Fellow Nurse Goes Off On Me!!!!???

[All4NursingRN]

(VENT) So last shift one of my fellow nurses decides to make a huge scene during change of shift report.

It's about time for shift change and I see her walking into the unit and she walks past me doesn't say hello. I figure she probably didn't see me or was having a bad day.

Rewind back to my night: It was a rough night in the trauma bay, charge nurse finally pulled an extra nurse to relieve me (late around 3pm) and cover the 1 patient remaining in trauma since it was quieting down just so I could take a break, grab something to eat etc..

So now I come back to the unit around 3:30 (cut my break in half because I wanted to make sure everything was ok, etc..) and there's a new patient in the trauma bay who we start working on.

It's about 3:50p when a nurse from the main ER comes in and tells us (the 3 of us RN's that are standing next to one another looking up patient info on the computer) that a patient who recently came from triage will be coming into the bay due to hypotension, tachycardia.

The patient who is relatively stable, yet needs critical observation arrives in the bay around 3:55p close to 4p. We get him undressed and and plug him in, hook him up to the monitor, MD's arent even here yet.

The oncoming RN is now in the bay, she is the only RN for the bay. There are supposed to be 2 RN's in the bay. I finish up drawing labs on the new patient and turn to give her report. I ask her if she's the only nurse for the bay and she says that they always put her in there by herself, she also seemed just less talkative than usual and I change the subject and start to give her report.

I finish giving her report then the other bay nurse gives her report on her patient. I turn around to do something then she walks towards me and (with an attitude) says "Is someone gonna give me report on this guy???!!!) (the new patient in the bay) I quickly apologize as that I thought the last nurse mentioned what the patient came in for.

I then tell her that the patient came into the trauma bay in the last 10 minutes and what he came for and all the info I knew on the patient, but that we didn't have much info on him besides his vitals and his wife's account of what happened.

She then gets mad and asks me if I got report on this patient. I was so shocked by her attitude I said well we all took report on him and that all I knew was what he was here for. She then yells at me to go get the nurse who took report (mind you it's about 10 past 4pm and all the other RNs have left) I again apologize for not knowing more about the patient, but she keeps going off that there were 2 nurses before she came in and that I would here about this the next day.

By this time the MD's are now in the room to see the patient and even the attending had to defend me and tells her that the patient just got here and they didn't know much either. She then stops in her tracks, speechless for a moment then says "yeah but the patient wasn't triaged (which later was found to be not true) Turns out they were going to cardiovert the new patient, plus my original patient who had to be cardioverted, plus the lethargic patient on the other side of the bay. So she was coming onto 3 patients.

I believe she knew she was coming onto a hectic situation and was upset.

Turns out she reports me to her supervisor who tells the charge to speak to me the next day. She said that she recieved absolutely NO REPORT, and that I had left the bay without giving her any report on the patient. The charge (who I'm sure was more than happy to write me up) pulls me aside and tells me she has no choice but to write me up. She then stops herself mid-sentence and says "Oh but let me hear your side of the story first" I then tell her my side (mind you she also happened to walk into the trauma bay at the same time the new patient was pushed in, so she knew the patient came in around change of shift, anyway) She then decides she could no longer write me up.

I'm just shocked because this is a nurse I had sought advice from when I was starting out as a trauma nurse. She was very helpful and guided me. We would even vent to one another. I understand that they threw her in the bay by herself, or maybe she was frustrated that there were some missing pieces but darn, why did she try to get me in trouble? If this was one of the other evening nurses I wouldn't be surprised but she took me by surprise, can't believe she did that. Sigh.

[suanna]

If the "right-up" was factual, honest, and oriented toward positive change- Great! I'd bet that isn't the case. I don't know your policys but where I work you review a "right-up" with the unit manager and can record your comments as fully as the person writing you up. If there was any degree of hyperbole or dishonesty in the report I would characterize your response as " I'm not sure why *** has fabricated this malicious pack of lies about me but I do hope it isn't for some petty personal grievence for which she is trying to stir trouble". If the manager wants to pursue it further insist your responses be witnessed by someone- your union rep, a HR advocate, even a peer you trust - you want to make sure any further investigation is as much finding out why the other nurse lied about your report as it is why you didn't give what she considered an adequate report. I would be more than willing to throw a fit- after all, you are the injured party here. I simple "that report wasn't what I expect- if you didn't get a good report- please insist on one so I can get a good report from you" is the most that was appropriate. You have to draw the line in the sand NOW- or you are approving this as the way you want to be treated in the future.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

You may have witnessed someone reach their cracking point.

I've had a couple shifts where it takes NOTHING to send me over the edge, because of EVERYTHING ELSE that happened before. Especially if you're one of the dutiful people that always get screwed (as it sounds like she was if she was often getting the work of two nurses when she came in), there comes a point where you can't take it anymore. Is it an excuse? No, but it's an explanation. Since ultimately you didn't actually get in trouble, I'd give her the benefit of the doubt and hope that you never reach that point, but if you do, hopefully someone else will "pay it forward" and you'll get the benefit of the doubt.

[DixieRedHead, ASN, RN]

All I can say is that it is great to make friends at work, but don't get TOO close... you never know who is going to do that to you... Best advice I've gotten is go to work , do your job, help other nurses... but don't expect anything in return... and NEVER pay any attention to all the gossip. I don't engage in it and I don't pay attention to it... people ask me all the time how I'm so out of the loop with the gossip... I TOOK myself out of the loop. Its the best thing for everyone. Don't hold a grudge against this nurse, you don't know what she had to deal with that day outside of work... just watch your back... don't trust anyone TOO much. There is a limit.

I wanted to give you some advice, but there is nothing that I could say that would add to this except where it says "Don't trust anyone 'too much' I would say "Don't trust anyone."

No good deed goes unpunished. Even your best work friend will throw you on the train tracks when the train is coming when their job or license is on the line. And once you KNOW someone will go for your jugular keep a professional distance. Do not engage in gossip, don't share your personal life.

It is a sad commentary on our profession that this is the way we need to conduct ourselves.

[All4NursingRN]

In response to VICEDRN

In my original post I mentioned that I had plugged the patient in and placed him on the cardiac monitor, I also applied the pacer pads to the patient and told her that as well in which she was still upset with me. At that time there was nothing further to do for the patient except assist the MD's with the cardioversion. I really hate when people jump to conclusions without reading.

[butter1st]

Been there...done that... let it go move on...not that deep, she was ahving a bad day and wanted to cut loose on someone...unfortunately...you..I won't tell you to do what I have done in the past(although it worked well), but I will say ignore it and know you did what you could..

[enchantmentdis, BSN, RN]

Been there...done that... let it go move on...not that deep, she was ahving a bad day and wanted to cut loose on someone...unfortunately...you..I won't tell you to do what I have done in the past(although it worked well), but I will say ignore it and know you did what you could..

Yeah, well, loose cannons like that have the ability to get a nurse fired. Her reaction was overblown. She should have sucked up having a bad day and not take it out on the outgoing nurse. We can't read people's minds. And who gives a s8(& if she had a bad day. She needs to grow up, or miss priss, herself, will be out of a job.

[bostonbakednurse]

For your own protection, write up the events of that occurrence. Just record all the facts, who was present, when who said what, what room, the time and date. Keep it on hand at home. Make sure it is in your own handwriting and signed. Keep a folder at home and if it happens again, oh and it will, you will have proof of her unprofessional behavior towards you.

Nothing wrong with looking at the clock in my opinion I don't think you did anything wrong. That nurse took it out on you and shame on her. She was wrong, no matter what the circumstances. She used you as her punching bag. Watch out for her.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

I agree with keeping the info, but, perhaps, this is one of those times to email it to yourself, so that you have a time stamp? Especially get the names of the docs.

For your own protection, write up the events of that occurrence. Just record all the facts, who was present, when who said what, what room, the time and date. Keep it on hand at home. Make sure it is in your own handwriting and signed. Keep a folder at home and if it happens again, oh and it will, you will have proof of her unprofessional behavior towards you.

Nothing wrong with looking at the clock in my opinion I don't think you did anything wrong. That nurse took it out on you and shame on her. She was wrong, no matter what the circumstances. She used you as her punching bag. Watch out for her.

[diligent-trooper]

LOL Yeah buddy!