This is a bit of a vent, but a timely one. I love working with a very diverse team on a busy med/surg floor. As we are now in Spring, we have many new orientees and again I have been asked to bring a few of them along as a preceptor. Every year it just strikes me how more and more irritated I get with some basic professional behaviors that normally don't tick me off this bad, but really get my hackles up when I find myself saying to a new nurse "well, the professional way to handle this is..." Sheesh! I shouldn't have to even have that conversation with a new grad when observing behaviors and interactions with our existing staff! Here are my top two for Spring 2015:
1. Our shifts are 0645 - 1915. I have worked nights and days and still CAN'T STAND IT when it comes to being on time for either shift. If you are coming off shift, I get that sometimes patient care delays being ready for report, BUT when you are the oncoming nurse, there is no excuse. "On TIME" means ready to take report right at 0645 or at 1845.. It does not mean, "I clocked in at 0645, but let me set my bag down in our locker room and get my stuff and fill my water bottle/coffee cup/etc."
2. It is isn't appropriate to have your smart phone out on the floor. I don't care if you were using the calculator function, or the drug look up. Those tools are available on our mobile carts and are provided by our employers (which BTW, you SHOULD be using resources provided and approved by your employer per most P&P!) But let's be honest, there is a different "tap" to being on FB, twitter, or texting than there is to using a tool. As a school teacher friend of mine once said to me, "I tell my students that I always know when they are texting on a phone. It just seems unnatural that you have been looking at your own crotch for that long while smiling, smirking, and laughing."
When there is one or two RNs who are running their butts off, and the rest of the staff (including the charge) are sitting in a circle listening to someone tell a long personal story . . . mmm, that is not OK.
Or sequestering themselves in the med room to hash out the latest small town gossip. Irks the outta me.
Yep. On the initial landing page for "I failed out..appealed....won." Topic closed. Huh, maybe my next goal will be to create such an incendiary topic that it goes on for 10 pages and then gets snuffed? I will noodle DEEEEEEPLY on this and post after my next batch of heaven at my workplace. Take care all, fun ride to say the least!
When I was a floor nurse I cringed when co-workers would be stuffing their faces in the nurses station in full view of guests and patients. Just rude, gross, and unprofessional. As if the whole unit wants to smell your Doritos. Ew.
Also, in the same vein as the "cutesy" issue, I hate to see nurses wearing scrubs with bunnies, fairies, duckies, cartoon characters, etc., unless they work on a peds unit. Do you ever see docs walking around in pink scrubs with Tinker Bell on them? Come on. This makes nurses look like morons, IMO.
To me, nothing is more unprofessional than public displays of affection in the workplace! There is a newlywed couple that cannot keep their hands off of each other and it's extremely annoying.
To me, nothing is more unprofessional than public displays of affection in the workplace! There is a newlywed couple that cannot keep their hands off of each other and it's extremely annoying.
YES!! I was stuck in the back part of our unit with these two that flirt SO BAD it made me want to gag. It was a very long night.
Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
- Absent documentation from enrolled nurses. If a patient has a bone exposed under their wound, its important to notify the registered nurse, so they can notify the doctor and steps can be taken. Dont just document it in the wound chart and leave it at that
- Nurses who seek to sabotage other nurses and get them in trouble with management. Had this at the weekend another nurse put vital documentation in the shredding bin. I dont care if they dont like me, when they pull this sort of crap it has the potential to put my patients at risk
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Nurses who get away with things just because they know or are family members of higher ups.
I worked somewhere, this guy didn't get his TX license but they let him work there even after his temp license expire. Of course any other job would've given him the boot, but because he had family ties, he was able to stay (making better money than I was making, which I thought was bs too). He did secretarial duties but it irritated alllllll of us off since he was able to stay until he got his TX license. He didn't even know IF he was going to get his license.
Nurses who get away with things just because they know or are family members of higher ups.
Oh, yeah, this one fries me too. I work for a big nonprofit that grew really quickly out of a small nonprofit. Many things are still run like it's the little company where everyone knows everyone and we give leadership jobs to people we like, and maybe don't so much look at their qualifications. And leadership that's been there a while just keep on keeping their jobs, even when their poor leadership leads to massive problems.
My biggest pet peeve is when our nurse manager takes herself out of the numbers even though our assignments are already heavy and the previous manager believed it to be appropriate.
Second is when a certain coworker gets an attitude if asked to do anything. Just straight up rude and has gotten into screaming matches with other coworkers. Doesn't care what you're doing either.
Personally, I think it's unprofessional to have a manager in the numbers. That, of course, begs the question of how professionally run the unit is to have to have the manager in the numbers.
FineAgain
372 Posts
Weird. I must have night brain. I thought I saw it was closed. Sorr-eh!