I just need to vent

Nurses Relations

Published

I am really sorry this is really long.

I have been at my job for 5 months and I am loving it. Everyone and everything is great. Until about a month ago. One CNA got upset with the nurse that I work with. No one know exactly what upset her but she basically ignores the other nurse. Which doesnt bother their job because she doesnt work until that nurse. So they just ignore each other even though the nurse tries to be civil. The cna has sense tried to get everyone to turn against this nurse. The other employees have stopped talking to this aide too unless they just have to because of this and her causing problems with other people. I was the only person on the shift that would talk to her.

Last night she told me that she witnessed a patient getting hurt and stated things that this patient is not physically able to say or do. However, because it was reported to me I went ahead and wrote it up and assessed the patient. I asked her to write out a statement since she witnessed even causing her to be rude.She got very defensive when I was asking her questions which I explained I had to do for my paperwork. About 30 minutes later I was sitting at the nurses desk with the other nurse and we were discussion weekend plans and having a good time. About an hour later my boss comes in, at this time the cna has left for the day, and my boss calls me and the other nurse into her office.

This cna sent her a text message stating that i was discussing the incident and laughing about how my patient got hurt at the nurses desk. Luckily I had the other nurse and another cna state that that was not what happened. That we were discussing plans. The other nurse explained how this cna had been treating everyone and that it was like she was out to get everyone on our shift. She wants to change shifts by the way. The boss said that since I have 2 other adults to witness what happened, nothing would be done about it.

I just worry now to what lengths this cna will go to and for what? No one knows what they did to make her angry with them. She just seems to want to make people mad. But now she is doing things that could effect my job. Had I not have had the other people there or if she said I laughed somewhere else, I could be in some serious trouble.

Any experienced nurses have any suggestions on what to do or how to handle this?

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Sounds like the cna has some issues. I'd avoid her. I understand how unnerving it must be to work with her after the incident. But it also sounds like your boss and coworkers understand her shenanigans. She probably does not have much credibility at this point.

The only thing I'd do differently for next time is, if she makes another allegation of abuse or neglect, to get the manager involved right away.... at least to minimize the he said/she said... you don't want to get wrapped up in that.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

Welcome to AN.com, LPN shots!

It sound as though you acted prudently in following up with a patient area of concern once reported to you by the CNA.

Continue to act prudently in your patient care, documentation, and in your relationships with peers and coworkers and allow and The Fates to take care of this disgruntled CNA. Edgar Cayce said, "You can't get someone in to more trouble than they can get themselves into". Allowing someone to deal with the ramifications of their own actions, karmic comeupins, has proven true numerous times in my career.

The best to you.

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I have been there done that.

YOU are the professional in this situation. Document your observations. It does not matter where she is coming from. She is trouble ,take control.

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The little pig needs the smackdown laid on to her. She will get worse. Knock her attitude down before that happens. Everyone one in that facility needs to act, and be held accountable in a professional manner.

No room for grade school behavior.

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Specializes in school nurse.

Wait, your boss essentially said she knows it's a false accusation but nothing will happen to the liar??

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Specializes in Public Health, TB.

Agree with previous poster to take any more reports from this person directly to your boss, do not get pulled into her mess. And I would avoid any 1:1 conversations with her without another person present. It may even behoove you to journal your interactions with her. Your boss is probably creating a paper trail for a dismissal, and in that case, they cannot let the rest of the staff know.

I am sorry you are being drawn into this.

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Wait, your boss essentially said she knows it's a false accusation but nothing will happen to the liar??

Seems that way, I'll bet the DON is afraid of an accusation being leveled at her. That way of dealing with things will work really well once this "troubled" CNA figures out that one anonymous call to the State regulatory agency claiming abuse will bring the investigators out in droves.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Moved to pt/colleague relations

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I do try to avoid her as much as I can. She works under me so there are times that we have to speak about the patients. She will not talk to me if the other nurse is there because of the trouble she has caused with that nurse. I usually have the other nurse go with me when she states an incident has happened because she will exaggerate things and I always want a witness so she couldn't say I didn't take something seriously. I always treat everything she reports seriously and follow the facilities protocol to make sure that nothing ever comes back that I ignored anything. We work night shift so no supervisor is there. Just 4 LPN's and about 6 CNAs.

After the other nurse and CNA stated that what we were talking about/laughing about had nothing to do with the incident or the patent (or any other incident or patient), that's when the supervisor said that she believed it was a false accusation. I mean I have two witnesses who were apart of the conversation that said we were discussing weekend plans.

The supervisor basically said that she knew this CNA had been causing problems with the staff but since no one has written her up she doesn't have a paper trail to be able to do anything to her/fire her. This is the first time she has ever done anything like this to me so I have never had a reason to write her up. The supervisor is known to hearing things happen and not doing anything because she wants other people to be the bad guy.

Basically if she tries to press this that I laughed at a patient getting hurt and tries to change her story to that no one was there, I didn't know what would happen. This happened yesterday morning and I haven't heard anything else about it but I did not work last night.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

Thank you for following up on this thread, LPN shots. So many times a new member willcome in and ask for feedback and we never hear from them again.

What becomes of the broken hearted?

Keep on keeping on!

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This cna is trouble ....Two nurses have already had trouble with her , she has stopped speaking to two of you? Why don't all of the nurses go to talk with the nurse manager about this cna and all of you stick together....Believe me, I have worked with people like this and they are out to cause as much trouble and conflict as they possibly can...Get this resolved sooner than later....

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