I transferred to my hospital's ICU/CCU at the end of February. Anytime a nurse transfers departments, they evaluate you at 45 and 90 days after you started the new job. I've been an RN for 5 years with 4 years of med-surg experience. I started off my orientation on day shift(7a-7p) for 6 weeks. My 45 days were up on April 12th. I had my eval and it was good! They pointed out a few minor things that I need to work on.
April 16th, I went to night shift(7p-7a) for 3 weeks of orientation. Night shift has no official preceptor so I had two different Senior RN's precept me while on nights. Before I started my night shift orientation, my head nurse "warned" me that the night shift crew can be difficult at times but that I needed to "earn my stripes" so to speak. My head nurse has been on medical leave since April 1st and won't be back until the middle of July/beginning of August. Well, almost all of the night shift crew is female. There is one male RN in my ICU and he is the Assistant Head nurse on night shift. Excellent critical care RN. I figured that I would have the most difficulties with him. WRONG!!!
One night, while on orientation, I ws assigned to care for a pt with DKA who had been in the ICU for a few days and should have been transferred to the floor that day but wasn't. I got out of report at 7:15pm and looked at the pt with the off going RN from day shift. After the day shift RN left, I stayed in the room to assess her and get vitals, etc. I was in the room for 10-15 minutes. Did a full assessment etc. She was my only pt at the time. So, since I was up for next admit, I then left the room to go do my charting. Fifteeen minutes later, I get my preceptor to help me change and clean this pt. While we are turning the pt, my preceptor says, "Did you chart your assessment BEFORE you assessed her?" in a condescending tone of voice. I said no, I assessed her, why? "Well, you were awfully quick about it, weren't you? I explanined that I listened to her BBS, BS, and all that other stuff. She didn't say anything. Well, I was upset that she would accuse me of falsifying records? Turns out, she reported to the Asst. Head Nurse on Days , who is acting as the Head nurse while she is on leave, that I am not thorough enough with my assessments and this showed up on my 90 day eval which was done yesterday.
My eval also stated that I act as if I "know it all" and am "over confident" and don't ask enough questions and that I drew blood from a central line and didn't know what I am doing cause I didn't have the proper syringes(am I not allowed to have a brain fart?) I've drawn blood from central lines my entire nursing career.
Well, I was intimidated by the night shift preceptor cause she was so blatantly rude and I have never been talked to like that ever!!! So, I've been hesitant to ask her questions. I've not jeopradized pt safety mind you but I didn't know You HAD to take 15 minutes to assess a pt? I didn't do my assessments any differently on nights than I did on Days and there was never a problem with it then? I explained all of this to the AHN, the DON was also present and she said that I am right where I should be with my critical care skills and it takes a year to get comfortable in an ICU. How am I gonna get comfortable if I don't get to work in the unit and am always bumped out to the floors because I am the low man on the totem pole. I knew that I'd have to float when I took this job. But I don't know how they expect me to be a good ICU nurse if I never get to work in ICU!!!!!!
If I am uncomfortable around people then I am quiet which the other night RN's perceived as being "cocky". I had NO idea I was being perceived this way and I explained this to the AHN. We talked for 45 minutes yesterday. I still don't feel any better even though the AHN said it wasn't a bad eval per se. I said well it doesn't sound like a good one either! I was so upset that I almost started bawling. I'm getting tears in my eyes as I type this.
The night shift ICU RN's who have worked there for over 10 years are cliquey and can be hard to deal with. I knew this going in but didn't think it'd be this bad. They don't talk to me when I'm there unless I initiate a conversation. Another RN who I worked with on my old floor transferred to ICU last September and they LOVE her! I don't know what to do, I'm ready to quit! Please give me some advice. Sorry this is so long!
Sorry that these people are being nasty to you. That is uncalled for! I often wonder if nurses such as they ever read these boards and perhaps recognize themselves. One can only hope! Hang tough! Take care and God bless.
Oh, yes, I know that there are some times for a "write up" and possibly a negative slanted eval, but come on folks.....
We all know that that is minimal to what is going on here .......
sometimes I get so frustrated and angry that it never seems to change.....nurses and other disciplines seem to eat each other and their young without any regard.........
It makes me want to kick some a......., but I "preach" nonviolence.....
like I wanna be part of the solution, not the problem.....
but I still somedays wanna kick some a....
one time ...instead.....I told the c/o one.......and if you have to, please write me up.....it would be quicker than all this p & m..........
and one time I had variance reports out and ready to hand to the c/o ones as that seems to be another way that they love to attack.........
but instead, all I can say is STAND UP FOR YOURSELF, Kelly, Mario and any and all others.........
You know your worth, your value to yourself, the team, the patients and your potential.....
There are more teamworkers and supporters of each other out there than what it seems some days........
and it is like everybody is stressed out of their minds with all the stressors of health care and this fast paced rat race we all find outselves in.....
We have all been there and will be again,
Eleanor Roosevelt was so right, but sometimes within our system, it just seems so much some days.....like the intensity and technicality, let alone the life/death and emotional issues we deal with are not enough........
so I advocate........
silent strikes with a klingon cloaked war ship.......
NO, NO...........
i did not mean to say that.......
what I recommend is to stand up for yourself,
find a place where professionalism and teamwork is indeed strived for.......
do not join the ranks of the cannibals.....
and hey, all if you haven't seen this site.....check it out.........
go to whatever search engines that you like and
look up bullying at workplace, etc.....
you will find the site from the UK.......it is rather extensive and also has a connected site about nurses, let alone much more.......
sadly to say, this is not a new phenomen and doesn't seem to be going away either, but
our jobs are not difficult enough, we need to look at our sisters to make things worse. they teach us to work on defense. the best thing you can do is stand your ground. you know you are a good nurse....you know you have good assessment skills..DONT LET THEM TAKE THAT AWAY FROM YOU!
i would not sign the evaluation unless you were able to write your side of the story and that you disagree.
some of the people i work with kept holding up hoops for me to jump thru...i put them around their necks and pulled.
i dont jump thru hoops.
some of what they said about me was true and although i sure wasnt going to admit it at my eval...i used that info to make me a better nurse.
this will pass...its just getting thru it. you will tho. and ppl like that ALWAYS get theirs...all you have to do is wait.
One of the first things I did when I got the ICU position is become a member of th AACN. I don't know where the nearest chapter of the organizaton is. Probably in Cleveland.
I am not one to confront someone about wronging me. I feel as though I wasn't given enough guidance. See none of the night shifters LIKE precepting newbies in the unit because they aren't "qualified" preceptors so they aren't getting the extra 50 cents a hour differential. There is a course that has to be completed through the Nursing Ed. dept in order to become an official preceptor and get the extra 50 cents.
Its almost as though they WANT me to fail or quit. Oh if I could get a chance to work in the ICU on day shift that would be a dream but until some of the old timers retire, one nurse has 31 years seniority (she precepted me on days) and another has 22 years I'm stuck where I'm at plus I like working nights.
I'm just gonna keep everything that the AHN told me in my eval in mind when working and question the hell out of them all! Then they'll probably run to the AHN to tell her I ask too many questions. If that were to happen then I'd scream!!
--Ok, so it's from Galaxy Quest. But it's a good mantra.
I had someone criticize me where I am now after giving me an extremely heavy assignment (which I thought I did pretty well with) and then she topped it off with a 15-minute lecture on getting done on time. I know I must be gaining confidence, because my first and only thought was "Give me 6 months, honey, I'll be running this unit....." :rotfl:
Way to go Kelly! Don't give up; develop a strategy and go for it! And whoever it was that said that you need to write your side of your eval is right. You do have the right to do that and have it put in your permanent file; even if it is after the fact.
After reading your posts here since I joined this BB, I believe you are a good, caring nurse because you always give good advice and refer to your patients as people rather than objects. You can do ICU nursing and you will be good at it; so don't let ANYONE rain on your parade! Okay?
I wanna come and work in YOUR ICU!!! Ha ha--if only that were possible. Although my husband does have realtives in Ely, MN.....Monday is a new day so I'm gonna try to change my attitude and ask ask ask questions till I'm blue in the face..if I get to work in the unit and aren't floated out to the floor.
And you know what Kelly? It would be great to have you work in my unit, too! Of course, Ely is quite a bit north of the Twin Cities (where I work) and I don't think they do heart surgeries there in Ely, either.
But if you did work in my unit, we'd sure have fun! The night crew is a bit quirky on my unit with our own unique personality (lots of guys, several older nurses-including me, and a few younger gals); and having you on board with us would help even out the odds a bit.
I dunno, after reading everyone's posts, I'm begining to think that where I am at isn't the best place to stay! I obviously cannot trust the night shift nurses, that's for sure. If they saw me doing something wrong(nothing that caused any harm to pt's), shouldn't they have told me right then and there rather than wait and tattle to the AHN? None of them have done anything to 'take me under their wing" and I just don't feel as if I belong.
kaknurse...you are absolutely correct in saying a nurse who is doing something wrong should be told right then and there rather than wait and tattle to the AHN. Let them know this, and warn them that if they don't start being more helpful to you that it is you who will pay a visit to the AHN...and that you have forewarned them already as to your sincere intentions. Don't let them run you away from a job that you like...if you like it that is...otherwise...find a new one...nurses are needed everywhere...don't have to put up with drama all the time from the nurses who don't think enough of you to embrace your expertise anyway. (((hugs))) and :kiss
ruffhouser
37 Posts
Sorry that these people are being nasty to you. That is uncalled for! I often wonder if nurses such as they ever read these boards and perhaps recognize themselves. One can only hope! Hang tough! Take care and God bless.