Secretaries who believe they rule the unit or hospital

[DesiDani]

Or unit secretaries who believe they literally run a unit. These people have no medical training at times and are not certified or licensed, yet they feel they have the authority to tell the RNs what to do.

I don't get it, why????

[Farawyn]

Every time RNDynamic posts I'm more convinced we worked at the same hospital.

Did the secretary's name begin with a G?

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

Well she did too often and it caught up to her.

IF you would elaborate and be specific, it would really help us to know what you are upset about.

I have worked with mostly great secretaries. Unit Clerks, Ward Clerks, whatever you all are calling them. One kept me laughing all the time.

They're just people. You get all types.

Good luck.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

We have 1 unit secretary who is AMAZING!!! She is excellent at getting things done (getting the patient's PIN number when family calls the desk), anticipates needs (hears an RN say a patient didn't get a dinner tray so she immediately calls the hostess) and is very professional (would never criticizes a nurse in front of family at the desk or make comments about things she doesn't have a clue about.) She truly supports the nurses and aids by answering the call bell phone right next to her chair and makes our a lot jobs less stressful. She understands that RNs are stretched to the max and does all she can to help.

We have another unit secretary who is also pretty good at getting things done, doesn't anticipate needs or if she does, doesn't do much to take any of the load off of the nurse, isn't professional with the things she says in front of families or how she talks to nurses much of the time. She's the type of person that if she can find a way to make someone look stupid or have a little control over someone, she takes it all the way. She sits on her phone and doesn't answer call bells. She makes our jobs much more stressful and no nurse is happy to see that she is working that shift.

It's a shame and some nurses are going to talk to unit director about it as she runs two units and isn't on ours much so doesn't see it. The charge nurses know but don't do anything. Our unit is getting more stressful due to being over ratio more than ever and losing 4 aids and we need more support than ever now.

The lousy one will continue to take advantage of you (nurses) AS LONG AS YOU LET HER. Get together and report her.

First, you could try telling her you need her to not be on her phone or you could call her on her borderline/sociopath behavior. "It seems like you enjoy making people look bad when you say things like you just said".

"HANG UP AND GO ANSWER THE CALL LIGHT. YOU ARE HERE TO WORK, NOT TO BE ON YOUR PHONE".

or "Grab that call light, Susie".

I am so tired of nurses who are so afraid of evil coworkers. I do understand the fear and have felt it myself. But I was finally tired enough of people acting so outrageously so had to finally, painfully learn how to be a boss.

After a while, people learned not to mess around with me and they did their jobs. They didn't like me but I didn't give a good hot damn. I was not going to work my tail off while they hid, smoked, called their boyfriends, took their drugs, played on the internet, and other mess.

If someone needed to check on their kids or use the restroom, fine. Do it and hurry up and get back to work or tell me you need to attend to a problem and need some time.

Fine and I hope it turns out well, do you need to go home? Then go but be for real with me and be straight with me. I do not have time to play around. Live human beings are in need of care and you are paid to give it, now go give it.

Yeah, Baby.

So march on, Sister. Stop c/o staffing and work load. Organize a union and get things changed. Easy? no Honorable? yes Nursing is hell in so many places. Are you going to be a change agent? Or sit back and wait for somebody else to do it?

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

Yea.. can definitely relate to the OP here. Where I've worked, secretaries think that they have the lay of the land on a given unit. It's especially bad when the secretary has a lot of seniority. They think they're some sort of proxy for the managers because they pass out newsletters or answer the phone for the unit. Like they're some sort of communication hub. They also control the stationary and office supplies for the unit which emboldens them furthers.

I think part of this phenomenon is due to secretaries and unit clerks being from the lower socioeconomic strata of American women. They're on par with waitresses, cashiers, babysitters and act as low class as the group they originate from.

Are you royalty?

You should be grateful for poor people. Someday, some of us might be wiping your hind end.

Good waitresses, cashiers, babysitters, and other persons you presume to be low class are worth their weight in gold.

The best actor needs an audience. The prima Ballerina needs someone to sew her costume, adjust her lighting, print the programs, and put her name in lights. Without average Joes and Janes, where would a star be?

Who else do you classify as low class?

YOU think they think they are manager proxies. They ARE communication hubs and they do have the lay of the land. Without them, your life would be hell. Actually, your life might be hell now, for which I offer my sympathy.

You really need to start learning how tough some people have or have had it in life. Perhaps no one ever really offered them a hand up and they have had to go through hell to get to a relative heaven.

They work for everything they get, they are basically good decent folk and you really might start to like and appreciate and even respect them if you take the chance to learn more about them as individual people with emotions and problems and points of joy and pride, just like you.

[Davey Do]

Here's the thing: their "OCD" or "control freak" tendencies that secretaries have are aggravating to most people. They develop a reputation for "claiming their space."

I know! I have to remind them who's in charge!

[DesiDani]

"Maybe you are new" is a tired played out response.

Examples not listening to staff because "she is not relevant to me!". I don't care how good you are at your job, or how much of an assets you are, it doesn't excuse bullying behavior.

Examples: going into patient's (confused/psych) room to literally yell at them to be quiet.

[Farawyn]

"Maybe you are new" is a tired played out response.

Examples not listening to staff because "she is not relevant to me!". I don't care how good you are at your job, or how much of an assets you are, it doesn't excuse bullying behavior.

Examples: going into patient's (confused/psych) room to literally yell at them to be quiet.

If you can't tell her not to go into patient's room, write her up.

A secretary telling a nurse they aren't relevant isn't bullying.

By the rest of the comments here, I guess it is safe to say that "secretaries" in general are not the problem.

[Hygiene Queen]

"Maybe you are new" is a tired played out response.

Actually, it's a way of giving people a semi-graceful "out" for their display of ignorance.

[SmilingBluEyes]

You know, when I was a new nurse, I ran into a unit secretary with a personality like this. (very bossy and assertive to the point of being a bit aggressive). But I did not jump on her and assert my authority as an RN. Instead, I stepped back and watched the dynamic of the unit and her role in it. I came to realize she was the glue that held it together. She knew EVERYTHING going on and kept us afloat a lot of the time. She was smart, wise and intelligent. I treated like she was all those things. And soon, she warmed to me. She saved my bacon on more than one occasion. She ended up being one of my favorite peoplen in the entire hospital.

Don't get all caught up in the fact "you are in charge" as the nurse. The unit secretaries already know that. Try to be diplomatic and respectful. EVERYONE has an important role. Unit secretaries are often disrespected and disregarded in their positions. Some wind up defensive due to this.

Any new nurse would do really well to step back, breathe, and get a lay of the land, so to speak, before asserting his or her "authority" over such people. It helps foster good will and believe me, that secretary is worth his or her weight in gold.

[happy_life]

I quit my last job for several reasons, but guess what a major factor was?

Hospital administrators cut the unit secretaries from all the ICU's. It was horrible. I now had to do my job as well as absorb the functions that the UC did before. In combination with other issues, it was too much.

I now work at a facility with a UC in all the units. I will never take them for granted!

[Graduatenurse14]

The lousy one will continue to take advantage of you (nurses) AS LONG AS YOU LET HER. Get together and report her.

First, you could try telling her you need her to not be on her phone or you could call her on her borderline/sociopath behavior. "It seems like you enjoy making people look bad when you say things like you just said".

"HANG UP AND GO ANSWER THE CALL LIGHT. YOU ARE HERE TO WORK, NOT TO BE ON YOUR PHONE".

or "Grab that call light, Susie".

I am so tired of nurses who are so afraid of evil coworkers. I do understand the fear and have felt it myself. But I was finally tired enough of people acting so outrageously so had to finally, painfully learn how to be a boss.

After a while, people learned not to mess around with me and they did their jobs. They didn't like me but I didn't give a good hot damn. I was not going to work my tail off while they hid, smoked, called their boyfriends, took their drugs, played on the internet, and other mess.

If someone needed to check on their kids or use the restroom, fine. Do it and hurry up and get back to work or tell me you need to attend to a problem and need some time.

Fine and I hope it turns out well, do you need to go home? Then go but be for real with me and be straight with me. I do not have time to play around. Live human beings are in need of care and you are paid to give it, now go give it.

Yeah, Baby.

So march on, Sister. Stop c/o staffing and work load. Organize a union and get things changed. Easy? no Honorable? yes Nursing is hell in so many places. Are you going to be a change agent? Or sit back and wait for somebody else to do it?

Thanks, Kooky Korky! Really good advice!! The nurses are union and the ancillary staff just voted to go union and are in negotiations now and the awful secretary is very involved them. Yes, all of the nurses complain about her and we should all get together and address it with the unit director.

kaya91 mentioned that most of the ones she works with used to be techs so they know how the floor is. This secretary used to be a tech so she knows exactly how it is! Even more frustrating!!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

You know, when I was a new nurse, I ran into a unit secretary with a personality like this. (very bossy and assertive to the point of being a bit aggressive). But I did not jump on her and assert my authority as an RN. Instead, I stepped back and watched the dynamic of the unit and her role in it. I came to realize she was the glue that held it together. She knew EVERYTHING going on and kept us afloat a lot of the time. She was smart, wise and intelligent. I treated like she was all those things. And soon, she warmed to me. She saved my bacon on more than one occasion. She ended up being one of my favorite peoplen in the entire hospital.

Don't get all caught up in the fact "you are in charge" as the nurse. The unit secretaries already know that. Try to be diplomatic and respectful. EVERYONE has an important role. Unit secretaries are often disrespected and disregarded in their positions. Some wind up defensive due to this.

Any new nurse would do really well to step back, breathe, and get a lay of the land, so to speak, before asserting his or her "authority" over such people. It helps foster good will and believe me, that secretary is worth his or her weight in gold.

This is good advice in general. Everyone has their role on the health care team; I see too many brand new RNS jump in and assert their "authority" over ancillary staff. Step back, observe and get a lay of the land -- you may figure out that the secretary you disrespect, disregard and disdain is a valuable resource. If you treat someone like a valuable resource, they're much more likely to save your bacon than to sit back and watch you fry.