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!

[feelix, RN]

One of my jobs was in a procedures lab where inpatients were wheeled in on stretchers and had to wait their turn. One of those was a gentleman with turp whose 3 way catheter bag had to be emptied constantly. While I was busy doing just that, a self-important family member of another patient wanted her husbands stretcher moved to a preferred part of the hallway. Here I am sitting on a stool, constantly trying to keep up with a cath bag and she is insisting her husband be moved to her preferred area of carpet. It took all the patience I could muster, but I informed her in a very calm voice: "I am in the middle of helping this gentleman; as soon as I am done." And that was that.

This case is different. I think your management needs to know that staff are interrupting patient care in a way so as to endanger patient safety and possibly confidentiality. There needs to be staff in-service on this issue. (By guess who?).

[Knotanoonurse]

So I have been a clinical educator. Here is my take. She needs to ask to see you in private or ask when you can speak by phone about education related matters. 

That being said, she may be accountable for tracking things like BLS. When JC or the DOH comes calling or when there is a sentinel event or worst of all when lawyers come calling related to a bad outcome... it is vital that BLS, ACLS, and licenses are up to date. Certain other mandatory/ specialty certifications may also be required. She may not be your manager BUT you are still accountable to keep credentials up to date. It is better for all... including you in the event of an untoward situation.

In one hospital, I worked with a group of nurses who could be quite challenging. To be fair, some were wonderfully professional and conscientious. Others repeatedly did things like... not show up for skills days, equipment in services, and optional education. We had a speaker come from 80 miles away for an advanced assessment course and 4 people showed for a course when 10 were signed up. Blowing Off these things wastes time and costs money.  If it is something mandatory, it must be made up. If it is not renewing CPR or a nursing license, the person can’t work and a replacement must be found.

Yes. She is not appropriate to approach you during patient care. Realize, however, that if you do what you are supposed to she will leave you alone.

 

 

[Feelgood RN]

I was expecting something better. I guess I got my hopes up. Was coming in thinking it was going to be some king of 50 Shades of Gray type stuff...but nothing so interesting.

Is this unprofessional, maybe. Is it annoying, obviously to you it is, it wouldn't bother me. Having been in management for a bit I know how stupidly impossible it is to get nurses to get anything done that isn't patient care. 

Did your facility have an inspection coming up? Was TJC coming through? Audit? Do you even care? Did she email you every day last week and you never responded? I don't know any of these details, only that she asked you in a patient's "doorway".

Many "optional" classes that I've been to are only put on when there are enough attendants to make the class worthwhile. Either the hospital is paying someone to come in and teach, or they're taking someone from their primary job to teach the class. Just because a class is optional doesn't mean it doesn't have time and effort put into it by other people. Depending on the class if your facility doesn't meet a certain attendance criteria, they charge more for the class. 

Overall you don't seem to have taken any of this into account. If you have you purposefully left it out for a pity party. This instructors approach was not the best, but it's hard to judge from the details you gave whether or not it was truly inappropriate.

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

EXCELLENT responses!

This type of employee has a reputation for getting the job done, has blinders on and has been allowed to function this way.

This is the reason they are allowed to function this way. If they didn't get the job done, then it wouldn't be so. We're getting one side of this story with a minuscule amount of details. This "seasoned" nurse may not do her job this way all the time and it went down this way for a reason that the OP didn't want to give us info on.

 

[Davey Do]

23 minutes ago, Feelgood RN said:

We're getting one side of this story with a minuscule amount of details. 

Oh please, Feelgood RN, don't suggest that members give more details.

So many posts contain so much superfluous information, it seems the poster is writing a dissertation.

No members here are John Steinbeck or Harper Lee but generate lengthy and loquacious posts like the reader should hang on every word.

The gist of most  posts can be understood by reading the first line of paragraphs (if used) like Evelyn Wood on crack cocaine.

[Feelgood RN]

31 minutes ago, Davey Do said:

Oh please, Feelgood RN, don't suggest that members give more details.

LOL, I agree and definitely didn't suggest that, but I might have if it was a more spicey tale of unprofessionalism ?

My problem with most of these posts is they obviously leave out major parts of the issue either on purpose (to make themselves look better) or to try to make the post shorter so that people will read it. 

I have many of the nurses I've worked with that still call me for advice on stuff like this. Many times after our conversation they realize they took it out of context or that there were circumstances they didn't take into account and understand why/how it happened. If people want to whine about "COB being mean" that's fine, but as for what to do? Well that depends on the actual story.

[Davey Do]

I like the cut of your jib, Feelgood RN.

[hama1111, RN]

59 minutes ago, Feelgood RN said:

I was expecting something better. I guess I got my hopes up. Was coming in thinking it was going to be some king of 50 Shades of Gray type stuff...but nothing so interesting.

Is this unprofessional, maybe. Is it annoying, obviously to you it is, it wouldn't bother me. Having been in management for a bit I know how stupidly impossible it is to get nurses to get anything done that isn't patient care. 

Did your facility have an inspection coming up? Was TJC coming through? Audit? Do you even care? Did she email you every day last week and you never responded? I don't know any of these details, only that she asked you in a patient's "doorway".

Many "optional" classes that I've been to are only put on when there are enough attendants to make the class worthwhile. Either the hospital is paying someone to come in and teach, or they're taking someone from their primary job to teach the class. Just because a class is optional doesn't mean it doesn't have time and effort put into it by other people. Depending on the class if your facility doesn't meet a certain attendance criteria, they charge more for the class. 

Overall you don't seem to have taken any of this into account. If you have you purposefully left it out for a pity party. This instructors approach was not the best, but it's hard to judge from the details you gave whether or not it was truly inappropriate.

This is the reason they are allowed to function this way. If they didn't get the job done, then it wouldn't be so. We're getting one side of this story with a minuscule amount of details. This "seasoned" nurse may not do her job this way all the time and it went down this way for a reason that the OP didn't want to give us info on.

 

To answer your questions, the BLS situation occurred in the fall last year just a few months out from my graduation from nursing school. I think I was fresh out of orientation. TJC was not coming through, I didn’t receive any emails prior to being approached frantically while in the middle of being with an A&Ox4 patient as she honestly kind of grilled me loud and clear... and I do care obviously, I’m just a new nurse trying to figure it all out. I didn’t know the proper channels or that it had to be submitted somewhere through proper channels, at a certain time. I thought it was like your nursing license where you just have to ensure you’re always current and no one’s chasing down your paperwork... Kind of odd you have to submit your BLS proof every time but not your renewed licensure now that I think about it? 
 

I understand now that attending a class you registered for is important whether mandatory or optional, for the reasons you stated (which, thank you for the insight) and reasons stated by others in the forum. I think someone even mentioned their hospital policy will penalize you for it. Again I had no idea, I’m just trying to navigate not only patient care in the ICU in my first year but hospital policy, the inner workings and everything else not patient care related that you don’t even consider or have any clue about until you’re in the hospital environment for awhile. We have no such policy and no one ever told me either of these things.. and I understand she has to do her job. I just really didn’t appreciate her approach or tone either time. I certainly don’t mean to be disrespectful or waste anyone’s time.

[Golden_RN, MSN]

13 minutes ago, hama1111 said:

 I thought it was like your nursing license where you just have to ensure you’re always current and no one’s chasing down your paperwork... Kind of odd you have to submit your BLS proof every time but not your renewed licensure now that I think about it? 
 

 

Your license is public and can be easily tracked whoever is responsible for this at your hospital.  Because BLS training is provided by private companies, it is not public info and you must submit your new card every year.  You should not be on the floor without the hospital having a copy.

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

On 5/29/2021 at 9:16 PM, caliotter3 said:

Recently AN has an added topic area called New Nurses. Perhaps the site also needs Old Nurses and In Between Nurses.  And then there could always be Biter Nurses.

Biter Nurses sounds too...violent (and tetorifice shot inducing). Maybe Bitter Nurses instead...?

[Feelgood RN]

3 hours ago, hama1111 said:

Again I had no idea, I’m just trying to navigate not only patient care in the ICU in my first year but hospital policy, the inner workings and everything else not patient care related that you don’t even consider or have any clue about until you’re in the hospital environment for awhile. 

It's all good and I wish you the best of luck! There are some great responses on here of how to deal with the situation professionally. Some people don't consider what nurses are doing while trying to fulfil their role in the hospital. Even nurses that don't work on the floor much tend to forget manners when they're in a rush to complete their duty ?.

There is A-LOOOOOOOOTTTTT of little things like these that happen all the time. I know as a previous floor nurse and then manager that there is a lot of stupid crap that comes through work email, BUT there are also actually important things. It's another thing to add to the long list of chores, but actually looking at your work email can help eliminate some of these encounters. I will usually go in and skim through them, see if something looks important and delete the rest. It's always better practice if someone, like your floor manager, comes by and tells you about updates or needing to turn in your BLS, but some managers for some reason...never leave their office and think email is some magical telepathy that people get into their brainholes.

Anyway, in the grand scheme of things try not to let things like this bother you. Let your pt know what's up if you feel the need to, but there are more important things to stress out over than how the educator feels about you......like when you'll be able to pee while eating your only chance at whatever you found for lunch. ?

[JKL33]

5 hours ago, Feelgood RN said:

Is this unprofessional, maybe. Is it annoying, obviously to you it is, it wouldn't bother me. Having been in management for a bit I know how stupidly impossible it is to get nurses to get anything done that isn't patient care. 

Ouch.

Well, having been in staff level positions I can tell you how stupidly impossible administration's patient care/documentation fantasies are, too. Maybe that's part of why its also stupidly impossible to get nurses to do more than that.  Priorities can be a beast. Patients are #1.

??

 

[SmilingBluEyes]

On 5/29/2021 at 3:28 AM, Emergent said:

Probably because she is a mean, old biddy who reminds her of bossy Aunt Bertha. She probably has chin hairs too, and a cheap dye job on her hair, plus saggy upper arms. ?

OMG she is ME. ROFL......just kidding. A little. I AM a crusty old bat to be sure. But not in my 60s. I guess the age thing got me. Ageism is alive and well I see.