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.
Glad you came back with some instropsection. While approaching you during patient care could have waited, Educators are forever chasing people down.
Missing the class, although optional, is actually a big deal. It was something you signed up for and maybe took the place of someone else who may have also wanted to attend. I do not like swearing and would have been offput by the use of profanity when addressing an issue with me, especially if I am not comfortable with the person, or if it is in reference to something related to time and attendance issues. Casual conversation might be okay if I am very comfortable with the person and conversation, but I rarely have used profanity in the workplace.
As for BLS this is not the same as our license, it is something that needs to be on file and updated per hospital poolicy. There may have been someone loking at files and came across yours and with no BLS on file it looks like you are non-compliant. Someone probably notified the Educator and now the Educator is frantically trying to ensure all files are compliant.
I think the next time something like this occurs during patient care, just ask "Clinical Educator, I am right now in the middle of patient care, I will come and find you once I finish and we can discuss this"
I am not a fan of using profanity expecially if it is even remotely related to performance issues.
I think it is often hard when starting off to know the culture of the Unit and what are the requirements. I think now you know that even optional classes if you sign up, you should attend or notify if you can't make it, and always keep BLS and other certificates up-to date and on file.
LOL, this is a old catch phrase from years ago in AN: there were a lot of snowflakes coming in to complain about the older nurses they worked with, up to and including "they should just retire and make space for the younger nurses". They didn't want to hear any rationales behind what they were complaining about, since they obviously knew better than an old experienced Crusty (as in there long enough to grow barnacles) Old Bat (bats in the belfry! go retire!).
One called us "old Biter nurses" as in unable to spell or check their own grammar...... and all of us Old COBs kind of ran with it. Hadn't seen it much for a while, but lately it is popping up in a few threads.
Well, having been in staff level positions I can tell you how stupidly impossible administration's patient care/documentation fantasies are, too.
I've been in both. From experience I can tell you that it is NOT administrations fantasies about your documentation, it's insurance/CMS. Administration only pushes what those entities require to pass inspections or for billing purposes. If they could just say "Yo, BlueCross, we took care of JKL33, gave them some NS and Midol. That'll be $4500", they wouldn't give 2 poops whether you checked that patient every hour for the last 14 days.
In all honesty, I don't get why we as nurses get so worked up over documenting. If you do it, diligently, it's covering our *** when a Dr messes up and administration is trying to push it onto us.
I see both sides. Many people don't, which is why I point it out. If administration knew you could do proper documenting and meet all the BS criteria set up by the outside entities, they'd let you do it on paper, because it's a hell of a lot cheaper than paying for all the IT stuff that comes with an EHR.
LOL, this is a old catch phrase from years ago in AN: there were a lot of snowflakes coming in to complain about the older nurses they worked with, up to and including "they should just retire and make space for the younger nurses". They didn't want to hear any rationales behind what they were complaining about, since they obviously knew better than an old experienced Crusty (as in there long enough to grow barnacles) Old Bat (bats in the belfry! go retire!).
One called us "old Biter nurses" as in unable to spell or check their own grammar...... and all of us Old COBs kind of ran with it. Hadn't seen it much for a while, but lately it is popping up in a few threads.
LOL, this is a old catch phrase from years ago in AN: there were a lot of snowflakes coming in to complain about the older nurses they worked with, up to and including "they should just retire and make space for the younger nurses". They didn't want to hear any rationales behind what they were complaining about, since they obviously knew better than an old experienced Crusty (as in there long enough to grow barnacles) Old Bat (bats in the belfry! go retire!).
One called us "old Biter nurses" as in unable to spell or check their own grammar...... and all of us Old COBs kind of ran with it. Hadn't seen it much for a while, but lately it is popping up in a few threads.
That's me, an "old experienced Crusty (as in there long enough to grow barnacles) Old Bat (bats in the belfry! go retire!)."
By the way, the OP gave us a description of the offender, which included her age. First of all, most nurses in that type of position are older.
I think everyone might be better off getting over it. So what if she described this woman, including her age? I'm in my sixties and I don't care. I'm not sensitive about my age. I found the description made this post more interesting.
I can just visualize this older gal, she's probably got a bad back and is up to her ears with all the tasks that she has to do, many of which are mandated by out-of-touch regulators who increase everybody's workload. She's just as burnt out as the floor nurses are with this nonsense.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
18 hours ago, JBudd said:
LOL, this is a old catch phrase from years ago in AN: there were a lot of snowflakes coming in to complain about the older nurses they worked with, up to and including "they should just retire and make space for the younger nurses". They didn't want to hear any rationales behind what they were complaining about, since they obviously knew better than an old experienced Crusty (as in there long enough to grow barnacles) Old Bat (bats in the belfry! go retire!).
One called us "old Biter nurses" as in unable to spell or check their own grammar...... and all of us Old COBs kind of ran with it. Hadn't seen it much for a while, but lately it is popping up in a few threads.
Yes, it continues to cycle through threads, and the original post described a Crusty Old Bat as someone who appears cranky or gruff but is really an old softy deep down, does not freak out upon hearing the occasional gallows humor from another nurse, things like that.
Definitely not bitter, but could be a biter when defending one of "her" nurses to an obnoxious non-nursing colleague. Say if a full of himself intern yelled at a new nurse who had never been yelled at for no reason before. Bless that COB who had my back that day. OK, back to topic!
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
3 hours ago, nursel56 said:
Yes, it continues to cycle through threads, and the original post described a Crusty Old Bat as someone who appears cranky or gruff but is really an old softy deep down, does not freak out upon hearing the occasional gallows humor from another nurse, things like that.
I will add that a COB usually knows how to handle most crises situations from clogged toilets to clogged G-Tubes and all manner emergencies involving lots of blood or poop!
Yes, it continues to cycle through threads, and the original post described a Crusty Old Bat as someone who appears cranky or gruff but is really an old softy deep down, does not freak out upon hearing the occasional gallows humor from another nurse, things like that.
Bless that COB who had my back that day. OK, back to topic!
Yep ?
And to the OP, I just took the age as part of the description. It is what it is. My daughter sent me a Tshirt with "All women are equal, but the best are nurse's in their 60s!".
And to the OP, I just took the age as part of the description. It is what it is. My daughter sent me a Tshirt with "All women are equal, but the best are nurse's in their 60s!".
It's a fantastic time of life for me. No need to be thin-skinned about our age!
RNNPICU, BSN, RN
1,310 Posts
OP:
Glad you came back with some instropsection. While approaching you during patient care could have waited, Educators are forever chasing people down.
Missing the class, although optional, is actually a big deal. It was something you signed up for and maybe took the place of someone else who may have also wanted to attend. I do not like swearing and would have been offput by the use of profanity when addressing an issue with me, especially if I am not comfortable with the person, or if it is in reference to something related to time and attendance issues. Casual conversation might be okay if I am very comfortable with the person and conversation, but I rarely have used profanity in the workplace.
As for BLS this is not the same as our license, it is something that needs to be on file and updated per hospital poolicy. There may have been someone loking at files and came across yours and with no BLS on file it looks like you are non-compliant. Someone probably notified the Educator and now the Educator is frantically trying to ensure all files are compliant.
I think the next time something like this occurs during patient care, just ask "Clinical Educator, I am right now in the middle of patient care, I will come and find you once I finish and we can discuss this"
I am not a fan of using profanity expecially if it is even remotely related to performance issues.
I think it is often hard when starting off to know the culture of the Unit and what are the requirements. I think now you know that even optional classes if you sign up, you should attend or notify if you can't make it, and always keep BLS and other certificates up-to date and on file.