1st experience with backstabbing.

Nurses New Nurse

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I work in Surgery, a new grad (last June) and have been on the job a few months. Sometimes I get pulled from my preceptor to another RN, but thankfully not too often. I don't care for this other RN too much, she treats me like I'm stupid. I'm talking about really obnoxious such as, "take the plastic off the head rest".:angryfire But I try and get along with most everyone and just move on with ppl like that.

Well, I worked with her this past week one day. Thought things were going well enough, she was her usual self telling me things that I took as things I could use to be more effcient but in a not so nice way (whatever). I'll be the first to say I'm not the fastest or most knowledgable being so new, but you don't have to give me crap for stuff I would have no idea of knowing. ANYWAY, my preceptor 'let me know' today that she had gone to my Supervisor and told her I'm slow and act like I'm not interested in what's going on. Made it sound like I'm doing a horrible job and that, in my opinion from what she said, a probable risk to the patient!!:angryfire I'm very upset and angry about this. She didn't even say a thing to me, nor indicated that there was any problem. Yes, she pissed me off that day and I didn't have ANY interest in her social talk. I just did my paperwork and other circulating responsibilities. Anytime she talked about procedures, things to do, etc, I was very interested and nice. I always put a good foot forward too and am a bit floored this has happened (although I've heard this before happening).

Well, there's a bit more, something that is really nawing at me. Just after my preceptor told me this, we went out to the front desk. She asked when I'll be starting to scrub b/c I'm ready to move on to other things. My Supervisor said she thought I might need more GYN, but my preceptor said I was fine ( but whatever she wanted was fine too). My preceptor doesn't like GYN and made a little joke and I said "yes, I'm VERY interested in GYN ya know!". I guess my Supervisor and educator didn't 'get it' and it just didn't go over very well. Nothing huge, but given that other RN's talk, I don't think that helped me. I guess I can't joke with her, lesson learned.

So, I'm wondering if I should just let it go or talk with them on Monday about this. I don't want to make anything worse, but I also don't want anything on my record or on anyone minds that I'm not good enough. My preceptor told my Supervisor I'm very smart, doing very well, and fast enough at this point. That she's had no problems with me at all.

Any thoughts? Talk to them or not? Thanks for any imput. I'm half tempted to say something to this RN, but I know she's leaving in a few weeks for another position. She probably wouldn't listen to me anyway.:trout:

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

People like that aren't going to listen. And she's proven what she's capable of, so just watch what you do or say from now on.

And after she leaves, do some cartwheels (in your offtime of course).

Specializes in ICU.

Ok I'll give you some advise from a senior management position.........not in nursing but in another field. Job confrontation on the job site will not be tolerated from any facility, and especially a hospital where it can bleed over to other nurses and God forbid the patients (grape vines are amazing things). What you do need to do is to 2 things, clear the air with your supervisor and establish the truth. Leave your opinions, your grievances, and feelings out of the conversation. Management prefers the facts, then secondly ask your supervisors advice as to how you need to handle the situation in the future should the situation arise again. That your only focus is to do the job to the best of your ability and be as much help as you can be while on the way to becoming an experienced nurse.

Your supervisor will appreciate the candor, without the emotions and you will establish a solid baseline with them to proceed in the future. Above all leave the emotions out of it, what you think or feel regarding another nurse is not important to the overall operational aspects of the unit. Hospitals are first and foremost businesses..........always remember that.

I would let it go. If your preceptor and manager thought Nasty Nurse Nelly was correct the preceptor would not have told you what was said, and you would be getting counseled from management.

I work with someone who sounds like Nasty Nurse Nelly. It is my personal feeling that when people act like this they feel threatened and will knock the 'competition' down whatever chance they get. In her position of precepting you, she has the legitimate power to attempt to change the way you are viewed in your manager's eyes. Who knows, she may have heard positive things about you and she feels threatened. I work with someone like this and I have witnessed her do the very same thing. Your best defense is to keep doing your job as well as you are now and let your work be a testament to your ability. People like this usually end up hanging themselves. The difficult person on my unit is starting to get the reputation she deserves and losing respect from her coworkers and management too.

Thanks for the imput. Thinking back, a lot of what she 'taught' me, others would correct me saying that what I did was wrong. So now I'm wondering if she did that on purpose to make me look bad.

It doesn't matter. I might say something to the educator next week should I be with her for my scrub class. I just hope I'm not with her anymore. If I know your a nasty person, I have a hard time doing the killing them with kindness thing. I just stick to the job with no other social talk, etc. Wish me luck!:uhoh21:

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