Warning: This is a very long post. Avoid if you cannot handle this time of the morning haha) :-)
So I am NOT being "bullied". But I need help in concrete ways of "growing a backbone" when it comes to a certain co-worker. I started a new job recently 12-13 hour shifts, where there is only one RN in the facility on each shift, so you end up giving/receiving report to/from the same nurse almost every day, so I need to deal with this.
First of all, our shifts start at 6:45. She is rarely there before 7:05. I know that's management's thing and not mine, but it's still very irritating that I can't even start giving report before the last ten minutes of my shift.
Then one thing in particular that yesterday irritated me was this: she had told me when I got report from her Wed night "not to set up X's AM meds because he's NPO for labs." So, I didn't set them up. The next morning Thurs when she got report from me, she asked why the meds weren't set up. I said it was because, she had asked/told me not to do so. She acted like I was lazy or had done something wrong, like there was no way she had said that. So I offered to stay and set the meds up for her, which I know I should probably not have done, and she said "whatEVER, it doesn't matter, I mean, but..." so I did stay and set them up bc I "felt bad" about it. I do realize that a lot of this situation is on me for being spineless here and not knowing how to stand up for myself.
Then there was another patient's medication that I hadn't been responsible for giving, my preceptor had; and the patient had asked to wait to take one of his medications after eating breakfast, so he wouldn't get sick to his stomach. I had NO interaction with this patient regarding his medications. But when he came back, my preceptor had gone home, letting the day shift nurse know about this situation. But then when he came back to the med pass window, this nurse was looking to me "where was the medication, what happened to it, it was right here, what happened," when I had no idea what she was talking about. When I understood what she was talking about, I went to get another one of the pills from the patient's drawer so he could get his dose in a timely manner, and she was like, "no, no, it's here somewhere, we have to find it!!!" Of course the patient is standing at the med window at this time waiting for his medication. So I go ahead and give him another tablet of the medication, leaving one dose for that evening, and I put in the re-order form for the pharmacy so that it will be refilled that day in preparation for the next morning's early AM med pass.. which is nothing she is responsible for anyway and nothing that she needs to worry about. About ten minutes later, as I am finishing up to leave, the nurse is like, "Look!!! Here it is on the floor!!! It fell on the floor, LOOK!!!" as if it is my fault, that this medication I did not prepare and had no responsibility for administering, somehow ended up on the floor, and this was a horrible negligence on my part.
In addition, there is a huge med pass at the end of my shift that goes very quickly. Afterwards, I usually have a few patients whose meds I did not get the chance to sign off on the MAR and that I need to sign off before I leave. She immediately takes over the MAR book as soon as she gets report, and if I mention that I need the book to finish signing things off, she ignores me. I understand that she has meds to get ready... but her first med pass is not until 4 hours after my shift ends. It would take me ten minutes AT MOST to double-check and sign the MAR, but she takes it as an imposition. I know I need to be able to stand up to her and say things like, "I need that MAR book to finish signing off and as soon as I am done I will give it to you right away."
Or tell her that, on occasion (maybe once every couple of weeks) I am not able to stay to do first aid/medical treatments that a very few of the residents need first thing in the morning but haven't gotten yet, because they wanted to take a shower first so that the cream/bandage does not immediately get washed off; to me, that is not something I need to stay overtime to complete. I almost always do get these treatments/topical medications done on my shift if at all possible; it's not that I'm routinely leaving these things for her, at all. But she wants me to wait every day until they come down so that I can do those treatments. I need to figure out how to tell her that I need to leave as it is the end of my shift. I mean, these are not complicated things at all; they are small bandages/antibacterial cream, and assessment of healing wounds. I want to say to her "nursing is a 24-hour job and I understand that sometimes there are things left over at the end of your shift that I need to take care of, and that's fine, and I wish you would extend me the same courtesy."
I don't know. I have been a nurse for over twelve years, but am new to this specialty and this facility, so I accept that I have things to learn and to become faster at completing. Am I wrong in feeling that she is being kind of unfair? Or is this my issue that I need to work on?
For example, I don't feel comfortable, say, signing the MAR before I give the meds, like some of the nurses do. I just can't do that; it grates against everything I've ever done and been taught as a nurse. Even if it would be "quicker" to do that it's just not safe/ethical practice to me.
Thanks for any advice, any new perspective, etc. I welcome any and all type of comments, advice, criticism, eye-rolling, etc. I really want to get out on time but still be fair to the oncoming nurse as well. I know this is a long post and it may not make a lot of sense, feel free to ask clarifying questions. Thank you for reading this far!!!
JBudd, MSN
3,836 Posts
It sometimes takes a bit of practice to stand up for yourself; role play it in your head so you know what to say: "Excuse me, I'm not done with the MAR. I'll give it to you in a few minutes." Firmly, and if needed, loudly enough the other staff can hear you. Call attention to it, and put the embarrassment on her for being, selfish, tacky, controlling, snarky...... however it is she comes across. By waiting for her to put it down, you are just playing her game.
The creams need to be done after showers, you are totally correct in not doing them before the shower. Reschedule the times (as mentioned above). It is ridiculous 1) to have them scheduled that early 2) to be expected to stay over to do them. As you already told yourself, nursing is a 24 hour job, and what is best for the patient does not need to be changed for the convenience of the staff.