This new nurse would appreciate your feedback!

Valerie Salva, BSN, RN · Sep 13, 2009

You didn't do anything wrong. Don't worry about your colleague flipping out. It's her problem. How can she report you to admin for acting on your assessment?

Rediculous.

morte, LPN, LVN · Sep 13, 2009

is using the term necrotic within our scope? or should it be blackened areas? was what she descibed as scabs the same thing you were describing as necrotic?.....when will the doc see?

HelanaDietrich · Sep 13, 2009

I recommend you keep a very detailed personal dairy at home of this, and any incident, which you feel is out of the ordinary flow of things, for your own protection. In the event this indidivual pushes the matter to her superiors, and in the event she continues to push it enough to get you fired, she could take it upon herself to file a complaint about you to the state board...to cover her own self. Don't ever take anything for granted and just assume that she would not push matters. There are those who will do desparate things to cover their own skin, even though they may be the culprit.

I had a matter in which I was working with a handful of recovered alcoholics and/or substance abusers who attended AA meetings together. I've never had a problem with any kind of substance addiction/abuse. I just went to work and diligently did the job I was hired to do within the scope of what I'd learned in my nursing training. One superior nurse who was working the adjacent psyche unit, was slipping out the back door during the shift for a nip of alcohol, though she claimed she'd been clean for 2 years. She was also buddies with the Unit Manager, as they hobbed nobbed and went to their AA meetings together. One patient, drying out from alcohol, was a very high risk for heart failure, and could not sleep. She didn't even give him a chance to tell her when he arrived at the nursing station, that he was having difficulty sleeping. She instantly blurted out to him that he needed to go back to bed. She refused to get off her bottom and check his blood pressure as ordered because she didn't want to stop doing her crossword puzzles. I checked his B/P and it was out the roof. She became infuriated with me.

Another nurse who refused to listen to my recommendation of giving an elderly, demented man an injection of medication, rather than an oral tab, because I'd had experience with him and knew he would not open his clamped jaw to take the pill. About 10 minutes later, while I was standing in my med. room, she casually handed me the crumpled paper pill cup and said, "Here throw that out." I was standing inbetween her and the wastebasket in the tiny room. Anyone would assume if someone hands you what appears to be a piece of trash, that is just what it is. Then she went on about her business. About 10 minutes later, she returned in a bit of a state of frenzy and said, "What did you do with that pill." I felt a bit alarmed at her approach, and asked what she was talking about. She said he didn't take that Ativan. I'm standing there confused as to why she didn't bother telling me that and asking that we both sign to waste the narcotic. Then she, still in a bit of frenzy, said, "Well get it out of the trash." Knowing that there were wet coffee grounds in the trash, along with sharp objects from the day shift slackers who found it easier to drop sharps into the waste basket (which I'd seen with my own 2 eyes)...it was too much trouble for someone to reach up to drop the sharps into the sharps container. I said, "I'm not sticking my hands in there, there are sharps and blood in there. She said there are not supposed to be. I said, "Well, there are not supposed to be; but there are people who take short cuts, rather than using the sharps container. I told her that She still insisted I stick my hand in there. I refused and suggested if she insist, she could dig it out herself because I was not risking contracting a disease.

Weeks passed and I was called in and fired, one reason was "failing to obey the direct order of an RN," me being an LPN. Many weeks later I received a brief letter from a state board investigator stating that a complaint had been filed about me and asking I contact him. I called him and he told me one of the allegations was that I'd failed to obey the direct order of an RN. I stood my ground in explaining what all had happened when I worked there. I told him that I'd been put into a situation where I was a new nurse, working in an area which was technically above my qualifications, based on state board nursing standards. I took the acute psyche unit position because I needed a job and I'd always like the area of psychology. During my job interview I felt a bit of a little red flag as they seemed real anxious to hire me, and I was a new graduate nurse. I learned the acute unit was where most of the other nurses didn't want to work, nor did they want to work nights when they had minimal staff. I discussed with him how since I was a single parent, needing to make a living, perhaps my only error was being a bit naive in subjecting myself to working in a position where I was taken advantage by those who wanted to try pawning their own negligence off on me, the one who was doing what I was supposed to be doing on the job.

I a short time, I received a letter from the investigator informing me the complaint had been dismissed without further ado. No board action was taken and my nursing file status was not affected, rightfully so, because the entire scenario was based on the slackness of those who didn't want to do their jobs right, and then pawn their own deficiencies off on someone else.

Take it from someone who's been there, and do not take anything for granted. Some nurses can be piranahs who will cut your throat in a heartbeat just save their own backs, even though they are the ones who are negligent. They are the nurses who should not be in the profession since their only concern is to skate through their shift, biding their time and collecting their paychecks.

Over the years, while a nurse friend told me of difficulties she had with the alcoholic nurse who liked to do her crossword puzzles, I checked the state board nursing board actions. This nurse has been before and placed on probation a number of times, until she finally stopped practicing. Those such nurses as you are dealing with usually have issues you may not realize. Often times they become repeat subjects of state board review hearings. I've found during my 16 years since nursing school that they often have substance abuse problems and may not be able to adhere to a rehab program. Just keep personal documentation for your own reference to guard yourself from future despair, and press forward doing your best. She will dig her own hole eventually if she keeps up the attitude.