Nurse Harassment!!!

Nurses Relations

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I work as male cna/tech and I have been harassed/bullied by a nurse at my work. It all started when I asked her when a resident was going to get her acu check and insulin before she went to sleep, this was at 23:00 and they are to be done @ 20:00. I was told to go mind my own business, I wrote up a grievance on the residents behalf and other residents cause they have not received their evening med pass as well their acu checks and insulin. Mind you this is at 23:00 and they are to be done after the evening meal or there after. One resident came out and demanded his pills so he can go to sleep at 23:30. There was no emergency or anything unusual going on to delay any of this. This nurse is very unorganized. It doesn't matter but this nurse is an RN.. But the next week after I reported this to my DON and SS it's been hell. I don't know if she knows that I wrote the grievance for the residents or not but she has been up my ass ever since, over nothing. She has yelled at me in front of residents, staff, and residents family members. She is even mean to residents, scolding a resident for eating a Cheeseburger that her family brought her and not going to eating in the dinning room. (No dietary restrictions) I passed this nurse coming out of this residents room and I looked and seen the resident crying. I asked her what happened she told me with tears running down her cheek. She has lied to other nurses about me, threatening to write me up etc. I have gone to my DON, ADON etc several times. Nothing absolutely nothing. I have witnesses staff and residents to her abuse towards me. What do I do? I think they aren't doing anything cause they are short of RN's. If I came out of a residents room and the resident was crying and a nurse had seen that I would be fired for verbal resident abuse. Period!! I have worked there for several years this nurse has been there less than 6 mo. I want to quit but I can't I want to report to Corporate but I am afraid I am going to loose my job, being treated differently, won't get my vacation time etc. Other Nurses also have major problems with this nurse as well. But not like what they seen me go through. I Have never worked with anyone like this before I have been in nursing for 20+ years. What do I do? Thanks

Specializes in OR.

It is interesting after reading all of the threads, how many references are made to "hanging".. Hang in there, she is going to "hang"

herself etc.

I think you should take a huge breath, step back, & look @ this picture. It speaks for itself.

You have been there 20 years, this nurse has been there 6 months. It may take a little time, and she will "Hang Herself", in the meanwhile, keep your nose clean.. do the best job you can do, be a great patient advocate, don't stir the pot, and you "Hang in there" cuz it will soon be OK>

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Around 0530-0545 one morning while finishing my meds pass, my coworker a LVN came and told me the iv bag is beeping and she thinks it is done. :nurse: I told her let me finish up here really quickly and I'll be in there. As I finishing giving medication to my last two residents, I quickly push my cart to the nurse's station and went into the room. When I got there, the LVN handed me NS syringe and alcohol wipes and she said "I think it just needs to be flush." We looked at the IV order and noted that it was ordered to be continuous. So we both went into the room. I checked the machine and the alert button was beeping. So I turn it off and open the side door to fix the tubing. I noticed there were bubbles in the tube so I went ahead and tap it. After clearing the bubbles out, I put the tube back in place and turn the machine on. The machine alert button was still beeping. The bag still has about 300ml left out of 1000ml. I try to enter the amount of total fluid volume into the machine. Somehow the machine wouldn't let me enter it. I tried it multiple times and couldn't get it to work. So I flushed the IV anyway to make sure it is patent. There was no problem with the IV line and there was no resistant. The Lvn got on the phone and call our DON and notify her of the problem. DON asked if there are still fluids dripping from the drip chamber. We told her no. She didn't bother to help us trouble shoot the cause of the problem, but told us she will be in.

Around 6:30 As I was charting at the nurse's station, I heard a voice in the background saying "where did she get her RN license from, the .........I couldn't understand if it was the pig's pin and something else. I had no idea who and what she (DON) was talking about. Then the am nurse came out and asked me, "you were here last night, why did DON had to come this early to hang the IV bag?" By this time I knew that she was talking about me, and that was in front of two other LVNs and DSD. :madface:I was curious to find out why she was so upset. After a couple minutes pass, the DON came and was talking to the AM nurse. As she came to the nurse's station, I explained to her again what happen, she cut me off and said the fluids were too low and needed to be replace. I apologize and said I wasn't sure 300ml was too low for the machine. She left before I was even finished. Then she came back and asks me if the ATB was here yet. I told her no, not that I'm aware of. She asked me if I called the Pharmacy. I said no, and I also told her that I was not aware that the resident was on ATB until this morning when the LVN told me about the beeping of the IV. Again she left before I finish talking and went into the med room. Then she came out with a pack of ATB bag and threw it onto the desk just 3ft from where I was charting. (ATB was in there the whole time. WTH. This means the PMs didn't even give it and did not reported to me or the LVN) I continue explaining the LVN told me that the ATB will be here sometimes this morning. I assumed that she already called the pharmacy. The DON rolled her eyes raised her voice saying "you should of look at the orders and question your LVN." Then she stepped out of the nursing station and came back around and rolled her eyes again and said you're the senior nurse, you should of check all the 24 hour report and orders. I said okay and I am sorry. I did not get a chance to talk with her regarding the IV pump problem and the ATB. I had a skilled check off at 7am with the DSD. I know she is upset, but doesn't have the right to speak to me that way. What do I do? Should I report it? :confused:

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Around 0530-0545 one morning while finishing my meds pass, my coworker a LVN came and told me the iv bag is beeping and she thinks it is done. :nurse: I told her let me finish up here really quickly and I'll be in there. As I finishing giving medication to my last two residents, I quickly push my cart to the nurse's station and went into the room. When I got there, the LVN handed me NS syringe and alcohol wipes and she said "I think it just needs to be flush." We looked at the IV order and noted that it was ordered to be continuous. So we both went into the room. I checked the machine and the alert button was beeping. So I turn it off and open the side door to fix the tubing. I noticed there were bubbles in the tube so I went ahead and tap it. After clearing the bubbles out, I put the tube back in place and turn the machine on. The machine alert button was still beeping. The bag still has about 300ml left out of 1000ml. I try to enter the amount of total fluid volume into the machine. Somehow the machine wouldn't let me enter it. I tried it multiple times and couldn't get it to work. So I flushed the IV anyway to make sure it is patent. There was no problem with the IV line and there was no resistant. The Lvn got on the phone and call our DON and notify her of the problem. DON asked if there are still fluids dripping from the drip chamber. We told her no. She didn't bother to help us trouble shoot the cause of the problem, but told us she will be in.

Around 6:30 As I was charting at the nurse's station, I heard a voice in the background saying "where did she get her RN license from, the .........I couldn't understand if it was the pig's pin and something else. I had no idea who and what she (DON) was talking about. Then the am nurse came out and asked me, "you were here last night, why did DON had to come this early to hang the IV bag?" By this time I knew that she was talking about me, and that was in front of two other LPNs and DSD. :madface:I was curious to find out why she was so upset. After a couple minutes pass, the DON came and was talking to the AM nurse. As she came to the nurse's station, I explained to her again what happen, she cut me off and said the fluids were too low and needed to be replace. I apologize and said I wasn't sure 300ml was too low for the machine. She left before I was even finished. Then she came back and asks me if the ATB was here yet. I told her no, not that I'm aware of. She asked me if I called the Pharmacy. I said no, and I also told her that I was not aware that the resident was on ATB until this morning when the LVN told me about the beeping of the IV. Again she left before I finish talking and went into the med room. Then she came out with a pack of ATB bag and threw it onto the desk just 3ft from where I was charting. (ATB was in there the whole time. WTH. This means the PMs didn't even give it and did not reported to me or the LVN) I continue explaining the LVN told me that the ATB will be here sometimes this morning. I assumed that she already called the pharmacy. The DON rolled her eyes raised her voice saying "you should of look at the orders and question your LVN." Then she stepped out of the nursing station and came back around and rolled her eyes again and said you're the senior nurse, you should of check all the 24 hour report and orders. I said okay and I am sorry. I did not get a chance to talk with her regarding the IV pump problem and the ATB. I had a skilled check off at 7am with the DSD. I know she is upset, but doesn't have the right to speak to me that way. What do I do? Should I report it? :confused:

Now I know why JACHO hates non approved abbreviations....I figured out what ATB was but what is DSD? To whom do you think you should report your eye rolling DON to? Eye rolling may not be 100% professional and her annoyance with you could probably be better communicated there is nothing to report anyone over. I have never heard that 300cc left in a bag is too low for the pump to function. As the RN your are in charge and responsible for the LPN and what she does or does not do. Could it have been handled better? Yes. Reportable? I don't think so and to whom would you report it to.

I would ask to speak to the DON and tell her you feel bad about her coming in and you'll try and do better but it hurt your feelings and made you feel bad the way she talked with you. Ask her how she would like to go forward so this situation doesn't happen again. People sometimes just get annoyed and can't help it when it shows, after all your DON is human too. Sounds like everyone was crabby that morning....;)

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Esme12 DSD means director staff development. I understand what you mean, but how about the remark that she made? It not only made me feel bad, but belittle. This is not the first time it has happen. I already address my feelings to her once before.
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