RN made me cry today at work!!

Alpha13 · Oct 10, 2005

Hi i am new to this forum and i just want to vent, i am a student going for my RN, and today i worked on the ortho floor and the nurse i was following is bipolar from what i am told and can be really nasty...Well i was changed a patient and her bladder irrigator came unhooked so the water started flowing everywhere and i ran out and got the nurse ASAP, she came in and started flipping out saying things like "whats wrong with you" " where do you work that you could let this happen" and all kinds of nonsense making me look like a idiot and screaming, well i was so upset i was getting ready to walk out and she was like "dont leave" , i have NEVER been talked to like that, i am 30 and my mother never spoke to me like that, she totally belittled me in front of 2 alert patients. So i went to the administrator and apparently this is a problem with this one nurse and she was going to talk to her after my shift...Well this happened around 1:30 today and i am still upset!! Also we had 2 of us techs on the floor with 31 patients, so i was already overwhelmed..........Was she out of line or am i just too sensative?
Thanks

your name suggestd you are a male, and if this is the case yes you are way too sensitive!

jacob1 · Oct 10, 2005

no thats my sons name i am a woman....:wink2:

truern · Oct 10, 2005

well i was so upset i was getting ready to walk out and she was like "dont leave"

Yes, she was out of line if she was yelling at you, but what was your reasoning for leaving her to deal with the mess you made??

Oh, and welcome to the board

JennieIrene · Oct 10, 2005

your name suggestd you are a male, and if this is the case yes you are way too sensitive!

I really don't think you are being to sensitive. People are how they are, and just because you are a male (if you even are) i don't think that really makes a difference. She WAS rude to you, and i don't think you need to be unsure about that. :icon_hug:

Just giving my opinion. :wink2:

Corvette Guy · Oct 10, 2005

Hi i am new to this forum and i just want to vent, i am a student going for my RN, and today i worked on the ortho floor and the nurse i was following is bipolar from what i am told and can be really nasty...Well i was changed a patient and her bladder irrigator came unhooked so the water started flowing everywhere and i ran out and got the nurse ASAP, she came in and started flipping out saying things like "whats wrong with you" " where do you work that you could let this happen" and all kinds of nonsense making me look like a idiot and screaming, well i was so upset i was getting ready to walk out and she was like "dont leave" , i have NEVER been talked to like that, i am 30 and my mother never spoke to me like that, she totally belittled me in front of 2 alert patients. So i went to the administrator and apparently this is a problem with this one nurse and she was going to talk to her after my shift...Well this happened around 1:30 today and i am still upset!! Also we had 2 of us techs on the floor with 31 patients, so i was already overwhelmed..........Was she out of line or am i just too sensitive?
Thanks

Both!

She should not have belittled you in front of others, yet be glad you did not abandon your patient. Never abandon your patient! BTW, I'm a little confused by your post. Did this happen during a school clinical time, or while you were at work employed as a Tech? If this happened while you were a nursing student, then you should have informed your clinical instructor. On the otherhand, you did the right thing if this happened while you were at your place of employment.

As far as you being 30 yrs old & your mother never spoke to you like this "bipolar" nurse did today... :icon_roll I don't mean to be rude, however you are planning on entering a career with predominantly women. Chances are you will come across several female nurses not as nice as your mother. Don't ever, ever get upset just because a "female" nurse chews you out. For that matter, don't get upset if any nurse [male, or female] chews you out. Listen to what they are saying, rather than how they are saying it. Let the other person make a fool out of themselves while you remain calm.

Build a bridge [i.e. learn from your experience today] & get over it [i.e. relaaaax & think about something else so you will no longer be upset].

jacob1 · Oct 10, 2005

Yes, she was out of line if she was yelling at you, but what was your reasoning for leaving her to deal with the mess you made??
Oh, and welcome to the board

I wasnt leaving her to clean the mess i had already started cleaning this when she was yelling so i didnt leave the patient at all, i went to speak to the administrator after i was done with the patient....but after this happened everyone was like " she is bipolar just ignore it she is like that all the time" but i dont think that justifies yelling like that in from of 2 patients and talking to me like that..BTW i was a tech today when this happened.....

allnurses Guide · Oct 10, 2005

Its easy to tell you to blow it off, but not so easy to do. I found myself going over and over things that upset me, conflicts or confrontations, not sure I can tell you how I stopped doing it so much but its important to learn to do it for yourself. Confrontations will happen throughout your career, sometimes your fault and sometimes not. Role play in your head how you might do it differently if you think you should have.

I think you handled just fine though! You went through the right channels, and had it confirmed that this is a problem with this nurse. The only other thing I can think of is to write an incident report so it is documented as well.

Good luck in your future as a nurse!

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Oct 10, 2005

You write there were 2 techs for 30 patients and you were stressed. She may have been just as stressed. Did she handle it right no she didnt. But even the best days can leave stress that comes over in some way. Either the way we may say something to a patient and it comes across wrong, or the way we say something to another staff and it comes out wrong. It does happen.

Try to let water flow under the bridge and next time you have to work with her try to overcome your ill feelings toward her at least at work. You be the professional that she wasnt that day. Noone says you have to socialize with her.

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Oct 10, 2005

Let the other person make a fool out of themselves while you remain calm.

I second this.

jacob1 · Oct 10, 2005

You write there were 2 techs for 30 patients and you were stressed. She may have been just as stressed. Did she handle it right no she didnt. But even the best days can leave stress that comes over in some way. Either the way we may say something to a patient and it comes across wrong, or the way we say something to another staff and it comes out wrong. It does happen.
Try to let water flow under the bridge and next time you have to work with her try to overcome your ill feelings toward her at least at work. You be the professional that she wasnt that day. Noone says you have to socialize with her.

well i know i dont have to socialize with her...But i know we all get stressed especially when we are short staffed but that still doesnt excuse the way you are talked to, i wont scream at a coworker because i am stressed.....I dont have ill feelings towards her, i just think she is rude.....I also documented it and the administrator was on her way up to see her about it as i was leaving, so i am not sure what happened after that..

gustercc · Oct 10, 2005

First off, Alpha 13, is unprofessional

Second, unless you did anything that resulted in seriously harming a pt. this nurse had no right to do that to you in front of others.

As far as her being "bi-polar", don't fall into the "he said, she said" crap. Esp. if your a student. Take it as a lesson learned. Glad that you went to the nurse manager. Give yourself a pat on the back for standing up to her.

Be sure and tell your nursing instructor that you no longer want to be taking care of any of her pt's. If she asks why, you can a) tell her the situation and what happened, or b) tell her you don't feel comfortable with this nurse because her nursing style interferes with your learning.

The worst part of it is : she won't be the last person you ever encounter in health care like this.

One way to deal with them when they freak out is to subtely point out their unprofessional behavior. Whenever I've encountered someone like that, I always say with a quiet surprised voice "I really didn't mean to make you sooo upset. Your reaction says alot."

keep your chin up, it's almost over.

--Richard