New Nurse Woes

[Cutandstitch]

Ever get the feeling that the nurse you're giving report to feels underwhelmed by what you managed to complete before handoff?

I had a patient that I prepared to discharge, even went so far as to have the husband pick up meds and did the teaching with the patient because we didn't have an order yet.

Because of past experience with this nurse while I was on orientation, I called to see if there was anything I missed that could have made for a smoother transition. The charge told me that nurse was discharging the patient but that the nurse complained that the order came through during report.

I'm a new grad lpn and I work inpatient in a hospital. I'm fresh off of orientation. I try to learn from this nurse as much as possible because she's also an lpn and she has extensive knowledge of this area and years of experience that I appreciate.

My goal is to do right by my patients and I fail to see rushing a patient out the door before report as proper.

Is it possible this nurse is just seeking to minimize her task list and becoming vocal about my supposed shortcomings because it's convenient and I'm new? How can I approach this situation without sounding like a whiney new kid?

[BlackBettyRN,OCN]

If you didn't have the order to discharge her yet, there wasn't much you could do. You did your part by preparing the patient as much as possible. I would simply shake off the other nurse's remark. Talking with the charge nurse about it could just come off as complaining, especially if this nurse has been at your facility a long time.

[Cutandstitch]

Thank you for your reply. That's essentially how things boiled down for me as well. I sat down with the other nurse this AM because she asked to talk to me. I was happy to oblige. She went through her version of the timeline and I told her where I was coming from on this. I think we're finally on some solid ground. I made it a point to let the nurse know that I appreciated her questioning because it makes me think, but that in this situation, turning it into vocal blame game didn't seem constructive. Hopefully this will set the tone for the future!

[BlackBettyRN,OCN]

Glad everything worked out for you!

[drowningdaily]

Sometimes being the new kid on the block is tough. Sometimes you get good criticism. Sometimes you get bullied. Just stay calm and survive that moment. Smile and stay professional. Later reflect on the issue. Usually there is something positive you can take away from the experience. Hang in there. It gets better!