Rules of Nursing "Office Politics"

MIA-RN · Feb 16, 2008

If you are not chatty with your coworkers because you are busy and working to provide excellent patient care to the best of your ability....it will come up on your review that you are not personable, or that you are not a team player.

If you are chatty with your coworkers while you continue to provide excellent patient care to the best of your ability...it will come up on your review that you are not buckling down and you are socializing too much.

Moral: You can't win.

withasmilelpn · Feb 16, 2008

And DON'T find something for the aide to do 5 minutes before their shift is supposed to end. Some of us have committments outside of work and we need to leave on time. It was probably something you could have done yourself, but you wasted more time trying to hunt someone down to do it because you couldn't be bothered.

OK. Three things: I work until my shift is done and sometimes over. 2. I have committments as well. 3. I never ask because "I can't be bothered" ever. I ask beause still on the clock is still on the clock, I have 50,000 things still left to do, and having been a CNA, I know it will only take you 5 minutes.

CNAs going for there license, you will find that as a nurse CNAs are very much unaware of the 1000s of times you do 'their work" without hunting them down, and don't always get the amount of work you have to do, that they can't help you with. I didn't understand that, so I try really hard to not take offense, but that can't be bothered statement really gets me!

Ms Kylee · Feb 16, 2008

This particular nurse I am discussing is very disorganized. She is consistent in hunting someone down to do something for her throughout the shift. She will take 20 minutes to hunt someone down to do something that could have easily been done. One day, she spent over half an hour hunting me down to ask me to clamp a Foley and clean up the urine. It took me all of 30 seconds to do this. All she does is whine that she's behind on her med pass.

On the days I am required to work daylight are because I have class and clinical in the evening and I have to be out on time. The last half hour of my shift, I am doing my charting. I am not standing around or sitting on my rear doing nothing. I am working. It isn't that I can't be bothered to do the task, but it's the consistency that I have to leave on time so I will not be late for class or clinicals. My instructors get a little annoyed when one is late. In addition, the next shift aides are there and are more than willing to help, but she never asks them. She always hunts down the offgoing aide. On the days I don't have class, I don't mind staying over and have done so, but when I have to leave at 3:30, I need to leave at 3:30 as my classes and clinicals are over an hour away. The nurse knows this, but she can't seem to buy a clue that I have to leave on time to get to class/clinical.

withasmilelpn · Feb 16, 2008

OK, she sounds pretty clueless. It was just the general "can't be bothered" thing gets to me because I help out alot, but for some that never seems to be enough.

Once I had CNAs actually get mad at me for asking them to put so and so to bed at a family members request, mind you. I was working 7a - 7p and it was 8:30pm and I was trying to finish my charting for what had been a very hectic day. The CNAs were working 3-11pm. At the time they were doing no patient care, they were chatting in the DR. When they kept talking instead, the oncoming nurse, went in to tell them they needed to put the resident to bed. Their response was to say they had to put another resident to bed instead and went off down the hall with that resident. As they were going down the hall, they made comments loud enough for me to hear, "what is she doing anyway, why didn't she put Mrs. X to bed"-about me!

Needless to say they got in trouble for that, which they resented and made the comment that they "were grown women", which means I think don't ask me to do anything.

I got the impression that it was my willingness to do patient care that acually backfired on me in this case, in making them expect me to do it. I noticed they said nothing about the nurse relieving me, who wasn't really known for helping out.

However, from then on, I have to admit, I hunted them down for everything! Not all of them, just those 2. I have tons of stories like this, so I am ready to pounce admittedly when I hear "can't be bothered".

My suggestion for you Kylee, is to find the CNA relieving you to tell them the nurse needs you to do ..., but I'm on the way out the door. Then tell the nurse who asked, you passed it on to that CNA. You are well within your rights to do that.

oramar · Feb 16, 2008

The problem also has a chance of making it to the person you confidently complained about. You will see evidence of it when they start tag teaming and setting you up.

Yeah that to, but mostly what I was thinking about is health and personal problems. You might think you need a shoulder to cry on but go outside of work to find one. In particular think long and hard about discussing certain problems of a personal nature with a person in a supervisory position. I with I had a dollar for everyone I knew who did and had it come back and bite them on the butt. I personally know people that have been let go and denied promotions because they started on anti anxiety medications or because they had sought a protection from abuse order. Each of them told me that they confessed something of a personally nature to a supervisor and suddenly found that managment was acting cool and distant. Next thing you know an offer for a promotion was withdrawn or a outright excuse for termination was cooked up. Be careful, be very careful. :nono:

By the way if you are lucky enough to work somewhere that has a psycologist whose job it is to consel employees, fine then you are protected by HIPPA. But nothing protects you from a supposedly off the record remark to someone in managment. You may think that this may have happened to me and I am bitter or something. Actually I caught on to the situation early in my career and never got burnt.

MzMouse · Feb 16, 2008

To further elaborate on the subject of watching what you say to superiors: be careful in staff meeting. I spoke up as the lone dissenter on a topic that Manager asked for thoughts. She always assured us we were "safe" in the meetings, and we were encouraged to speak our mind. Months later in my annual evaluation that innocent statement came back to bite me. I had forgotten all about it. She hadn't. :uhoh3:

I still believe I was right to speak up, but I would never do it again.

oramar · Feb 16, 2008

To further elaborate on the subject of watching what you say to superiors: be careful in staff meeting. I spoke up as the lone dissenter on a topic that Manager asked for thoughts. She always assured us we were "safe" in the meetings, and we were encouraged to speak our mind. Months later in my annual evaluation that innocent statement came back to bite me. I had forgotten all about it. She hadn't.
I still believe I was right to speak up, but I would never do it again.

Doesn't it seem as if a lot of institutions maintain a air of oppression and even terror on purpose to keep the peons in line?

linzz · Feb 17, 2008

I worked with an RN who sat there one day at lunch with a table of RPN's and stated that there should be only RN's and no RPN's. Needless to say, she did not endear herself to anyone. I had also heard through the grapevine that she was forced out of her last job for her people skills. Some people never learn that there is a time and place to voice your opinions. I just don't believe that the workplace is ever a really safe venue to really vent. JMO.

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Feb 18, 2008

Don't expect sympathy/empathy from your co-workers if you need a LOA for surgery or illness...you won't get it. You will get people grumbling about the time they were mauled by wild dogs and staggered into work anyway. But don't feel guilty for needing this LOA, either. Oh, and don't ask or beg for the time off from management. Fill out the appropriate paperwork, follow the procedure carefully, know your rights. This all ties in about not being a martyr.

Don't let your job become your life. It's fine to make friends at work but realize that you are not there to be liked, you're there to do a job.

Stay out of the gossip and mind games as much as possible.

Obtain and use caller ID for your phone, especially on your days off.

Realize that the hospitals need us far more than we need them...if your workplace is hell, look elsewhere.