Nurse to nurse communication

jp#1 · Feb 9, 2001

Why communicate? If they talked with each other and helped each other out---they simply wouldn't feel good about it! Their egos would suffer; it certainly wouldn't make them look very good in front of the other wolves--excuse me, I meant NURSES (just a Freudian slip; didn't really mean that). It's very important to fit in today; it's required. Can't have things running smoothly, can we? The militant charge nurse? Don't you wish you could click your heels and salute? Or maybe have a magic wand you could just 'poof' her away? You can use mine! I, too, have been in 'it' many years. They make me sick! I have no answer, but I pray I NEVER belong!

TXERRN · Feb 9, 2001

How awful! Why is it that we treat PRN nurses (or any for that matter) this way? I make it a habit to be friendly to PRN, agency, and all staff that comes to my unit. I think nurses eat their young as it is, so why should we attack our experienced nurses as well? I remember being a new grad and asking an experienced nurse for help and getting that look like "how dare you bother me".

Hang in there. There is a nursing shortage! You can find somewhere else to go! Don't tolerate behaviour like that. My technique is, the meaner they are, the sweeter I lay it on. It annoys those meanies to no end!!!

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TX ER RN

tattoogirl · Feb 10, 2001

Student nurses get it bad, too. I haven't even been around any registered nurses that I liked yet...that's pretty bad. They treat students like we know nothing and can't do anything. And they REALLY get mad when the students know something that they don't. All I have to say is get over it, the people that are like that shouldn't be here anyways. Mean people will always get what's coming to them in the end!

TracyRN · Feb 10, 2001

Just yesterday I finalized plans to go back full-time. For the last month, I've talked to people who work full-time in all the units I was considering, at two different hospitals. Just introduced myself to nurses in the hospital that I knew nothing about and struck up conversations. I found them all to be very welcoming and forthright, if a little surprised. Heard alot of whining and alot of positive stuff. The position I accepted could be awful, but at least the chances are reduced because I already have a little bit of history with the team on which I'll be working.

MartyL, I wish you the best of luck in looking for a new position. The jobs are definitely out there. I live in a fairly small town/city, and I had 8 solid offers in acute care. For the first time in my life, I had the opportunity to pick and choose. What a feeling!!

momangel29 · Feb 13, 2001

How would you like to work in a place where your total shift report given to you is everyone is okay. I work in LTC but I have patients with feeding tubes and a trache and some decubitus and these people require alot of care. Even the RN's are acting this way. A new patient came in and they tell me in report he's okay and I say who is he? I always have to dive into my charts. I am an LPN going to school for my RN. I like what I do I just wish there was more leadership in the facility. We have no evening supervisor and almost 200 patients in the building.Hope we all have better luck soon.

Mijourney · Feb 13, 2001

Hi MartyL. Your post indicates that you are disappointed with your prn job. I think you're right to want to look for work that is more suitable to your standards.

In light of this experience, I encourage you, as I have myself and others, to seriously consider putting as much effort in finding a job, whether it's prn or not, as working in a job. It's still an employee's market in many areas. Even if it wasn't, a potential employee is obligated to find out about an employer and ask tough questions in order to make a more informed decision about accepting employment prior to interviewing. Believe me, I have worked in jobs in which I wished I had asked more questions before accepting the position. Realize that there are people who enter the field of nursing that should have become a bouncer, jail security, or the like. Best wishes.

MartyL · Feb 15, 2001

Thank you for your replies. I have decided that any job prn or not is like a marriage. You have to have the same goals and similar ideas of what is important for the "relationship" to work. I miss the group I worked with before I moved here. We had differences of opinion and that was --here's a shocker --OK! When push came to shove, we were there to take care of patients as a TEAM--and we were more like good friends or even "family" as opposed to being there for our shift, and not giving a hoot about the Nurse as a Person. I miss that and I hope to find a group that I am more compatible with. I have asked to be taken off shifts before I totally loose my ability to smile (I know that meanies hate it if you can remain sweet and unnerved by their attempts to bring you down). I have always been the one to take up for the underdog--students, ancillary staff, and PRN or agency folks. I like to work with people who are precepted with kindness and caring because they tend to be happier during the 12 grueling hours that we work together. I enjoy being a nurse and I wish that people without compassion would find something else to do! I would suggest train fighting chickens; become prison guards; join the MARINES!

skyQ · Feb 25, 2010

the hospital that i am working at right now just closed one of the unit. On the floor that I work(medical ward), 3 of the new nurses got bumped and 5 of the "new" nurses came in. They all have like 20+yrs of experience in LTC, when they get started they think they know everything, while they were on their orientation the AHN said just to check the medication that they prepare. The nurse freaks out! and said " y r u checking me? U know I have 30 yrs of experience and I could be ur grandma"!she made a big deal complaint to the HN and the union. and the poor nurse just got yell at for nothing. :crying2: The other new nurse had to give a transfusion, and saw her put the blood on gravity set, and the nurse approach her she said Oh, the family was in the room and I dunno how to use the pump, and said:"we dun use a pump for blood transfusion in the old days"! the hospital policy and procedure says blood products have to be delivered with the pump. How come they dun ask if they dun know something? When the nurse ask if she is ok any questions she said no. and in fact she doesn't know, she just dun want to look stupid in front of the family and rather doing smth not right. They work in the LTC for so long and they dun even give transfusion. sigh..

Personally I dun care a nurse who has 30+yrs of experience or whatever, if they have too much ego, and think they know everything they will never be a good nurse, will never improve and admit they make a mistake.

I often hear that: I have 20 yrs of expereice and I know what I am doing, u know what? u have been doing the wrong thing for 20 yrs! :mad:

skyQ · Feb 25, 2010

The 3 nurses that who got bumped are way better than the "new"ones who came to our floor even though they have less experience. so in nursing, experience is not the most important thing, experience won't make u a better nurse if they dun have a good heart and not listen to others.

I really miss the nursing team that I had, if was like a fmaily, now it's not the same anymore