect and have never made an error then it should have been handled in a different way by this supervisor. She should have used this mistake as a learning experience not as disciplinary action. Now, if the same nurse made the same mistake over and over then disciplinary action should be taken. Also, I do hate know it all nurses, they make the worst supervisors.

[dinah77, ADN]

I would be annoyed if this supervisor acted this way also. I work with a nurse, the most senior nurse on the floor. If I have to follow her I always, and I DO mean always, find mistakes. She is the first one however to write someone up for a mistake. Then proceeds to tell everyone about someones mistake!! When we had to count our narcs the liquid meds were almost always off by a little bit. If many people are giving this med and each time someone gives just a LITTLE bit less then after a few shifts it starts to be noticable. You just happened to be the one working when it was found. That sucks, and I do think she made too much of a big deal about it being a little over, seriously at least it wasnt less. Sure, maybe someone got just a little bit less but it could have been a few people that got a little less over a few shifts and probably didn't even amount to much. I know people are going to say this is just horrible that I say getting a little bit less is no big deal but seriously there's no way to determine who made the mistake, what patient it happened to so get over it. I would be upset also if I knew this supervisor made mistakes earlier and acted like it was no big deal but when she fould a mistake it all of a sudden was a big deal. I think not giving meds is an issue but unless you are perfect and have never made an error then it should have been handled in a different way by this supervisor. She should have used this mistake as a learning experience not as disciplinary action. Now, if the same nurse made the same mistake over and over then disciplinary action should be taken. Also, I do hate know it all nurses, they make the worst supervisors.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! The above things you stated are some of the many things that irks me about Suzy- she makes BIG mistakes, but jumps on any little one anyone else makes

and honestly, no one else on here has forgotten to sign out a med???????

[Scrubby]

You need to stop focusing on this person and focus on your own practice. If I wasn't sure whether or not a med was given then I too would be calling that nurse to clarify. You're idea on counting the empty blisters is not good practice, as someone mentioned earlier they could have been dropped on the floor etc.

Now if this nurse is as bad as you're saying eventually he/she will end up facing the consequences. But until that time I suggest you try and work with them as much as you can. If they say something or do something that you feel is disrespectful then by all means try and resolve it with them professionally.

[Scrubby]

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! The above things you stated are some of the many things that irks me about Suzy- she makes BIG mistakes, but jumps on any little one anyone else makes

and honestly, no one else on here has forgotten to sign out a med???????

Yes I did as a new grad RN. I was called at home after a busy night shift and woken up. Rather than whining about it I took some accountability and learned from my mistake.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Ideally I wouldn't have been charge or supervisor until after the 5 year mark, but as it happens I was eligible much sooner. I thought I was ready, but I didn't know how little I knew.

Seriously, at 15 years old, didn't we all feel mature, but then at 20, we knew much, much more. It's the 15 year olds that know it all who are the most dangerous, the ones that hang back a bit are wiser and safer. I'm wary of any nurse who is willing to accept charge before the 2 year mark. The fact that they are ready to jump right in makes me doubt their judgement.

[Scrubby]

Ideally I wouldn't have been charge or supervisor until after the 5 year mark, but as it happens I was eligible much sooner. I thought I was ready, but I didn't know how little I knew.

Seriously, at 15 years old, didn't we all feel mature, but then at 20, we knew much, much more. It's the 15 year olds that know it all who are the most dangerous, the ones that hang back a bit are wiser and safer. I'm wary of any nurse who is willing to accept charge before the 2 year mark. The fact that they are ready to jump right in makes me doubt their judgement.

I totally agree. I dont think anyone should be charge nurse until they have had some experience and demonstrated competence in their area.

Saying this though, a friend of mine became the CN of a medical ward with only 14 months of experience and she was very successful. However, she had worked at a nursing home and had experience working with elderly patients. This nurse also used to own and run a pub so she had excellent managerial skills and was probably one of the best people I've ever seen deal with difficult family members.

[dinah77, ADN]

My sincerest thanks to all who have given me their input, particularly those who have done so in a respect, thoughtful way. 90% percent of it has been helpful and supportive. Then there is the 10% who have told me I'm being whiny, petty passive aggressive and basically deserve to be fired.

I'm not sure how to label future threads in a way that make it clear that it's a vent- I'm not sure when allnurses became a place where it was unsafe to complain about a bad day or bad co-woker. (think there is already a thread about his on the hot topics area?)

despite the limited picture of who I am in this thread, I can assure you I am not thin-skinned, jealous or petty.

One of my closest friends at work is an older much more experienced LPN who rubs a lot of folks the wrong way, because she is very assertive and quick to call out B.S- she is also meticulous, and one of the best teachers I have ever had- I get along with her because when we work together I ask questions, allow her to explain things to me and I jump out and help on days her patient load ends up being heavier then mine- Last week she offered to make some phone calls for me while I was swamped- she said to me "I don't do this for a lot of people, but I know you work your butt off and would do it for me"

Having said all of that, I truly hope those of you who have been a little insulting don't end up getting kicked while you are down- or maybe that's what has happened to you in the past and why you do it to others?

I'm taking a break from this thread- frankly a lot of it is making me more cranky, and I really need to shake off this mood before I return to work on Monday morning.

Cheers.

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

My sincerest thanks to all who have given me their input, particularly those who have done so in a respect, thoughtful way. 90% percent of it has been helpful and supportive. Then there is the 10% who have told me I'm being whiny, petty passive aggressive and basically deserve to be fired.

I'm not sure how to label future threads in a way that make it clear that it's a vent- I'm not sure when allnurses became a place where it was unsafe to complain about a bad day or bad co-woker. (think there is already a thread about his on the hot topics area?)

The "10%" of opinions that you didn't like have made you feel unsafe? Dude, shake it off. You're not always going to hear what you want to hear when you post on the internet.

[Scrubby]

I think the OP forgot their rule number 4....

[leslie :-D]

dinah77, anytime you want the thread closed, all you have to do is let a mod know.

much luck to you, hon.:)

leslie