New nurse making job unbearable!

[shelly304]

Well here goes. I have sat on this for a week. I work in a small rural hospital. Many of the staff have worked here for years, some their whole medical career. So as far as new staff coming in, we actually only seem to have new nurses or techs come in a few times a year. When someone does move on it is to take a new a new position elsewhere or retirement.

We had a new grad RN start last jan. She first was in L&D, then ER, and two weeks ago we were told she would be starting in the clinic. I have heard thru the grapevine she has been moved so much because of her inability to get along with staff. And was that rumor on the money!

We have a wonderful LPN, ("Nellie") who has worked for this hospital for 42 years! She is the clinic manager. She is my "go to" for everything. I totally admire her for her nusing knowledge along with my other co-workers. Being the clinic man. it is "Nellies" job to orient the RN to the clinic. In the a.m. before we open to pts., Nellie assigns each of us to a doc or an NP. As assignments are given out Nellie asked new RN to call back first pt. and give allergy shot. New RN looks at "Nellie" and says "I am an RN and you are just an LPN. You give the shots". OMG. Everyone just stood there.....speechless! Nellie had a private chat with her, but nothing has changed. In one week our clinic (we see around 150 patients a day) which is usually a wonderful place to call work, has become a tense, "walk on eggshells", battle zone. RN is constantly finding an LPN to hand off assignments that she feels are beneath her. Her constant comment is "I didn't go to school for 4 years to do this".

PLEASE KNOW THIS IS NOT A LPN VS RN POST. I am looking for ways to handle this personally. I am not someone who deals well with confrontation. So each time she finds me to pass off a pt. etc I just do it to keep the peace.

I know I can't keep doing this. I have almost doubled my pt load during my shift. Everyone says it is a matter of time before she runs out of depts.to be moved to and gets terminated. I think this sad. "Nellie" is trying to guide her in the right direction but she is just as frustrated. Everytime I try to get some backbone with her she reminds me she is the RN!

[shelly304]

I believe they floated her to us as a last resort...on the way out the door. Within the hospital there is the clinic and a professional building with MD offices. There is an RN who oversees all. She has been on family leave due to the death of her husband. After I wrote the post I did call the DON and asked for a meeting tomorrow. Saturday I am filling in for another nurse who is on vacation. It will be me, new RN and 2 NPs. I will not let her push her patients and procedures that she thinks are beneath her onto me. I requested Nellie and RN both be present for the meeting. I feel better that I took some action.

She is a BRAT with a HUGE EGO! But at the same time I feel very sad for her. Maybe it is time for someone to really talk straight to her. (the

DON). BTW-her father is surgeon at another hospital and if she reminds anyone of this again, I think we will all scream in unison!

Thanks for the advice and helping me gain some backbone!

[RN1982]

That's probably where she gets her big-headed ego from.

[maryloufu]

Good luck, shelly304, from an RN who thinks that nothing is beneath her. (I have even washed out panties in the sink for patients- and I went to college forever!)

[sistasoul]

That is terrible behavior. I am surprised she made it through nursing school with that attitude. I predict she will have a very short nursing career unless she makes a 360.

Sounds like she was prpbably spoiled from day one as Daddy is a surgeopn and could probably afford to give her what ever she wanted.

I see a rude awakening coming shortly.

[ukstudent]

The words you need to say to HR is "hostile work environment". You and your co-workers all need to go and say this and have put it in writing.

Good luck in getting rid of her. I remember what it was like to have one nurse so negatively effect everyone else. The day she finally left a large dark cloud lifted from the floor.

[Mandylpn]

Is she still working there? What does she actually do all day?:smilecoffeeIlovecof

[smk1, LPN]

What on earth is she doing working in a clinic if she doesn't want to give shots? Tell her this is what she signed up for when she took the job evn if it isn't what she went to school for four years to do. If she doesn't like it she is perfectly free to work elsewhere in a position more to her liking.

[b43tands]

She probably moves departments because of the complaints. Which means that its your turn to complain. If you are picking up double your load and getting stepped on, you need to stand your ground. I would bet that you take this problem home with you as well? What would happen if you told her NO? What would she do...complain?

P.S. Just because she is an RN does not mean she is above doing work.

Good luck!

[elizabells, BSN, RN]

Uch. She'll spend her career being pushed from unit to unit and job to job and blame everyone but her own self.

Just musing... we have a nurse who is a beast to deal with... your classic know-it-all, destroys new nurses in report, greatly exaggerates her accomplishments, occasionally goes wildly outside her scope of practice (like reviewing an XRay and deciding to adjust an ET tube on her own)... and her daddy's a doctor. Obviously not every nurse with a doctor parent is awful. But this particular nurse wanted to be a doctor and didn't do well enough in school or on the MCAT to do so. I wonder if the same is true for your girl. I wonder if nurses with MD parents who wanted to be doctors but couldn't tend to be a little crankypants 2/2 feelings of inadequacy.

[dorselm]

New nurse is making job unbearable because experienced supervisor is allowing her to do so, period. New nurse is showing major insubordination and it should not be tolerated. I know people in my class whose attitudes make you wonder how in the world they are going to make it as RN's! When we take our exams, the students argue with the instructors when they get a question wrong and say well in clinical that's not how the nurses on the unit do things but my instructors don't take no crap from them. They are quick to humble them and let them know who runs the class.

First, when "Nellie" knew that the new nurse was coming with all of this baggage, she should have prepared herself. She should have had the job description ready to review with the nurse and job duties should have been discussed right then and there. If there was any descrepancy about what the new nurse should/should not do, then it should have been taken up with HR. I don't think that it's too late to do this. In the process of doing this, there should be documentation on everything that the RN has refused to do and then HR should be consulted to see if the RN had justification to refuse to perform these duties. If she didn't have justification, then management needs to step in and deal with her.

Hope you all come together and stand up for your dept and your sanity!

[nursegreen]

Shame on her for how she is behaving. I will tell you that no employer wants to here the words "Hostile work environment". Companies have been sued over this. My advice, document everything that happens and since the nurse manager hasn't been able to stop it, take it to HR. Next time she attempts to hand something off to you because it is "beneath her", just remind her that it is within her scope of practice and if she has a problem with it take it to the nurse manager.

[JBudd, MSN]

Good luck, shelly304, from an RN who thinks that nothing is beneath her. (I have even washed out panties in the sink for patients- and I went to college forever!)

This week, I sent my housekeeper home (wonderful woman, but really needed to be off that knee!). So I grabbed her cart and started cleaning beds and mopping floors. I joked with them I was going back to Florence's days, and going to fill the coal hods and trim the lamp wicks next. I'm with MaryLou, you do what needs to be done! I'm only a few hours from masters.

Glad you decided to do something proactive, Shelly, let us know how it goes.