tough time giving report.

Nurses New Nurse

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i'm been working at this hospital on a med-surg floor for almost 7months. i love my night shift crew. but i have a hard time giving report to the day nurses. one of the nurses would laugh at me. for eg. i had this pt with dx of neutropenia and there was an order not to have rectal temp. her platelets were 0.3!!! that day nurse asked me why such an order? i told her that i think that it's because the patient is neutropenia. the day nurse just smirk at me. she's 7 credits away from being a np. i felt really bad because if i am wrong then please correct me. her smirk hurts more than words. it makes me feel stupid.

I've encountered day nurses who want U 2 have remembered every detail on th Kardex & on the computer health & information record made by the Drs. Funny how when they give U report -oncoming night nurse- ...it's short & sweet" 'cause they R OUTTA THERE!

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

As hyperstudent has realized, for some people report becomes a sick game. It is games playing to achieve oneupmanship. Some people will be relenting about it until you are accepted and respected as a member of the staff. Some people are just equal opportunity nasty about being catty this way. For those, think of a good comeback to give them that will embarass them in front of the others in the room if asking them privately to lay off you doesn't work, especially if you can throw a mistake they made back in their face.

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Giving report on our unit is sometimes a sick game as well- days vs.nights. Especially when I (the newer nurse with one year experience) has to give report to the nurse with 10 to 20 years experience. At first I was terrified of giving report to some of these meanies but now I just don't care. Now when they ask me ridicoulous questions -I just tell them it's probally in the chart and that since it's the beginning of their shift they have time to look it up-but for now I am going to give report of the most current, vital information. Believe me that has shut up most of the those mean nurses that they just leave me alone There is one that was still picking on me until last weak when she made a rude comment to me and I just told her that it's funny how when she gives report she leaves out important stuff and that I have even caught some things she misses but I am a bigger person not to make huge deal about it. She has since left me alone. I now realize that they are 1-burnt out or 2-pissed off because I came in with better pay than when they started off. Not my fault and Not my problem!!!!!!!!!!

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Specializes in critical care; community health; psych.

We're new. It takes time to learn to give only the relevant details and what's relevant to one nurse may be irrelevant to another. Just last night I gave report to one of the very experienced nurses on the unit. She did nothing to hide her impatience with me. I did not let her unnerve me though and I continued on. The experienced nurses just have to deal with it and get over it. Just another example of nurses eating their young.

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Specializes in ICU/ER/Med-Surg/Case Management/Manageme.

Something you may want to try.

The next time someone ask you a question that you don't know the answer to, simply smile sweetly with a puzzled look and say, "I really don't know. You've brought up an excellent point. I'd appreciate you sharing the reason with me."

There is no harm in not knowing everything. I haven't met anyone that does. And maybe...just maybe...this will open up "consultive" communication with that nurse. After all, doctors consult all the time outside their areas of expertise. Why shouldn't we as nurses?

OK, so that doesn't work. Try this response. "Gosh! I don't know. Let's look it up because you've really made me think!" And then quickly take off to get the resource book or head to the computer, etc. Believe me, she will want to get report and get busy and doesn't want to stand around "learning" anything if her goal was to make you look like an idiot. After all, she knows everything, doesn't she? :icon_roll

A couple of other things you didn't ask about but you will definitely run into...

1) When giving report, the never ending questions about did you do this, did you do that (with a roll of the eyes when you say you didn't)...well, I've learned to say, no, I didn't get to that. That is the exact reason we have 24 hour shifts. For ongoing pt. care. You can go forward with this just like I'll go forward with your care when I come in in the AM. Now, of course, that is assuming I haven't goofed off during my shift. I learned that after working with a much older nurse (and I'm old so I can say that! :) ) that would come in and try to make the day shift finish up every single thing, regardless of how busy we'd been. Just a few times of me staying late to continue care got to be too much. Surprisingly, she hasn't chosen to argue the point with me.

2) When I'm giving report, I like to give it system wise, starting with the head (neuro) and moving down. Some nurses will bombard you with questions mid-sentence. You are talking about pt. orientation/confusion, and they interrupt to ask about the foley! I end up forgetting pertinent things, get off course in my own thought processes, and report can take twice as long. Again, I've learned. Simple statement. "When I finish giving you report, if you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer them, but let me finish report first." And then I proceed. I only use this when I'm being bombarded. There's a difference in someone genuinely wanting to know something vs. their attempts at making you look like an idiot. Generally, I get few follow-up questions.

Most of us need to learn to be more assertive and professional. We have jobs to do, and like JMBM said, "I've got other patients to see or kids to get home to. Life is too short to worry about petty stuff."

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Specializes in Progressive Care.

I was giving report to the PM nurse the other nite and as I was trying to give report, she wasreading thru the chart and muttering to herself about something and she kept saying "oh, well he has a hx of such and such..." All these little tiny details that had nothing to do with the fact that he had pulled out his foley and I was trying to tell her what was going on with his voiding. Finally I got frustrated and said, "Im sorry, did you want to go ahead and give me report?" She got the point and gave me her attention.

amy

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Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.

[quote=she's 7 credits away from being a np.

Well, I would say she still has a few things to learn too. She's not a nurse practitioner yet, Still has to graduate, still has to take her certification exam. My FNP exam was intense. SO, at this point, you are BOTH RN's working on the same unit meaning she is "equal' in position plus 3 years experience is relatively new, IMO.

Try turning her questions back to her, say something like," you know I was wondering about that & since you're in NP school I'm sure you can explain it to us here in report." then wait for her to answer.:uhoh3:

Stand your ground. The most dangerous nurses are the once that don't ask questions (so keep asking them) & the ones that are afraid to admit that they don't know why that med/test/procedure/order is ordered for a particular pt.:monkeydance:

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Specializes in aged -adolescent.

Okay can someone help with my confusion re janetrettes post. I don't mean she has got me confused but is it common to have an order not to take a rectal pulse? why in this case and are there any situations where a rectal pulse is contra-indicated and others where preferred? Remember being new I need all the help I can get. Thanks

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