Unprofessional Clinical Educator.. What would you do?

[hama1111]

I’ve been a RN for a year in the ICU. Our clinical educator is a woman in her 60’s who generally seems to be well liked and gets along with everyone, although being the clinical educator she can be seen as annoying sometimes - I suppose that comes with the job. But she doesn’t seem to like me.

There have been two occasions where she has inappropriately approached me about an unrelated topic while I’m doing my morning assessment on a patient. The first time she was in a panic asking me if my BLS had expired because she didn’t have it on file, in a patient’s doorway. Today she came up behind me while I was suctioning a vented patient and asked me, “What the hell happened to you yesterday?” in regards to me not showing up to an optional class I had forgotten about. She was almost sort of grilling me and told me myself and another person hadn’t shown and she was livid. 

I think this is inappropriate and I’m almost tempted to speak up because this is the second time she’s done something similar, but curious to know everyone’s thoughts.

Thank you!

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

I remember seeing a list of qualifications somewhere but let’s not further moving the thread off topic. I will find the topic when I get off work

[Hannahbanana, BSN, MSN]

5 hours ago, Hoosier_RN said:

7 hours ago, hppygr8ful said:

Well as a member of the Crusty Old Bat Society _ I do have t tweeze a chin hair occasionally. But as Emergent said the hair color ain't cheap!.

 Hppy

As another member of the COB Society, I agree. Can't they give us a senior discount on the color?

Hear, hear. My biggest regret of COVID seclusion has been inability to see the electrologist who has been striving to make my chin look less like an adolescent boy’s. I can live without the acrylics, but it’s the whiskers I really want to live without. 

2 hours ago, Kitiger said:

How does one become a member of the Crusty Bat Society?

It’s sort of like AA, in that you get up from your chair and declare it yourself, then put it in your siggy or wherever you want to work it in. Nice to have ya!

[Wuzzie]

3 hours ago, Kitiger said:

How does one become a member of the Crusty Bat Society?

42 years experience? You’re already in my friend. ?

[Hannahbanana, BSN, MSN]

I just started a COB thread. Go for it! 

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

5 hours ago, Kitiger said:

How does one become a member of the Crusty Bat Society?

No specifics, just many years of service; beyond middle age, again no specific age; and crusty around the edges. 42 years of service, I'd say you're a member ? 

[nursel56]

On 5/27/2021 at 7:17 PM, hama1111 said:

I’ve been a RN for a year in the ICU. Our clinical educator is a woman in her 60’s who generally seems to be well liked and gets along with everyone, although being the clinical educator she can be seen as annoying sometimes - I suppose that comes with the job. But she doesn’t seem to like me.

There have been two occasions where she has inappropriately approached me about an unrelated topic while I’m doing my morning assessment on a patient. The first time she was in a panic asking me if my BLS had expired because she didn’t have it on file, in a patient’s doorway. Today she came up behind me while I was suctioning a vented patient and asked me “what the hell happened to you yesterday” in regards to me not showing up to an optional class I had forgotten about. She was almost sort of grilling me and told me myself and another person hadn’t shown and she was livid. 

I think this is inappropriate and I’m almost tempted to speak up because this is the second time she’s done something similar, but curious to know everyone’s thoughts.

Thank you!

I'm sure the problem is not that she doesn't like you. 

I would find it very bothersome to be interrupted while providing care, because it is disruptive to your thought process and what observations you might be making, or not.  It's the same principle as defined in the study that shows nurses who are interrupted during a med pass make significantly more errors.

It doesn't seem like something a nurse educator should do, but I've been lucky enough to have educators who are focused on patient care, and not the issues you mentioned especially if she is "livid" and "in a panic" over those things. 

I would make sure to plan what you do carefully, because of the high regard the rest of the staff must have ("seems to be well liked and gets along with everyone") despite her tendency to react to non-urgent issues so dramatically. 

If she's been there a long time, it may be that the staff sees her as she was, and will circle the wagons accordingly. 

 

 

[JKL33]

10 hours ago, Davey Do said:

As with any situation which have variables, realizing certain constants, or truths, can be applied to those variables and the product can be a known number.

According to my very own opinion, I'm not too shabby at figuring out the dangerous territory of what makes individuals tick. Frankly I'm one of those who might not rest well until I am satisfied in my own little mind that I know where everybody stands. But I still think it's dangerous and there have been a couple of times that I've misjudged people because of just flat out too many superficial observations and associating them just as you suggest above.

I will go back to the fact (ooooops......ahem, opinion ?) that regardless the combination of ways someone might be able to be described (sex, age, hair/skin color, experienced/novice, blah, blah, blah), unless it is a one-time unusual event that has never happened before and unlikely to happen again, I will use my "do not" comment, in private, if they bring their circus to my patient's bedside. Something like this can be judged on the merit of what it is in and of itself: A bedside circus act. ?

[CommunityRNBSN, BSN, RN]

On 5/29/2021 at 4:20 PM, Kitiger said:

?

I heard a podiatrist who was seeing patients in a nursing home, tell how he had come done foot care (trimmed the toenails) on a patient who had the sheet up over her face. He said when he came out and got her chart, he realized that she was deceased. 

He pointed out that he didn't charge her for the care . . .

Oh. My. Goodness. 

[Golden_RN, MSN]

I totally 100% agree that she should never interrupt patient care for these questions.  However, as a former hospital educator, I will say that it can be very difficult to get employees to bring in things like their BLS renewals (it can be like herding cats) and you should not be working without it being on file.  Also re: the class you missed - Is this something you had agreed to attend?  Did the educator go out of her way to provide the class, for instance come in early or stay late to provide the class, or get a bunch of supplies or a room set up for you and then you didn't show up?  I've had situations where I come in on my time off, set a room/supplies up and no one shows up.

[Davey Do]

19 minutes ago, Golden_RN said:

Also re: the class you missed - Is this something you had agreed to attend?  Did the educator go out of her way to provide the class, for instance come in early or stay late to provide the class, or get a bunch of supplies or a room set up for you and then you didn't show up?  

Or, another case in reality on the flip side of the coin: Were you informed in a letter to "be courteous of the instructors" only to have one instructor blatantly use profanity, and then proceed to misinterpret state statutes and P&P?

On 5/28/2021 at 7:59 AM, Davey Do said:

Too many times in my career, I've witnessed this type of behavior in seasoned employees when their behavior goes unchecked.

 

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

On 5/28/2021 at 10:34 AM, JKL33 said:

There are far worse behaviors out there. But coming to a patient doorway and suggesting that (what could sound to a lay person like) the nurse's qualifications could be expired (because someone can't currently find a piece of paper)? Not cool. "Hey Barb..." is okay if she's at the door asking whether I got my piece of candy for attending her morning inservice. But I prefer to start with "Do not..." when someone has a habit of haughtily trying to conduct non-urgent nursing business in front of a patient, whether they do it to be aggressive/authoritative or just because they're a dingbat. This goes for everyone, not just someone who happens to be an educator.

I think it is very unprofessional to conduct any of this at/near a patient's bedside, even random low-key business. Even stuff like, "hey, you can go to lunch when you're done there..." --- meh, it all adds up to the picture the patient gets of what we are focusing on.

I agree with JKL generally on this.

However, I find it better to tell people what I want them to do, rather than what I don't want them to do. I just think it's more effective.

And I think Been There's idea of asking for an email is better.

You need to check your email once a shift though.

I would not really call this behavior unprofessional. I think this is just the minor stuff that comes up between people who work together in different roles, and we should try to communicate our needs without stepping on people's toes as best as we can.

 

[Mary P., MSN, RN, CNS]

As a hospital educator for over 30 years.... first off age is irrelevant and comments like “she’s only an educator “ are very inappropriate ..... much of what the nurse is experiencing may be be perception. I agree the time for these discussions is not while the RN is doing patient care. She should speak with her at a different time.