Nurses rat on nurses

[rscarlatti]

I have noticed a disturbing trend amoung nurses. I am new to nursing so maybe I am wrong. Nurses seem not to have any loyality to each other. I have seen many nurses sell out, tell on, rat out, or whatever other description you would like to use. I am a male RN who has spent the last 7 years as a firefighter / Paramedic. I realize that the Fire service is not a fair comparison. Within the service there is a very strong tradition of not giving up your brother/sister firefighter. In nursing there seems to be no control on this behavior. The loyality to each other is stronger than any loyality to a system because you place your life in your fellow firefighters hands and the system can't do that for you. I have had feedback from others who attribute it to the fact that nursing is a female dominated profession but that does not feel right. Female firefighters adhere to the standards of silence as strongly as their male conterparts. I have also heard this tradition blamed on The Sisters of Mercy. That they began the tradition of loyality to the system over your fellow nurses and that it as well as eating our young is a legacy from them. I would like to here from other nurses male and female on this topic as well as some suggestions for change.

[l.rae]

Originally posted by LasVegasRN

I swear there must be a full moon or something....

huh????

[Teresa S., DNP]

Fly nurse, I agree with you also. This is where nursing really falls down flat instead of being as "Professional" as it could and should be. I currently work at a place where everyone is great and pulls together, but I have worked in hospitals where the nurses are very clichish and you just can't break through...they dump more work on you and don't get up and do anything they could or should do, they make you feel like you are incompetent when there is something you don't know how to do, etc.....its really funny when a Dr comes along and asks a technical question and they don't know.....but you do! It is really very sad and juvenile.

As far a "ratting" I would approach a nurse first if I felt she was doing something wrong. Lets face it, EVERYONE thinks they know the one right way to do something, and for many things there are different studies showing different results...so maybe she has a good rational for her action....then you can work together to find if there is a better way, and go from there. But if it is patient safety at risk, and they continue to be unsafe, it must be taken care of....this is one reason we have bad Drs, because they often do not police their own but cover up for each other.

[RNinICU]

Originally posted by Stargazer

Bottom line, if you're talking about penny-ante crap like "Jane left the pt's room a mess" or "Jane takes too many breaks" or something, then you're absolutely right, there is too much of that and it needs to stop. If you are talking about actually covering up for clinical incompetence/mistakes or criminal behavior like drug diversion, then that is just bullshit. Protecting the patient/public and the integrity of our own profession should be our first priorities.

Couldn't have put it any better than this.

[boggle, ASN, RN]

As for tattling on co-workers behavior, I agree with the previous posts. Enough already....you have a problem with me, talk to me about it. If I have a problem with you, I'll talk to you or choose to live with it. I have a strict no-gossip policy in my personal code of ethics!

As for reporting, I report ERRORS. It doesn't matter who makes them, ( and yes I've written incident reports on myself).

The majority of errors are related to problems beyond the individual nurses control. The only way to fix the problems that get nurses in trouble is to identify them and make a stink about them till systems change.

AND you gotta report some errors so corrective action can be taken, ( like the post describing the wrong med given in the ambulance).

That being said, there are lots of things that I don't report too. Guess it depends on if no harm is done and if just mentioning the problem to the doc is enough to fix or account for the problem.

A nurses lot is full of tough decisions

[HazeK]

Originally posted by maizey

Do you really have a door marked for MD use only? What's that all about.

Yup, there is a secured back door from the parking lot that the OB docs all have key cards for....but the nurses have to walk around to the main entrance! argh! Supposedly, is just so they can get it faster to avoid 'missing' deliveries.

haze

[judy ann]

People ask why I am not practicing nursing when I so obviously adore nursing. I tell them "Nurses are very good to their patients. They are nice to the families. They tolerate the doctors. They kill each other." Those are only generalities, but they are truisms. I had asked for help with a CNM delivery for 3 hours, and ended up with a depressed baby at change of shifts, and when I turned on the emergency light, I still got no help. The staff didn't like the CNM. I have been reported for not obtaining a cath urine spec on a geriatric female. I couldn't find her meatus. Neither could the next two shifts. They were not reported. I was reported for not charting why I did not give a PRN medication! I could go on for hours. I decided that my sanity was worth more than my love of nursing. Yes, I miss it terribly, and often want to go back. Then I think of this type of experiences. I think I will continue to do medical billing. My computer never gave me any trouble and it is fun to fight with insurance companies (I usually win!)

I hope I haven't frightened any newbies away. This is your chance to change this. You can do it. I can't :stone

[FullMoonMadness]

I hold myself to a very hogh standard as far as patient care and safety go, and i expect my coworkers to do the same. That said,nursing offers an envirionment that provides many opportunity for mistakes. We are all human,and I will admit to making a few errors in my time.

I won't belittle someone who honestly tries to provide the best for his/her patients.I don't ***** about the small stuff.We have several new graduates on my unit. they will either become good,safe nurses or they won't.They have to rely on us to help them learn.Some of them really are receptive and want to learn,others don't ask a single question and the don't get it when someone react negativly if they give routine Lantus insulin for a pt with a glucose level of 50.(just an example,it really did happen).

I guess what Im trying to say is,I wouldn't RAT on a nurse,but if I didn't feel safe working with them I would voice my concerns.

[rscarlatti]

Wow! Great feedback. This is an awesome board. I of course put patient safety first. That goes without saying but how much administrative crap gets dumped on nurses to satisfy this credentitialing body or some bean counter. I have seen nurses make other nurses come back in from home because an agency nurse on their team didnt document 15 minute checks on an aggressive patient in a posey. I guess I miss the comeraderie that exits in the firehouse when I am at the hospital. I give it there but just can't expect it in return. We deal with the problems in the Firehouse, we just do it amoung ourselves. I am one nurse who will protect, cover for, support my brothers and sisters irregardless of whether they would do it for me. The only exception of course would be if a pattern of behavior existed that placed a patient in danger. If a good nurse made a mistake that "could" have jeapordized a patients safety I would not give that nurse up. I would have to see a pattern before I would bring the matter to a supervisors attention. Each and every one of us can and will make a mistake. We are human and overworked. When you do who do you want looking over your shoulder?

[ohbet]

This is what a female nurse told me once.She noticed on a floor where there were all females,backbiting,backstabbing,gossip,talking trash behind other nurses backs took place of the floor.

When she floated to a floor where the majority of nurses were males,all that trash talk was absent,morale was high and work got done.

Im not drawing any conclusions,just sharing an observation made by another female nurse.

Of course we need to protect patients from incompetancy and report such incompetancy,but there are nurses being written up for the smallest,insignificant things that could either be over looked or could be taken to the offending nurse.

I know that people who like to put others down feel inferior and they need to do that so they can feel better

[webbiedebbie]

{We really should focus on helping each other out, WHICH in turn might lead to reduction of other nurses making mistakes, thus, reducing the amount of "write-ups" we have to waste our time writing out. For instance, during my preceptorship at my new job I overheard some nurses talking about another nurse on night shift. "I can't believe that she could have time to sit there and count the patient's staples after surgery, but she can't hang a new bag of half normal saline that ends at 0715. What a complete idiot! And she does this all of the time. I wish she would get a clue!" I thought to myself, "Why don't you get a clue and help the poor girl get her priorities straight." (It was my understanding the night nurse was a new grad.)

So, stand tall! Stand proud! And help each other out! :

(You may be thinking its not your job. But isn't it your job to advocate for the patient? Prevent mistakes, help your fellow nurses out!) }

Couldn't have said it better myself! Inspiring words and ones that we should all have branded in our brains.

[Flynurse]

Boy, I sure wish some of the nurse's I worked with today had taken some of my advice in my first post on this thread.

I didn't get written-up today, but I feel as though those nurses were ready to pounce on it. Yesterday, I precepted on this floor to get a feel for the Nephrology unit as a float nurse. Today was my first day on the floor, on my own. It was, to say the least, comparible to El Nino. NONE, of the nurses were a bit nice or helpful. They were worse than RUDE. I felt like a pest when I asked IMPORTANT questions. And to top it all off, I overheard the nurse I precepted with yesterday say, "She was with me yesterday, and she drove me nuts all day." (Now, how could I be that bad when six other preceptors had nothing but nice things to say about me ) No one could see me behind the chart rack, but as soon as I walked over to put the chart away all five of them shut their mouths and ACTED as though they were doing something else. UGH!!! I DO NOT WANT TO GO BACK THERE!!!!!!!!!!! EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe I should print this thread and post it all over their unit!

Did I mention the nurses of this unit drove my friend to decide she doesn't want to be a nurse. PERIOD. I don't blame her after today!

[night owl]

I agree that pt safety comes first and we are advocates for our patients, but if I have a problem with a nurse, then I would take him/her aside and speak to them PRIVATELY. I feel that confidentiality is also a standard for all staff members. If things didn't improve then I would start documenting incidences. I've seen one nurse speak to another coworker about a problem infront of the oncoming shift for all to hear and then AGAIN the next day when she came back to the oncoming day shift. Why would you choose to do that? Were you really trying to humiliate her for God's sake? Talk about rudeness! I could see the poor nurses blood pressure rise in her eyes as the other nurse brought the subject up again. Putting people down in front of other people is just not my style and shouldn't be with others, but some people just have no class!