What to do about coworker not pulling her weight

[guest947568]

My job is to triage the patients. There are two of us scheduled at all times to handle patient volume.

i have on coworker who EVERYTIME I work with her NEVER does any work. She spends her time staring at the computer and then never pulling the patients back. She will fold laundry or sit around chatting instead of getting the patients.

They could be out there with chest pain, arm pain, and jaw pain as the complaint and she will not budge to get them. I feel this is a safety issue. If I'm in the restroom and someone comes in with a heart attack she won't know because she doesn't freakin move and check on them.

this leaves me triaging 90/100 patients that come in during my short shift. I leave work worn out and angry because I'm still getting paid the same rate and she's getting paid for doing nothing.

others have brought it up to management and nothing is being done.

what do I do? Should I approach management about it? I work weekends so I never see my direct supervisor. I hate that this will be our first real interaction but I cannot take it anymore.

How do I approach management? Email them or should I come in on my day off to speak with her?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

You should first approach this coworker privately. The chain of command starts with our coworkers, not management.

Be professional and keep your composure while informing her that she is not triaging her fair share of patients. Use "I" statements during the encounter. Remain calm.

If you do not notice a change in the behavior (and you probably won't), report it to management. However, since she's been reported to management in the past and nothing's been done, do not get your hopes up. Good luck to you!

[Libby1987]

Using the descriptors of EVERYTIME and NEVER might make your claims lose credibility. You might want to come up with actual data.

[guest947568]

I have said something already to her directly

i was was nice about it and everything. I told her I feel overworked when I triage everyone and she literally said "they won't fire me" í ½í¸¤

[guest947568]

I just finished a shift with her and decided to count. I literally triaged 93/100 patients we saw during my shift.

All our our documentation has our initials behind it so I do have proof of this should we need it. I'm sure we can look at past shifts as well. Other coworkers have began to notice this as well

I'm asking how to bring this up to management

[dishes, BSN, RN]

You could bring it to managment as a patient safety issue, explain that when you work with this particular nurse there is a large disparity in the number of patients she triages versus the number of patients you triage, for example on (date) you triaged 93/100 while she triaged 7/100,and on (date) you triaged(number) etc. Express concern that since you are doing the bulk of the work it is causing delays in the timely assessment and treatment of the patients and you are worried this could result in preventable death or disability of a patient.

[floridaRN38]

Well you can always email your supervisor and voice your concerns about patient safety and she is not pulling pts back. Sounds like she is a lazy and feels entitled to do whatever she wants. She should be working with you out in triage as a team player. And not a slacker

[Altra, BSN, RN]

The chain of command starts with our coworkers, not management.

Not to hijack the thread, but I love the quote above. It should be a mantra ... a t-shirt ... a bumper sticker ... and a meme.

[APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP]

Sometimes you have to be more direct in order to get people to pull their weight. Don't just lie down and let the waves wash over you. Stand up and fight the current.

When you've done a triage, and the next one is hers, you go directly to her and say This is YOUR patient. I've done x” amount of triages this shift, and you need to pull your weight. I'm done being your doormat so that you can do whatever pleases you this shift. Your accountability to your patient care starts Now.”

She may have the mentality that management may not fire her, but she is going to have to deal with the consequences of her actions by her co-workers holding her accountable for her patient care. She needs a little *ahem* tough love”.

[TheLittlestNurse]

For one thing, I would quote her for saying "they won't fire me." Then start the conversation with "I have a concern" and be prepared to back it up with some solid evidence. When I brought concerns to my old manager, she always asked that I documented what we discussed and when; if it were necessary to take corrective action, HR would want to see some supporting information. So, based on my personal experience, you should send your manager and supervisor an email with your concerns AND the outcome of your talk with this person (be very specific and descriptive, use concrete examples, cite safety concerns), then go talk to them about the situation. You may not be taken seriously enough if you *only* send an email, but you won't have a "paper trail" if you don't send the email. if your manager still chooses to do nothing, be prepared to go over your manager's head. If it becomes necessary to keep moving up the chain of command, again - be prepared with solid evidence. That's another reason why I recommend keeping a record of your conversation with management. It is too easy for unit managers to suddenly play dumb when the CNO gets involved. You want to have proof that you made every attempt to follow the chain of command appropriately (starting with your lazy coworker herself), and that your manager knew about the problem. Oh, and if other coworkers are picking up on the problem too, they need to go to management (individually) as well. The more people report and document this problem, the stronger your case will be.

[Libby1987]

Have you told her the numbers? I would tell her "hey, I did 93 out of 100 triage is while you did nonessentials, we need to balance the work, how do you suggest we do that?"

If she refuses to engage productively, I would request a meeting with both her and the manager and I'd bring the written evidence.

[O9eleven]

I would have ripped into her a long time ago for being lazy. Sorry not the best advice but people like her make me angry. I have no mercy with lazy.