Trouble with a co-worker....(Long)

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Hey all,

How's everyone doing? Ok....I've got co-worker problems for the first time in my life...and I'm not liking it!!! This nurse...lets call her "evil" has worked at our facility for about a year...she just started working nights with me and already she is driving me crazy!!! She is very immature and is constantly crabby about something! When she's not crabby, she's up at the desk..talking non-stop to the point that others can't get their work done. She also throws frequent temper tantrums to the point of either bawling or throwing things around the room. She also is very good at back stabbing and talking about others behind their backs. She thinks she owns the place half the time and throws her weight around even to veteran nurses and staff.

The other night....we came on and she was finishing up the tail end of an admit. She asked me for help with a dressing change and a few other things...so I willingly said I'd help her. Things took forever and by the time all was said and done..an hour had gone by. OK...fast forward...it's now 6:30am and I'm the next up for an admit...and sure enough....we get one. Evil didn't offer to help me with my admit...which was fine...it wasn't a hard one. Well...then it's time for 7am report....she goes into report and quickly says her thing and comes out. She ask me if I can go to report and I say "yes, just let me find my clipboard". She immediately pipes up and says "can you go NOW or should I find someone else to go"...all snippy like. By this time..I'm done with my admit but have a 7am updraft to be started on one of my patients. I nicely ask her "if she is done with everything" and she (yelling like) goes "yeah, what do you want"...I told her and she ripped the med sheet away from me and stormed off.

Fast forward to the next night. I'm not there but I hear from a good friend/co-worker that evil is talking about me all night behind my back (without saying my name..but my friend knew it was about me). Evil says "I'm so damn sick of having to do everyone elses work cause' they can't get it done themselves and then I get out of here late because of it"......she goes on to say "I cried all the way home yesterday cause I was so frustrated". Errrrrrrrrrr...that little snot!!! Ummmm....both myself and another nurse had to report yet...so evil starting an updraft hardly made her get out of there late.

By this time..I've had it!!! Once I learned of this talking behind my back, I went straight to my nurse manager and let it all spill. She was very upset and stated that her and evil have talked about these very things during her review...and she thought things were getting better....but apparently aren't. Many others have voiced problems with evil...so I mentioned that i wasn't the only one feeling this way. My NM set out and talked to a few different people..including my friend and they all confirmed what I had said and added some of their own.

Well...according to my friend....NM told her that "evil" can't work nights anymore because she needs closer supervision. This is all fine and dandy....but now I'm scared to death of the backlash it's going to cause. There are still three weeks left on the current schedule...which means 3 weeks of working with evil. I just know she's going to assume it was me that turned her in...and now I'm scared to death to work with her. I even had a dream last night that she killed me!!! Once she see's that schedule...she is going to freak!!! Her hubby works all nights now..so that's why she wanted them. NM said though...that she's given evil everything she's wanted as far as hours, schedule..etc...for awhile she wanted all days...now wants all nights...and NM has always accommodated her.....BUT now she says "too bad, I've given her everything she wants and she still disrupts co-workers and acts immature"

This is just all so weird for me. I'm so used to being the one that just puts up with things and doesn't make waves. It feels good to speak my mind yet I'm scared she's going to go postal on me......I can see her coming right up to me and asking me if I said something.....what do I say then???

Help!!! I need some advice and/or encouragement. Ok..thanks for listening..sorry it got so long.

hugs,

snoop'

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Is this person an RN?

What's an updraft?

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Hey Mulan,

Yes this person is an RN..ohhhh updraft is a nebulizer...I don't know..we call them updrafts around here...maybe it's a regional thing..lol :)

Is this person an RN?

What's an updraft?

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Sounds like maybe she is sleep deprived or just unhappy about working or just a very negative person. Hang in there and she will be gone soon. I too have worked with those kind of people.

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Yes I would say updraft must be a regional thing!

As far as "evil" goes it sounds as if most folks are on to her and her style of being a person. I would go out of my way to avoid her for the next three weeks. Focus on your patients. If this doesn't work let your NM know that three weeks isn't going to work and she needs to be moved NOW.

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Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.

I would also like to add, if she makes your life miserable over the next three weeks you are well within your rights to call the night time clinical manager. NOBODY should make you feel uncomfortable at work, there is a name for it HARRASSEMENT and there are federal laws to protect your from this kind of thing. If she continues, your nurse manager needs to take it up the chain of command, if not she is looking at a law suit somewhere down the road.

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Lucky for you, many people have had problems with "evil" and she has already had to discuss these problems BEFORE she ever came to nights. She probably has an idea that several people don't like her, it would be difficult for her to pin point you as the cause. I think it's time for evil to "grow up a bit", especially considering she was given anything she wanted by the NM and still can not behave normally.

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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
Hey all,

but now I'm scared to death of the backlash it's going to cause. There are still three weeks left on the current schedule...which means 3 weeks of working with evil. I just know she's going to assume it was me that turned her in...and now I'm scared to death to work with her. I even had a dream lastnight that she killed me!!! Once she see's that schedule...she is going to freak!!! I can see her coming right up to me and asking me if I said something.....what do I say then???

Help!!! I need some advice and/or encouragement. Ok..thanks for listening..sorry it got so long.

hugs,

snoop'

You take a deep breath,lower the pitch and level of your voice and you say "YES-I did talk to the NM about you-and I'm not the only one that has problems with you....Would you like to go into the break room and I'll tell you exactly what I said?" And you are going to do her a big favor by pointing out her problems and offering her the chance to "grow professionally by learning from her mistakes"...(I know it sounds cheesy but use the line----it really makes an impact) And I would NOT wait for her to freak out-the more tension that builds up around her the happier she will be.The first time you are together YOU bring it up-the very second she even implies that she thinks you were involved in her situation....You have no need to be scared.I always hated and avoided confrontation myself-until a few years ago.After the first incident it does get easier and it is a more mature way of handling rhe situation :saint: ....Much better then passive aggression... :)
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Thanks so much you guys....I am starting to feel a lot better about things...although I'm still worried. I'm just not the type of person to report anyone...I always like to think that I'm well liked by all and that I like everyone...that sort of thing. Now I'm starting to think about all my actions in the past....what if she calls me on something trying to get even...u know? I've never had any sort of action against me or "talking to" at all...so I guess I don't have to worry about that. I guess I'm just a plain "worry-wart". My hubby told me to tell her to blow off if she says anything to me...lol. I wish I had his care-free spirit. A lot of my co-workers are like that too...they report someone without a second thought....that's just not me I guess. BUT...this girl is making my life at work hell and I don't think I need to put up with it anymore. I would never dream of spazing out like that if someone asked me for help. I don't know...I guess I miss the "old crew"....so many of our new hires have been duds lately. Anyways...thanks so much for your comments and help....makes me feel better about things. I'll let everyone know how it goes when I see "evil" on Tuesday......gosh..I'm dreading it!!

Luv,

snoop'

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Thats a good point too Katie Bell..thanks. You are right, obviously they have discussed these same issues at her review...BEFORE she came to nights....and many others that I work with have expressed concerns with evil too. So...it's not just me...I guess I can just think of myself as the "spokesperson for the group"...LOL. Evil does still do day shift on her weekends...(another give me what i want thing) and many co-workers have said that evil is not a morning person at all and they can't even talk to her for the first hour or two of the shift or she will bite their heads off. So....it's not just us on nights that are having problems with her :0

hugs,

snoop'

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