Time to draw a line?

[exit96]

New LPN on the job for a couple months. been working 3X 12hrs shifts/week. The LPN that trained me has been an ER nurse for 14 yrs until the hospitals got rid of LPN's. She has been at this LTC facility for a couple yrs. 1st of all she knows her stuff and is very good at what she does. She works as diligently as anyone I have ever seen. She has moments when she can be pleasant, however she has turned on me for some reason. 2 months into a nursing career couldn't possibly put me on the list of "acceptable people to yell at and belittle for k not knowing every jot and tittle of the job." Matter of fact, IMHO people who have to intimidate to teach anything need to deal with whatever THEIR problem is! I am the first person who would say that I welcome creative criticism and correction. What has transpired is that she will belt out stuff right in front of everybody!! OH, and I forgot to add that she is Charge nurse just about everyday she is on the job. I am venting here more than anything and I welcome your comments. The most recent outburst was this AM when I was finishing up my 12 hr overnight shift. Someone had called in on a particular unit, so everyone was going to pitch in and get the hall that would not have a nurse caught up with med pass so that no one would have to stay over. I GET THAT and I am totally a TEAM player, I will help someone else to my own detriment at times. So I get my med pass done and head up the the hall where they are working, there are already 3 nurses passing meds and there are only a couple rooms left to do. So "charge nurse" says, go ahead and start on treatments, see what we can get done (my own treatments are still not done, I went up to help finish med pass, which I think is acceptable). KEEP IN MIND I did NOT know which hall was short 1 nurse for the morning and it was never specified (this must be where I am supposed to understand the charge nurses job completely after 2 months as an LPN...) There were not many treatments to do at all, AND I started on the hall that was going to have a nurse, which again was never specified to me. When the nurse responsible for the halls on my shift came over to the hall I was on, I told he that I needed to finish my own treatments and then would be back if time allowed...fast forward 1 hour>> "charge nurse" is back in my area doing something, asks me out loud (believe me, this woman has NO inside voice!!) where I disappeared to? I simply explained my position with getting my tasks completed as well. She goes off about how "we all need to pitch in and work together, because no one wants to stay 1 minute past 7 blah blah blah!!!" POINT is, I am totally fed up with this being a public display!!! She has no tact for being discreet and just belts it out wherever she is! I am starting to think she has a "male complex" or maybe I am just to kind and easy for someone like her to prey upon. Guess I am just venting, but this will be stopped probably tonight. Although I am a new nurse, I am not new at life. I have paid my dues time and time again! I have lived too long to let some asswhole play with my mind. Should I be scared of "charge nurse?" hope not, because the "jig is up!"

[prettyinblu]

NO! Do not let this charge nurse get away with speaking to you this way! If you let the charge nurse continue to treat you this way it will never stop! Then other nurses may start doing this as well. No matter what title a person has, respect is do to everyone!

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

Some people just have no filter. The next time there's some sort of general "stay and help" thing, I would say "I would be happy to help. I can stay for an hour. What is your priority and what is it you would like me to do?" And the next time the Charge is yelling in front of everyone I would VERY quietly and calmly say..." What is your priority for me?" If you put the responsibility back on the Charge for being specific instead of nasty, when Charge says "don't you know your JOB" or some other pi$$y comment, you could say "well, I know what my priorities are for my shift and patients. Should you not have anything to add, I should get to it". Reacting calmly and fishing for what Charge really means is a daunting task, but YOU look the the grown up here.....Best of luck!!