is this typical? (long)

Published Jan 8, 2006

334 Posts

I posted this in the renal/dialysis section but there is not much activity there lately, and I REALLY need some feedback on this issue. please be patient with me..I am not really sure how to word some of this.

as some of you may have read on the dialysis forumI have had, and continue to have, my struggles with my new dialysis job (just finishing week 5). The struggles are primarily with getting up to a speed deemed acceptable by the staff member training me...I had been berated in front of a patient a week ago for being "slow to learn"...

All those issues aside, I am beginning to notice some very real differences in the behavior of these personnel as compared to others that I have worked with in other settings. I do not know whether I am indeed in with a bunch of really unprofessional people, or whether this is just normal for dialysis and I am being overly sensitive or uptight.

Background: We are in a somewhat rural area, 12-bed clinic. I am the only RN (yeah, pretty scary considering I have no clue what I am doing) - there are 3 LPNs and 1 tech.

The LPN training me uses lots of profanity in front of patients... nothing horrible, but Sh@t, D#mn, etc....but still things I never would dream of using in front of pts. There are other comments about her personal life, many of them, hard to summarize but just unprofessional in my opinion.

The LPN that has been there the longest, who is right now effectively the lead nurse, seldom uses such language but just yesterday spoke of one of our noncompliant pts as being a "piece of SH@t"...while the man was dozing in his chair 3 ft. away!!! (I hope he was asleep anyway)

I mentioned in my other post how they all cackled for hours the other day over an electronic whoopee cushion that they were using to play jokes on the patients and their families. I was brought up not to joke about such toilet humor in public and was very offended. The patients seemed to laugh and go along with it but did they have a choice?

Now most of our pts are simple country folk, but I think they deserve the same respect and professionalism as any patients anywhere. To the nurses' credit, they do seem to clnically know what they are doing and to genuinely care about the patients, but their behavior appalls me.

Lastly, coming from a hospital environment where HIPAA is beat into us on a regular basis, I cringe when I hear the staff discuss details about patients with other patients. I dont mean incidental disclosure, I mean for instance telling pt "x" about new pt "y" - her age, her diagnoses, her social situations, etc. I realize that these patients all spend a lot of time together each week and it is normal for them to get to know one another and inquire when one is out, etc., but shouldnt it be up to the pt what to disclose?

OK gang...am I just really uptight and being a witch? do I need to just "get a life" and try to fit in with this? Are the standards of professionalism different in such an environment?

OR am I uncomfortable for a GOOD reason? Do I just not fit in with this environment and should I just take my cues and try to exit?

I am really sorry that this is so long and all over the place. so much of this is so hard to put into words. I love our patients but have never felt so out of place with a group of coworkers...and since being a nurse have never been treated the way that they have treated me.

please be honest with your comments... I can handle it. I just need to know.