Nurse tells summer volunteer to not refer to the unit as "We"!!

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I was truly disgusted when a new hire asked a summer volunteer "Where do we keep such and such an item"? And the volunteer responded "We keep it in such and such place. Then another nurse turned to her and said "Do not use the word WE your not part of us"!!! Truly a nasty way to treat a high school kid volunteering his time!!

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

Yes, very nasty as well as totally unnecessary.

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Silence speaks volume on how the culture of this unit is operated.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.

Sounds like high school all over again to me...wow, maybe even back to junior high or grade school...the volunteer probably had a flash back moment :confused:

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Specializes in retired LTC.

Even Queen Victoria used 'the royal WE' as in "WE are not amused".

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Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.

Our volunteers go through orientation and have company-issued ID badges... they most certainly ARE part of us!!!

That nurse needs an attitude adjustment, STAT!

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

Yep. Just ugly.

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Our volunteers go through orientation and have company-issued ID badges... they most certainly ARE part of us!!!

That nurse needs an attitude adjustment, STAT!

oh please! can i, please,please?
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What was YOUR response to Nurse Ratched?

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I was truly disgusted when a new hire asked a summer volunteer "Where do we keep such and such an item"? And the volunteer responded "We keep it in such and such place. Then another nurse turned to her and said "Do not use the word WE your not part of us"!!! Truly a nasty way to treat a high school kid volunteering his time!!

OP, this is the first time you've made a post here on AN and you haven't listed your profession. Are you a nurse on this unit? Did you say anything to your coworker (?) when she said what she did to the volunteer?

Personally this is a situation where I wouldn't be able to (and wouldn't want to) keep my big mouth ;) shut. I would look this person in the eyes and ask her what on earth possessed her to make such a hostile and thoroughly unhelpful comment. In most instances where I feel a reason to question someone's behavior, I make sure to do it in private in order to not humiliate the other person unnecessarily. However in this situation I would have voiced my objection right then and there. In my opinion the high school kid needed to hear someone state that this behavior is unacceptable. When people behave in this way they need to be called out on it.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
Silence speaks volume on how the culture of this unit is operated.

Indeed. If I overheard that in my unit, there would be formal disciplinary action.

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Specializes in Cardicac Neuro Telemetry.
I was truly disgusted when a new hire asked a summer volunteer "Where do we keep such and such an item"? And the volunteer responded "We keep it in such and such place. Then another nurse turned to her and said "Do not use the word WE your not part of us"!!! Truly a nasty way to treat a high school kid volunteering his time!!

That was just unnecessary and truly ugly. I hope someone said something to that nurse!

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