Problem with work environment

Nurses Relations

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Hi everyone, yesterday I was in charge on the afternoon shift with two other nurses. A male nurse did not like my allocation because he wanted the lightest load. So he began telling me that I should have the heaviest patient list. I explained that I was in charge and it was my decision to allocate. This nurse carried on getting in my face and then he went out and told the other staff that I was unfair etc. The day before he asked if I could swap his patient with mine as his patients family were anxious and would ask him questions. Mine was a incompliant verbally abusive patient. So I agreed with him but when he found out that this person was going to have infusions etc he wanted to swap again for a light load. The other staff made comments about me that I shouldn't say im in charge and began to give me the cold shoulder. I cried and walked off the ward wanting to leave. This male nurse disappears for extended breaks, he did not back me up when I was faced with a aggressive man. In fact he said I will be back just going to make a cup of tea. I cried in front of him and apologised for making him upset instead. At the moment I feel like leaving because the other nurses are ignoring me because I dared try to do my job as shift charge. Im trying hard not to get emotional or cry. I feel ashamed that I showed my feelings and I feel railroaded by my work mates. I've always been a good nurse and cared about my workmates. But feel like walking out. To top it off that nurse asked to change patients again one hour into the duty because mine refused everything. I feel like why be in charge of you can't make decisions and try to run the ward properly. I don't think I can cope with being excluded. This nurse has been on the ward for almost ten years and im only 18 months. The culture is very laid back, nurses don't answer bells, have 2 hourly breaks, healthcare assistants sit on the internet most of the shift and are verbally abusive toward some of the quieter nurses. Patients complain that no one is on time to give them pain meds etc. It's hard to go against this environment to improve things.

Specializes in Adult MICU/SICU.

I had similar problems about 18 years ago. Our ICU had a lot of turmoil after losing their heart program (it was the beginning of a long slide to total hospital collapse/closure) and it was a ghost off it's former self.

That being said, the nurse manager of 24 years retired - we went through a new nurse manager every 2-3 months for the next 2-3 years until I left.

No one would agree to take charge, so I did it feeling pressured. The charge nurse took the same load as the other nurses.

There was one nurse named Patty (not her real name) that challenged me at every turn no matter what popped up. One day she was on call, but didn't want to come in because she had been out drinking the night before and was hung over. She knew she was on call (on call meant we WILL be calling you in at some point during the shift). I called her every 5 minutes for 3 hours until she answered, pissed off. I had to tell her to get her butt in there RIGHT. NOW! We got an unexpected triple A surgery rolling down one end of the hall from PACU, and an unexpected patient they had to float a transcutaneous pacemaker rolling down the other end of the hall from ER at the exact same time - everyone (including me, as charge nurse) was full to capacity already.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

She had been making my life hell for months, but that day I snapped. I called the house supervisor who called an agency nurse - Patty reeked like ETOH from 10 feet away ... I let the house supervisor deal with that, and an agency nurse took over her patients.

Not long after I left for greener pastures.

Sometimes stress gets the better of you and those tears come flying out whether you want them to, or not. We don't always have control of our emotions when things get to be just too much. We are only human.

That male nurse on your unit sounds like a total tool. Lazy.

Look for another job my friend. Hugs from a far.

I disagree regarding not ready for charge yet. I have worked at other similar places and had no issues. I am a bloody excellent charge and all the comments from previous employers have been awesome. But if you worked with me you would see theres a culture of complete laziness and people do what they want. I tried to prevent that from happening and he didn't like it. Another example healthcare assistant on the internet all the time, when you ask for help, " I will be there in a minute" they keep sitting there. So its hard to work in a environment like that.

You may be ready to be in charge of a functioning unit. However, that is a messed up dysfunctional unit and lets face it you broke down and cried in front of the unit bully. Nobody is forgetting that anytime soon. With enough time and effort people would forget but honestly is staying there worth the effort? The reason why it seems like bullies and slackers run bad units is because they do. Get out of there

You might stay and try to treat this as a learning experience IF you had management that supports you. But if this has gone on for 10 years I would assume they are aware of the problem and have chosen to do nothing about it--not uncommon, unfortunately. If you want to be charge you will need to learn to deal with issues like these, but this environment is not the place to do it, especially since you probably now appear to the team as someone who can be manipulated. I agree with the posters who have recommended that you get out.

Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
Another example healthcare assistant on the internet all the time, when you ask for help, " I will be there in a minute" they keep sitting there. So its hard to work in a environment like that.

This would be grounds for immediate termination where I work. Accessing the internet by phone or one of the unit computers is forbidden. Did you write this person up?

Hppy

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