I am working in a unit with only one regular tech in our shift who is efficient and hardworking, but she has a hell of an attitude. I am barely new to the unit but I think I can't take it anymore. I've discussed about it with my other colleagues who has been working with her for a long time and they would just say that "she's just like that but she's a very efficient one" or "she has a very sad personal life that's why she became like that, but she's a hardworking one". I saw how she treated the old timer nurses, if they asked her to do something and she's in a bad mood, she would just say "NO, that's not my job!" or she would just give them a blank stare as if she heard nothing. I even learned that there was one nurse who left the unit and she's one of the reason. They even told me the reason why she always gets away with that is because the previous NM is her buddy and she has also a great shoe polishing ability skills, which she's starting to do to our new NM now. Imagine how worst she can be with the new nurses.
I could've barely tolerated her attitude since she's been a big help to me with my heavy pt's. Everytime she's helping me with my pt's she would always brag about her technical ability skills like, "How come you nurses don't know how to take the pt's EKG?" Or when we were transferring pt's OOB to chair and I didn't do it the way she does it, she would say, "You don't know how to transfer pt?"
One day while there was a volunteer student nurse observing us, we were cleaning my total care pt. when we noticed that her buttocks were red.. then she blatantly told the student.."Look the nurses don't know how to take care of the pt's skin. Then we have to transfer the pt to a medi-chair, as I was pulling my pt towards me from the sliding board, we noticed that the HOB was a little bit higher than the chair, with her sharp tongue, she sarcastically made a remark, "SMART, WHAT A SMART NURSE! Look the head of the bed is higher". Then she talked to the student in their own language.
I was so furious at that time and I felt that if I confronted her I might loose my composure and that I might shout, cry or even curse her... it was almost the end of her shift. She was off the next day and I did gave ny NM my written report and told her everything this tech has been doing to me. She told me that we will discuss it with the tech the next time we are all on the unit.
I don't know what's going to happen...That tech might retaliate to me by not helping me at all with my pt's. I don't know if my colleagues would support me. But I'm decided that I will give that tech a taste of her own medicine.. No more insulting side comments for me. I am no longer comfortable in my unit because of the fact that me and that tech would have already grudges with each other. I don't intend to work in my unit for long but I just don't want to leave there with them in mind that it's because of that tech. I want to give back that tech all the insults and sarcasm she had on me...I just don't care anymore. It's not right for my colleagues just to tolerate her. Not because she is the only tech in a certain shift and that's because she's very efficient and hardworking that she has the right to be the way she is. I know I will have to endure the days I will be working with her... If you were in my position what would you be doing?
I have been in much the same position on my unit with a tech. He really gave me attitude because he had been there for years and I am a new nurse making more money. Yea sure he can reposition a patient and does a good doing tech work, but that comes from experience and he should be good at it considering THAT'S HIS JOB. But does the tech know anything about hypovolemic shock? Sure they can report to us about a low blood pressure, but do they know WHY it's low?
My tech reported a low blood pressure to me one night and then watched as I was checking dressings and measuring drains and couldn't understand why I was doing that. Then later on after I had talked to a doctor and was hanging blood for a transfusion he was asking me why I was hanging blood in the middle of the night. I had to explain to him that the low blood pressures were a sign of hypovolemia from surgery!! After that he didn't talk down so much to me.
Alot of the techs just think that we're sitting around on our asses at the nursing station while they are working. I would love for one of those know-it-alls to try our job for just one day!! They don't take half the heat we do for things that aren't done. If one of those techs doesn't change a patient or doesn't clean up a patient properly it's the RN that gets the heat for it because the RN is ultimately responsible for the patient and has to make sure that the tech is doing their job. I constantly go behind the tech and make sure stuff really gets done because I've been burned before when someone didn't do their job!!!!!!!!! I've also gone behind a tech and taken O2 sats before when I know for a fact that it wasn't done, and let me tell you it's a good thing I did because that patient was on the fast track to ARDS! I had a tech tell me that a patient needs to be sedated because they were acting psychotic!! I used my nursing skills and took an O2 sat and found that the patient had hypoxia and was acting strange because of low oxygen. They don't know all that they think they do.
Not to bash all techs because some are excellent. We have one that's new to nights and she's terrific!! She is so helpful with the tech duties. It's a relief to ask for help and not get attitude.
One of my biggest pet peeves in nursing is a tech/aide with a bad attitude. Our day shift has one that openly is rude to nurses and talks bad about all of them. I thank God I work night shift with the best techs on the floor, I would not tolerate being disrespected by my tech. Last I knew they were there to assist the nurses and I figure if they have a problem with that they can go home and make my life easier. I can do their job, they can't do mine.
Just like in the OP situation, this tech has been here forever and will never leave. I don't know why management keeps her, she is a poison to the floor.
To the OP: take it to the DON or NM. Your co-workers, by allowing this to go on, are condoning it.
Absolutely correct.
After that if management does nothing, either ignore the tech or go elsewhere. Further confrontations would be futile, and possibly harmful to you and your rep.
the biggest obstacle is if you're the only one writing up this tech. plenty of nurses i've worked with had no problem complaining amongst each other, but when it came down to writing them up, no one would. i was the only one that wrote different ones up. my nm would complain but wouldn't do anything! i'll tell you, it ended up biting me back in the butt. the don and adon said that nothing would ever change if we didn't put our complaints in writing. the nurses' attitude is that it wouldn't make a difference. since i'm the only one that tried to enforce anything, they would always say to me "so and so" (our nm) never says anything to us", and it made me the total witch. just be careful on how you approach it. no one has the right to treat anyone with disrespect, regardless of title. i honestly don't know how i'll approach it next time, it's very frustrating without support.
the biggest obstacle is if you're the only one writing up this tech. plenty of nurses i've worked with had no problem complaining amongst each other, but when it came down to writing them up, no one would. i was the only one that wrote different ones up. my nm would complain but wouldn't do anything! i'll tell you, it ended up biting me back in the butt. the don and adon said that nothing would ever change if we didn't put our complaints in writing. the nurses' attitude is that it wouldn't make a difference. since i'm the only one that tried to enforce anything, they would always say to me "so and so" (our nm) never says anything to us", and it made me the total witch. just be careful on how you approach it. no one has the right to treat anyone with disrespect, regardless of title. i honestly don't know how i'll approach it next time, it's very frustrating without support.
I would respond in front of the patient, somethhing like:
Well, it's really too bad that you are so insecure in your position as a nursing assistant, that you need to validate your self worth and self inportance by questioning my and the other RN's patient care skills. As a nurse's aide I don't expect you to understand what and why we do things.
When you go to college to be a Registered Nurse, and then take a state board licensing exam, and really know what you are talking about, then you can critique my nursing care and my profession judgement, of which you as a nursing asistant, no nothing about. By the way, did you even graduate from high school, since a HS diploma is not even required for your job?
That should shut her up, in my humble New Yorker opinion and $0.02. I thing that you have all been much too nice about the whole thing. I also agree with the meeting with the new Nurse Manager, and the letters to Human Resources and the union and make them aware of what is going on.
I like Teacher Sue's advice. And I would never involve a patient in a "discussion" about this. Not appropriate or professional. And not fair to the patient.
I would respond in front of the patient, somethhing like:
Well, it's really too bad that you are so insecure in your position as a nursing assistant, that you need to validate your self worth and self inportance by questioning my and the other RN's patient care skills. As a nurse's aide I don't expect you to understand what and why we do things.
When you go to college to be a Registered Nurse, and then take a state board licensing exam, and really know what you are talking about, then you can critique my nursing care and my profession judgement, of which you as a nursing asistant, no nothing about. By the way, did you even graduate from high school, since a HS diploma is not even required for your job?
Heaven help the nurse that would EVER say any of that to me (i'm an aide). It screams superiority and degradation, which will not solve the problem, but instead send me to the DONs office, especially if it's done in front of a PATIENT. Jeez. How RUDE. Asking her about her high school diploma like that would be a personal attack, which makes you absolutely no better.
I like Teacher Sue's advice. And I would never involve a patient in a "discussion" about this. Not appropriate or professional. And not fair to the patient.
steph
Correct. You don't involve the patient. Depending on your position, you address the problem privately -OR- write the staffmember up and make the DON aware. If it is repeated problem, the DON may decide to let the staffmember go (fire them.)
I would respond in front of the patient, somethhing like:
Well, it's really too bad that you are so insecure in your position as a nursing assistant, that you need to validate your self worth and self inportance by questioning my and the other RN's patient care skills. As a nurse's aide I don't expect you to understand what and why we do things.
When you go to college to be a Registered Nurse, and then take a state board licensing exam, and really know what you are talking about, then you can critique my nursing care and my profession judgement, of which you as a nursing asistant, no nothing about. By the way, did you even graduate from high school, since a HS diploma is not even required for your job?...
Not sure if this was written tongue-in-cheek. If so, please disregard the remainder of this response.
Of course, this is absolutely the wrong way to go. Never place the patient in the middle. Expect a major backfire on the RN that takes this tack.
I am working in a unit with only one regular tech in our shift who is efficient and hardworking, but she has a hell of an attitude. I am barely new to the unit but I think I can't take it anymore. I've discussed about it with my other colleagues who has been working with her for a long time and they would just say that "she's just like that but she's a very efficient one" or "she has a very sad personal life that's why she became like that, but she's a hardworking one". I saw how she treated the old timer nurses, if they asked her to do something and she's in a bad mood, she would just say "NO, that's not my job!" or she would just give them a blank stare as if she heard nothing...................
**Definately put it in writing and have the "sit down". I disagree with there ever being a time when calling one down in front of patients is "necessary".
Age old story. It happens almost everywhere. There is always at least one where I have worked...usually more than one. They sometimes work hard for little money (*IF* they are doing their job properly), and have to do more physical labor....they are jealous, in a nutshell. To be fair, some are treated poorly. But I find, on average, it is jealousy and resentment that makes them act the way they do. A friend told me years ago that she had a CNA on the nighshift with her on a stepdown unit that did vitals and then sat for hrs. knitting! LMAO. She said the CNA had been there a long time and just refused to do much. I could go on and on about personal stories and stories I have heard!
** In 15 years I have yet to meet a "jealous" CNA. They are CNAs for one of two reasons...money LOL...or because they have a deeper need to fulfill in giving care to a patient. Personally a have a deep repspect for all nurses and our profession.
MandyInMS
652 Posts
I agree LPN2Be...nobody deserves or should allow anyone to belittle them..grrrrrr @ bullies!!!