What is with this angry nurse?

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Specializes in NICU.

***Some things are specific to the speciality but I want a general nurse reply as it can happened anywhere! Thanks.***

Please tell me I'm not the crazy one!

I work have worked in the NICU for about 3 years. Over the years, I have noticed some nurses on the opposing shift are a bit feisty but I have gotten over it for the most part. BUT, this small stupid thing has put me in a tizzy (sp?), and I more so need to vent than anything, but all are welcome to input your little "over-the-edge" incidences and what you do in response/to get over it.

So to the point. I was having a really fantastic day; all my babies were cooperative, all quietly snuggled back in, parents all had a good (as good as it can get) day. It was not crazy admit day or let's make a bunch of changes day - IT WAS A GOOD DAY! It was nearing the end of my shift and as I almost always do unless we are slammed, I made the haul to restock all of my patients' supplies, any and everything they would need for the next 2 shifts.

Shift change happens and I give report on my first two babies and I come to my third who is a different nurse taking them. I start my report as always, name, parents, etc. After the whole introduction, I casually skipped to the respiratory support. In the middle of saying, "I have only titrated my Os between 24% an--" the nurse butts in, holds up her hand and says, "Please,... (*hand to a fist now*) what's the patient's history?" Me: Uhhhh, PTL.

THAT WAS IT... PTL. You know, I thought about it, and yea, maybe I should have said PTL before jumping right into the whole gaggle. Maybe I should have also added the 3 weeks old apgar scores and the whole resuscitation efforts. Maybe I should have gone through the whole pregnancy timeline.

I know, I'm going too far but it kinda irked me. Yes, if there is a significant amount of history, I will start with that. But seeing as it was such a short and kinda insignificant history, it slipped my mind this time. (Serious on the apgar scores, I'm not telling you 3 week old apgar scores unless it's like 0,0,2,4,5,7)

And to be honest, I would not even mind to have stopped right there to say the history had it not been asked of me in a completely ******* rude way and tone. Honestly, I would have even given an, "Opps, sorry."

I just don't get it. What makes people behave like this after not even being somewhere for 5 minutes. I get you have a life, but don't treat people like scum of the earth just because your mind cannot get over having respiratory before history. Like, MY GOD, sorry I ruined your day...

Sorry, I know I took a mole hill and turned it into a mountain. I get that. What I don't get is how people lack a decent sense of manners.

Thanks for reading. But please do leave your experiences NICU and non-NICU. These situations happen everywhere, so even if you have them, say your non-nursing related stories too. I like to read on your guys experiences which far outweigh mine!

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"What is the history?" "Complex and complicated, 3 weeks of it, you most certainly can review the chart for specifics."

"Now lets get back to the more appropriate last 24 hours..."

If she wanted to get the day one blow by blow, there's a lovely chart she can review for whatever it is that she is searching for...but correct me if I am wrong, and I am oh so not a NICU nurse....don't your patients have the potential to change literally every shift....meaning that NICU babies turn corners or tank at the drop of a hat? Was this nurse not typically a NICU nurse?

In adults then yes, the complete story is helpful dependent on what they are there for. But I would think with the babies you have those that thrive, those who do not, and those that do both within 12 hours.....

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.

Well, she coulda been sweeter about it, but I definitely do think a brief history is important (in nicu and adults). Not a blow by blow including 3 week old apgars, but I always like to know how the kid got here, even if the entire history is just "born too soon, now in nicu"

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Specializes in NICU.
"What is the history?" "Complex and complicated, 3 weeks of it, you most certainly can review the chart for specifics."

"Now lets get back to the more appropriate last 24 hours..."

If she wanted to get the day one blow by blow, there's a lovely chart she can review for whatever it is that she is searching for...but correct me if I am wrong, and I am oh so not a NICU nurse....don't your patients have the potential to change literally every shift....meaning that NICU babies turn corners or tank at the drop of a hat? Was this nurse not typically a NICU nurse?

In adults then yes, the complete story is helpful dependent on what they are there for. But I would think with the babies you have those that thrive, those who do not, and those that do both within 12 hours.....

Oh you betcha'! I actually pulled up the chart so she could see if there was cause for the PTL, because she really needed to see for herself at that exact time... And for what it's worth, PTL was what I was given in the report from the shift before me and I had no woes.

And yes, the patients can change by the hour so the history doesn't really make a difference in many cases. A history is part of the report and you should get some type of history, but as for it being high on the priority list if it's not that significant, mhm no. It happened and the baby is here, so what are we going to do about it? Which is my logic.

It wasn't like I was just going to skip it all together. I would have said PTL and that be the end of it. Apparently I just didn't say it when she wanted me to.

I agree, with adults it's nice to know they are here for a BKA from uncontrolled diabetes, so you know why you have to do a million BG.

With babies, being a premie doesn't change much as far as typical premie care. Unless you have other issues, which all would be in the report if you sit tight.

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Specializes in NICU.
Well, she coulda been sweeter about it, but I definitely do think a brief history is important (in nicu and adults). Not a blow by blow including 3 week old apgars, but I always like to know how the kid got here, even if the entire history is just "born too soon, now in nicu"

Sorry, I forgot to mention in the OP, I would have given a history eventually, but since it was only PTL, I got a little side-track.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
Please tell me I'm not the crazy one!

Okay.

You're not the crazy one.

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Specializes in neonatal.

I have been a NICU nurse for over 20 years. And still am. I taylor my reports to whoever is taking. I might give all the details to s newer nurse. We have kardex's for all our babies from which we give report from. I read what I think is important to the oncoming nurse. Other wise they can read it themselves for more details. Personally I would rather just have the recent important details.

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We have a nurse like that. It is an ongoing joke between me and my coworkers that this nurse will want to know in report how many hairs are

On the left butt cheek and what is the scrotal circumference! I once gave her report and told her the gentleman had fallen at home and was a left hip repair. She asked

Me how long he laid at home before he was found? To which I replied I don't know I wasn't there lol

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.

I consider myself a laid back type A but one time I was giving report to a nurse with maybe six months more experience than me and was known to be part of a group the floor had coined the "plastics" when she became very irritated and kept stopping me during bedside report with the patient staring at us both, to ask questions that pertained to what color of pen she was writing in :madface:!

She wrote in about eight different colors and each color was from an individual pen that she hooked onto her scrub top pocket...I kid you not...

I called her out and the patient busted out laughing :roflmao:

When a nurse acts like that it makes both of the nurses look like idiots to out Pt's IMHO

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Omg I totally know what you mean! It's like the next shift person is so pissed off about being there and takes it out on you. I have a nurse that actually goes through my charting and critiques it. I am not a forgetful person or a screw up, she does this to everyone. It is unwelcome and not appropriate to do during bedside report!

I have had eye rolls, attitude, scoffs, and more from oncoming shift. I just feel like we all need to break the cycle and treat each other with respect.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

That's why SBAR is important, and why the parts of SBAR are in the order they're in. It's hard to put current situation into context without background. Background could be as simple as "previous 28-week delivery 2/2 preterm labor." But that needs to come at the beginning of the report, not after all the minutia of vent settings, I&O, etc. And it doesn't have to be long and detailed with pregnancy hx and all the resuscitation efforts. Short and sweet, such as what I said above.

And yes, you are making a mountain out of a molehill. If you let THAT one comment ruin or shadow a previously great day, well....you shouldn't.

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When something of this relative small degree bothers me this much, I know I have to look beyond and find the real source of my reaction. Otherwise I stay hung up on the non issue with no resolution to the, likely chronic, underlying one.

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