Dramqueenie1

Thank you to all the posts, both negative and positive. While I never condone disrespect to any other human being in this world I have to explain some back story to this arguement. You see this particular RT is known for complaining that she and the other RTs are overworked and underpaid. I never provoked her into this discussion. I was simply sitting in a nurse's station receiving report. I could not simply get up and walk away. I said what was deserved and warrented in this situation. Yes some RTs work hard, yes they have 30-40 pts, No thier pts are never critically ill and ready to die at the same time. No they never answer call lights, no they never put bedpans under people, they are only in one room for 10-15 minutes anyway. When I said to the RT 'Y didn't you go all the way and be a nurse' she wrinkled up her nose and said 'Ew gross I would never do that stuff'. So yes interdisciplinary politics are important but gosh darn it if us nurses can't vent on this website about others then where can I?

OK this is my issue with this 'problem' When a pt using the urinal it would be nice if they use hand sanitizer. But my grandparents lived to be 80+ years and they never used 'sanitizer'. MRSA and diseases like it are developed from using too much sanitizer. Now I use good ol fashioned soap and water frequently. I also use the foam cleaner coming in and out of rooms. But when I am in the real world I let it all go. If something is dirty don't touch it. But if we all disinfect ourselves we are only killing of the bugs that kill off the really bad bugs. I just hope that all this 'protection' doesn't end up killing all of us in the end.

I have been a RN for over 3 years. I am not 'seasoned' by any means and I continue to learn new things everyday. However this is my problem. I got into a major debate with a Resp therapist recently that still burns me up. The resp said 'I am sick and tired of being here for 5 years and I still don't get paid as much as RNs do' I replied 'the reason nurses are paid more is because we are responsible for more care than respiratory is' She sneered and asked 'are you saying you do more than I do on any given shift?' I said 'No I am just saying that when a pt is sick, I clean it up. When a pt is bleeding, I make it stop. i have climbed up and fixed TVs because maintenance said 'That's not my job'. I have given a pt a tissue when a resp was in the room because the resp said 'That's not my job'. I had to get on my hands and knees and mop up vomit because housekeeping refused to loan my am mop or clean the mess themselves and they told me 'That's not my job'. I have fixed beds, remotes, telemetry leads, cleaned floors, changed linens, fixed computers, fixed vital machines, charged lift equipment, charted and cared for my pts all in one night. I have never said 'That's not my job'. So why am I upset? I get paid because I do my job so why can't everyone do theirs?

Well thanks again for all the advice. She continues to mess things up. We are in our 4th month of orientation now. Since we are house floats we are supposed to be trained on three different floors. We are critical care nurses and she is making us look bad. When I get to a dept. that she just left I get preceptors that worked with her ask me stuff like...'are you gonna just follow me around like she did or are you going to do actual work?' On one floor we are supposed to be caring for open heart patients that are POD 2-5. I got thrown under the bus by a manager and preceptor because they found out after she left that rotationt that we were supposed to take care of at least three patients. She told them that she was still in the shadow phase and she wasn't suppose to do any actual care. When the manager found out she told me that she was sick of slackers and gave me three POD3 pts. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off and only by the grace of two really good nurses that helped me out was I able to get everything done. I took the challenge in stride because it was only after I finished....two hours late did the manager tell me why she gave me that pt load. I learned alot that day so I should thank her for that. I am still not saying anything about her because she is not doing any care. She calls off work, shows up late to the unit after she clocks in, hides in the lounge and still has yet to even speak to a doctor. All the other interns are fed up with her. I don't know how long she will last but at this time I am staying as far away from her as I possibly can.

WOW. All of these responses are excellent. I am so glad I asked that question here. I appreciate your time in this matter, I wanted to run it by good nurses before I go and report her. I do not want to seem petty. She is messing up her asignments all by herself and the managers are really watching her closely. She did apply for the same position I did but it was one of many that I am applying for now and I withdrew my name from that job posting only because I want nights and not swing shift. I thank all of you for your help it is not falling on deaf ears!!! I do feel as though people with ADD get a bad rap and it's because of people like her. It feels as though she is using a wheelchair for a good parking space while she has two perfectly good legs...pretending to be handicap with any condition is disgusting to me.

That is a great response. It was full of ideas that I didn't even consider, (so much for critical thinking on my part). I am worried about backlash but that doesn't outweigh the responsibility I feel towards the patients that come to our hospital. Soon we will be on our own and making critical care decisions on these patients. We are in a critical care program. I don't want this new program to suffer and have the administration think that is wasn't worth the effort to train us with her being the end result. I just want to be sure that I don't have the managers turn a blind eye to this and think 'well I'm not going to admit that this nurse pulled the wool over my eyes.'

Here is my dilema. I am in an intern program that had over 50 applicates for 5 positions. The first day I was happy to meet the other four interns. Two of them graduated right before me, one grad was from another class but I worked with him so I knew how smart he was, the other nurse is from another town and has proven how very smart she is. The four of us were doing great in our classes and orientation but this one nurse just seemed to be lost. I tried to help but she just was kind of mean to me so I started to just ignore her. The others in class started to make fun of her. The instructor told us that we needed to cut her some slack because she has ADD. My son has ADD so I can understand how hard it is to sit there for 8 hours and try to pay attention especially with a handicap such as ADD. She told us she was on medication for her disability so I cut her some slack when she constantly fell asleep in class, text on her cell during lectures, and just got up and disappeared for over an hour as she said she had to go to the bathroom. I told the others to grow up and quit making fun of her when she asked questions like 'What is PEEP?, Where does the chest tubes go?, Why do we as nurses have to give baths...isn't that the techs job?' Now here is my dilema, today she told me that she lied, She doesn't really have ADD. She just used it as a sympathy card to get the job and look like she was a super nurse that has overcome all the hardship of having a disability. If I talk to my manager and tell her this my manager is going to think I am being petty, I am being mean, or I am trying to get her fired so that I can apply for the positions that the other nurse has applied to and get them without the competition. The Human resource manager, and the other managers are not going want to admit that they were fooled by this slacker and I fear that the backlash will be only on me. What should I do?

Maybe your right, maybe I should take a different approach with them. For instance maybe I should remind them that even though I used to do the exact same thing as they do I am not one of them anymore. I paid alot of money and went through alot of trials, tests, school, etc. to finally be a RN. I earned that title and I realize that CNAs are important to the team. I respect them but they should respect me. I was only asking for ideas and advice on how to deal with CNAs (techs) that do not want to do anything I ask of them. I have never ordered anyone around in my life and I am not about to start now. I may be a new RN but I am no spring chicken and I have dealt many a time with all types of different people. This is just my first experience being in a position of authority. After all is said and done I am responsible for the well being of my patients. When I was a tech I took great pride in having one of the RNs look to me and say, "Thanks I really appreciate your help." I have been waiting to instill that same sense of pride in another tech but have yet to have the chance.

So far the problem has only been on one floor. I asked the other RN residents and the only ones that are having the same problem as me are the ones who used to be techs as well. The other new RN's that came from other hospitals are getting the respect that they deserve. It feels as though the techs are mad that I graduated and got a job and they are still techs. Like I turned my back on them or something.

Ok so I finally got hired as a Critical Care Nurse for a residency program. The program sends me through three months of classes, alternating a few days on 6 different floors of the hospital to give me experience everywhere. After the classses are over I am supposed to either choose a floor to stay or stay in the pool and go anywhere. I am really liking almost everything about the job except the Techs. In my facility are CNA are called Patient Care Techs. I was a tech for over a year on a different part of the the hospital so I know their jobs and their responsibilities. I keep getting these techs that look at me when I ask them to do something as simple as assist me with a lift up patient in bed and they say things like...'I'm too busy, ask someone else.'...or....'that's not in my job description.' What the ??????!!!! The last brush off I got was when one tech told me that she was too busy to transport a patient off the floor to xray and I would have to do it myself. I had three other patients and was running late on my med pass! What am I supposed to do. They don't respect me and I feel as though they are trying to set a precendent so that later they won't have to listen to me or do what I ask. I am in no way being mean to them when I ask them to do stuff for me. I try to help them because I know they are an important part of our team but I am getting to the end of my rope and I am about to report them to my supervisor. But I dont want to be the whiney new nurse that can't handle the techs. How would you seasoned RN's deal with techs who don't want to be delegated to?

I know your right. I should be more willing to learn. I geuss I am just a little tired of sitting and anxious to actually do something.

Ok I have been a RN for like a second. I was extremely lucky after sending out a billion resumes, and I got hired into a internship program for critical care. There are like 5 different departments that I can 'hire on' when I finish this orientation in two months. The thing is I am feeling like 'what am I doing here?' I am taking all these classes and thinking...didn't I just do this stuff in nursing school. When am I gonna get to treat patients? I got to sit and learn and take tests and try to stay awake when all I really want to do is actually work. I know that eventually I will get to do real nurse work but I am getting anxious and that makes me feel guilty when I think of all my fellow classmates out there that would kill to get a job like this. Also I found out today that they interviewed alot of applicants. They called me the day after I interviewed and offered me one of the five positions available. The other new hires had to go through alot more than me to finally get thier jobs. So that says to me that this hospital really wanted me and saw that I was perfect for these floors. I just can't help but wonder when I am going to be an actual nurse and leave the student role behind. Am I just being a spoiled brat or did anyone else go through this?

I know it sucks. I hate when people say hang in there. I want to scream...'to what shall I hang on to?' I graduated in March 09, nclex june 09 passed. Started applying in January 09. Got no call backs, no interviews, nothing. Then about one month after graduating I got a really bad impacted tooth, had an absess grow in my throat and needed emergency surgery. While lying there recouping I get two student nurses that I knew quite well. One of them says 'they are hiring new grads for a new program at the hospital. So I applied. After a very long time I finally got an interview and I nailed it. My advice to you is be funny even if you don't feel like it. Don't appear desperate. Be light. Cause these are the people that you will be working with and nobody wants to work with a depressed newbie. Try to make it seem as though if chosen you will be the best coworker they have ever seen. Just keep your chin up. Know that even this will make you stronger.

I reccomend that you continue to smoke, and that is hard for a new RN like me to say to a person. I was a smoker for years!!! I went to school and tried to quit between quarters but it never held. I neglected my health while in school and as soon as I graduated I had a tooth absess that became a life threatening illness when it started to grow in my throat and cut off my airway. I spent four days in the hospital and that cured me of smoking but I only thought about quiting when I got home. Now I have been smoke free for three months. All I think about is smoking so my thoughts were elsewhere during the nclex studying. Take cigs as the one treat for yourself during school.

In that case I would wait til your done. If you don't have your degree a potential employer might pass you over for one who does. The job market is getting better slowly so after you graduate it might be easier to get a job.