"Don't be nice to her"

[NurseBatzy]

This might be considered a gripe, a rant, or whatever you want to call it, but I need to get it out.

I'm a brand new RN, just passed my boards last week. I've been working as a GN and now RN at a small community hospital in the ICU. There are only a few full-time nurses on day shift where I am orienting, the rest are per diem, part-time, and med-surg nurses pulled from other units in a desperate attempt to staff a unit that recently had 6 of their 12 nursing staff quit. One of the nurses is fantastic. She's friendly, loves to teach, can handle everything from tanking patients to yelling doctors. She is not my preceptor.

My preceptor I won't comment on.

The last nurse is quite simply burned out. She yells all the time. At me, at her patients, at the other nurses, you name it, she yells. I can handle her, because I won't need to work with her once orientation is over. She treats me like her personal CNA, and I spend most of my day bathing and changing her patients. (There are no aides on our unit)

But that is not my gripe/rant. We had a patient who had a drug addiction. Not uncommon, but this one was very ill for various reasons. During my free time, I tried to help out with her care as much as possible because she needed so much care. I talked to her often. I explained what was happening when we touched her. She could not respond, but could hear. All three of my co-workers told me, in the patients presence, that I shouldn't be nice to her, she did this to herself. I heard from them that she isn't worth their time, she's just going to kill herself later, etc.

I kept at it. I talked to her whenever I could, after I was done with my own patients, until yesterday. What happened yesterday you ask?

Yesterday, as I bathed her, I was screamed at from across our small unit to get the "f" out of her room and take care of the real patients. Again, I spent the day bathing and changing the other nurses' patients, while they sat in the breakroom gossiping and playing cards.

So, any advice? Should I stick this out? I think that this is just a part of critical care nursing and it will get better when I gain experience or change shifts. Did anyone else have this problem? Does it get better?

Thanks for reading my complaint. I really want to see a time when nurses don't need to blow off steam at home like this.

Hope everyone had a good rest of the week!

Nurse Batzy

[NICU_babyRN, BSN, RN]

what you describe is unacceptable. I would get out and it's no surprise 6 nurses have quit.

[detroitdano]

Leave while you can. A unit which employs nurses of such low caliber has to be run by management of equal status; to be oblivious to such activities is fairly unlikely.

You sound like someone who actually cares and in a unit like that you're bound to get fired for caring too much. Put in your two weeks and shop around.

[ckh23, BSN, RN]

As a new nurse, take this as a learning lesson. When there is high turnover on a unit, this should be a warning sign. When there is high staff turnover it is usually because staff is unhappy and don't want to work in that type of environment. Unfortunately the ones that do stay are the one's that wouldn't make it anywhere else because they would be run right out of a decent unit with those attitudes.

This is not critical care nursing. I don't even know how much I would consider it an ICU if everyone has time to sit around and play cards.

As a new nurse please do not let these negative attitudes rub off on you. If you become like them, it will only hurt you in the future if you decide to move on. I know it is easier said then done, especially since you just started, but you need to get out of there. I would also speak to your manager about possibly changing preceptors, but if the inmates are running the asylum then I don't know if that will help either.

Good luck.

[ICUenthusiast]

For that matter, where are the superiors in all of this? Sometimes units with a history of high turn over rate don't improve because the higher-ups are part of the problem.

What about a union?? Do you have one at that hospital? You could also report to the nursing board--patient care is being jeopardized. Unfortunately, both of these usually require you to NOT make anonymous complaints, and although it's illegal to take disciplinary action against a whistleblower, some hospitals are known to find the smallest "issue" to terminate your employment if you are a whistleblower.

[NurseBatzy]

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

ICUenthusiast, in answer to your question, no, we don't have a union.

I am considering speaking to my director about it all. She seems like a friendly and caring person so far, and she is relatively new to the hospital. I am just a little afraid of the consequences if she feels I'm making a big deal out of nothing. I moved myself and my family 2 hours from home to take this job, and am doing everything I can to keep it since I am our families bread-winner.

So, what do you all think? Talk to the director, or just wait until I am off orientation and on another shift?

Thanks again!

[ckh23, BSN, RN]

I say talk to the director because someone needs to address the behavior that is going on. It is unacceptable for others to be cursing at you, and from across the hall for that matter. If the director is new, this person may not be aware. Is the director and nurse manager the same position? If not then I would use caution in jumping the chain of command. You might also want to start keeping a log of all the incidents.

[kimmie4476, ASN, RN]

regardless of what the other nurses say, always assume your patient can hear you. I had a nursing instructor who developed sepsis and was coded 3 times, was in ICU for awhile unconscious, but she heard and remembered everyone who took care of her, the good ones and the bad ones. She was sure to let administration know who were the good ones and who were the bad ones. I always picture myself lying there, helpless while someone is roughly pulling me this way and that way, talking about how I am worthless etc. and imagine how that would feel.

[caliotter3]

Be very, very careful. These same people could very easily decide that you need to go and there you will be. Unfortunately workplace hostility is very real. You have to be very cognizant of the atmosphere around you if you want to survive.

[NurseBatzy]

Thanks guys and gals, you gave some great advice and some things to think about. I'll be sure to be very, very careful, and look for other opportunities. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

[missbutton]

Keep applying for other jobs now. As long as you are on probation, which I assume you are because everywhere I've ever been has had a 3 month probation, you can leave or they can let you go much easier then after you are a full employee. Once you have a job, its easier to get a different job. So just keep looking.

[badness]

you need to 1. talk to your boss and if that goes nowhere 2. call human resources (you are not a punching bag and you are not getting the training you need) and if those two don't work: get another job....this sounds like a crap hole and i wouldn't want to be apart of it......