Work situation, upset, opinions needed

[beeble]

Hi! I currently work in critical care, on this unit since last fall. There is a lot to learn.

I worked last night. There is an aide who has worked there for 30 or so years. He is very set in his ways, and for example, starts his day at 0630 (no one does that anymore) and punches out at 1500. Takes his lunch at 1100, NO MATTER WHAT. Will get frustrated if you bring fresh towels in the room for a clean up "Why are you doing that, there are towels in the drawer" (in the room)). I know several of the longer term staff roll their eyes when speaking of him. They say he used to really be crabby until an accident about a year ago. But I always respected his longevity, and got along, and was always really nice to him.

I worked overnight last night. I had tried raising the head of a patients bed and noticed a crunching sound, it was an O2 tank wedged in the foot pillows of a Kinair bed. I took it out and propped by the wall. I was changing lines. My patient decided very suddenly at 0630 to drop his sats, while on a vent, to 73, and raise his BP to 200. My charge RN was notifying RT/MDs while I was giving O2, suctioning, ect. and wondering if he was having a PE.

Just then, the aide was in the room stocking washcloths, and saw the O2 tank and said to me, "This is very dangerous, this shouldnt be like this, ect" I said "I can't talk to you right now I am dealing with this situation" "This is equally as dangerous, AND YOU WILL TALK TO ME" "I WILL NOT TALK TO YOU NOW" ""YOU WILL TALK TOME NOW" "No, I WILL TALK TO LATER" "YOU WILL TALK TO ME NOW" this excange went back and forth while I am trying to get the pt's sats up and see if RT was called. The MDs were in the room at this point. He SLAMMED the washcloth drawer, and STOMPED out of the room, waving his arms in disgust at me. I was so shaken I could hardly focus on pt and MDs and their questions.

The sats slowly came back up after several long minutes, and BP down, still dont know what happened, but was still shaken a little while later when MDs rounded and were asking me questions.

I went to asst nurse mgr, and told her the above, and she said that O2 tanks were this guys "pet peeve". She said she would talk to him, and it was right my focus should be on pt. I did see him and her casually and calmly chatting a few mintutes later (as I was charting).

I am worried this guy will go off on me in the future, or get 'mad' at something, like a request for a turn, and really honestly would prefer never to see him ever again, but since I know that won't happen, what should I do? How should I handle this, and what do you think of this situation? Very upsetting for me!! Thanks

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

i've been a critical care nurse for 15 of my 17 year career and while having an o2 tank sitting propped against the wall is wrong it sounds like you were in the middle of getting the patient situated and were going to take it out as soon as you left the room. he got into a resp. crisis and you had to tend to your patient first. if this cna was a good cna he would have kept his big mouth shut and helped you seeing that you had more important things to tend to at that moment! sounds like he has some insecurity issues. it would be a good idea to go to him and tell him that the next time he sees a patient in a crisis situation to do a better job at helping you out and you do not need his badgering while tending to a critically ill patient. all the other comments on here that are so worried about getting an o2 tank out of the room are obviously not bedside nurses or have not worked in critical care where you have these crisis situations.

i've been in critical care twice as long as you. yes, patient care is a priority, but an oxygen tank propped up against the wall is a lethal hazard. if it got knocked over and the valve broke, it could suddenly become a 20 pound airborne missile taking out everyone and everything in it's path. no one in the area would be safe, not even those outside that room. securing the oxygen tank was a priority -- the op could easily have asked the cna to take care of it right then and there.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

exactly. a tank falling on the op's foot is going to bring her patient care efforts to a screeching halt as well!

a falling oxygen tank doesn't have to land on someone's foot to be a bad thing. an o2 tank with a broken valve can go airborne -- right through windows, walls and lead shielded doors. imagine what it would do to a person in it's way.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

i'm unpleasantly surprised by how many posters insist that the cna needs to be "put in his place" and who've made disparaging comments about "bullying." the bullying behavior in that exchange came as much from the op as it did from the cna she was addressing. the op made it clear that she was not really listening to the cna and didn't value his input, and from the other comments she's made it seems that she doesn't really like or value the cna himself. he probably gets that. respectful behavior in the workplace is a two way street.

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

i'm unpleasantly surprised by how many posters insist that the cna needs to be "put in his place" and who've made disparaging comments about "bullying." the bullying behavior in that exchange came as much from the op as it did from the cna she was addressing. the op made it clear that she was not really listening to the cna and didn't value his input, and from the other comments she's made it seems that she doesn't really like or value the cna himself. he probably gets that. respectful behavior in the workplace is a two way street.

i too was uncomfortable with the term "put in his place". also calling the cna a "bully" didn't strike me as accurate either.

what place does the cnas we work with have? are they only there to answer lights and empty bedpans? are they not allowed to think for themselves? can they not determine what's important and what's not? that last may conflict with what a nurse thinks is important, but with respect the two can come to an understanding.

if putting one in their place is ok, how can we ever be outraged when an md verbally attacks in an emergency situation?