Rant-I was called 'unprofessional'

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I'm still a bit upset since Friday. I teach clinicals to PN students. We were at a skilled floor of a LTC facility. There is a new respiratory therapist there, I've been learning from her and she is helping my students learn about aerosol treatments, ventilators, oxygen.

I don't know much about ventilators, so I bow to her to teach a bit once in awhile. She seems to enjoy this. She is very busy, and hardly has time for lunch with alarms constantly going off. We were in a patients room working, the students were changing a dressing and she had finished working on the patients trach.

I didn't think it was especially stressful at the time and I asked her about her sisters plans to move, just making idle chat. She didn't know what I was talking about, her sister moving. (I know her sister, she knows I know her sister, so that's why I brought it up) She looked completely blank, and I said isn't your sister Brenda? She nodded then she said 'unprofessional' and looked away, dismissing me I guess. She then asked a couple questions, like where is she moving, but I was so stunned by the 'unprofessional' comment I didn't want to say anymore. I said, look, I don't usually carry tales, I was just curious about how their moving is going, and I'm sorry if it upset you. I was embarrased in front of my 3 students.

Later I planned to go to her privately and apologize again, but decided to heck with it. I didn't do anything unprofessional. Did I? I know we aren't to speak of personal things in front of patients? Maybe that was what she was thinking. If so, I do feel sorry I said anything. I'll be extremely careful around her in the future. Sheesh.

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

Maybe there is some unseen rift going on between the 2 that no one knows about and that is why she seemed shocked that you would ask her?!?! I don't know, but I wouldn't let it bother me. My instructors often made "small talk" with other professionals we were interacting with and no one ever thought it was unprofessional!! Maybe she was just having a bad day and snapped at you in the moment. Either way...I wouldn't let it bother me.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

You might've hit a nerve somehow. It was obviously unintentional and obviously her problem, not yours.

Saying that it was "unprofessional" to make small talk in front of a vented patient was making quite a huge leap there, IMHO.

I'd be inclined to let it roll off....

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Agree with Angie. I would venture that she was upset that you knew about her sister's moving and she did not. May be a problem between the two of them that you aren't aware of and she felt you were taking a dig at her about it even though your intention was only to make small talk.

I wouldn't worry about it, if you feel the need to follow up with her to "clear the air" that's one thing, but I wouldn't worry about being "unprofessional" in either her eyes or your students.

Amanda

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTC.

Regardless if she perceived you to be unprofessional, it was unprofessional of her to say "unprofessional" in front of your students.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I agree, you somehow hit a nerve with her, and you weren't unprofessional.

She might not have known about her sister's move and thought you were making a dig at her somehow.

I think next time you see her alone, you should talk about. Say "I'm sorry you perceived me as unprofessional, but you really embarrassed me, what was that about?" or something like that.

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Well! I just had a visit from a friend, who lives next door to the respiratory therapists sister. What a coincidence. Turns out he tells me that there has been arguing between these two sisters. Their father was very ill for a long time and the one who is moving drove 30 miles a day to visit him, pretty much was the main source of support to the mother, and that she has always complained that the RT would show up once a month and climb on the staff, doctors, demand medical records (which they wouldn't give her), and generally stir things up. After the father died, who is helping the mother? not the RT. At least this is the story I was told. So, there is a rift, and now this sister is moving and leaving mother, who will need the RT more than ever. I've probably made this sound complicated, and I'm really not all that interested, I don't know these people all that well anyway.

Thanks for a few kind words, and reassuring me I didn't do anything wrong. I'll see what happens next week when I see the RT.

If I could handle respiratory secretions I would take that training in a heartbeat! They do make good $$$$ Mucous, It is the one thing I can't handle too well, lol.

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Specializes in NICU, ER, OR.
Regardless if she perceived you to be unprofessional, it was unprofessional of her to say "unprofessional" in front of your students.

Exactly.........

plus, if she thought it WAS unprofessional, (which, what you described, was NOT), she just could have answered you vaguely, and changed the "subject"... said something regarding vents or something..... ignore it. But it would have bothered me too. Isnt it nice to have this BB for validation sometimes???

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Specializes in ED, ICU, Heme/Onc.

not something that could have been construed as unprofessional.

The comments about RTs not doing anything other than giving treatments isn't true where I work. They are a vital part to our team, and I have learned so much (especially when I was a brand new critical care RN). They read and interpret ABGs and then will adjust vent settings accordingly. We are at a teaching hospital, so after the RT does his/her thing, then we tell the resident to put in the orders!

They come with us when we transport vent patients to various tests and are constantly explaining new types of vent settings to all of the staff nurses. They come quickly when paged as well - whether its day shift or night shift. So I'm betting that any one of our overworked RTs would give their eyeteeth for a job where they can watch TV between neb treatments!! :lol2:

Not flaming anyone, I just want to let you guys know that the RT job isn't like how you describe everywhere!

Blee

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Isnt it nice to have this BB for validation sometimes???

Absolutely, even though I wasn't REAL upset, I realized it was on my mind too much, feels good to just talk it over a bit.

Nurses pay, though better than lots and lots of jobs out there, doesn't reflect what we think we go through. I always said if nursing were a male dominated world I'd be making double or triple what I make.

(This is getting off track of my original post!) My nurse friends husband worked all his life in maintanence at our hospital, same as she. She told me he made 'as much as I do'. Never forgot that. And not putting down maintanence men, for goodness sake!

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Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, LTC.

I don't think that was being unprofessional. When you work with someone regularly, its human to get to know then on a more personal level. I always try to make a little small talk, so that the person can remember me. I don't have any distinguishing physical characteristics and keep myself rather plain so I get forgotten easily.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
Regardless if she perceived you to be unprofessional, it was unprofessional of her to say "unprofessional" in front of your students.

:yeahthat:

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