What do you do with a problem supervisor?

[RuRnurse?]

We have one where I work who is, shall we say, a bit ODD. Now, 'odd' is not in and of itself the problem, one can deal with odd. But what do you do when the 'oddness' goes too far?

This one is into some kind of New Age/Eastern religious thing. Very dependent upon the "karma" and the "vibes", etc. At first, it was kinda funny, but lately I have come to realize that this woman is just nuts. The latest problem I've had with her involved a situation where a resident had an order for a medication that we did not have on hand, it being a new order, and not delivered yet. It was also not something we had available in our night pharmacy. So she brought up a similar medication, and told me to give that. Fine, no problem, but I told her I'd need her to put an order in for the substitute.

No, she said, I didn't need an order, the med she gave me was, in her words, "the same damned thing", so I should "just give it, and stop giving me a hard time". When I showed her in our computerized reference library that it was NOT the same thing, she says, "You're just an LPN, you need to do what you're told". After placing a call to our medical director, and being told EXACTLY what I had just told her, she was totally po'd, at ME. So, now there are "bad vibes".

You can't TALK to this woman, she throws up her hand and will say, "Stop yelling at me!". (No one is yelling at her.) If you disagree with her on anything, you are giving her "bad vibes", and if the conversation isn't going her way, she will say, "I don't want to talk about it anymore".

It's gotten to the point where NO ONE wants to deal with her. She is rude, condescending, and has absolutely no 'people skills'. For some reason administration will not do anything about her, even though there have been numerous complaints about her. She creates a very hostile work environment.

But trying to bully me into administering a med that there is no order for, then getting annoyed with me because I will not do it is a new low. I'm a per-diem nurse, so I have no job protection through the union, and can be fired for any reason whatsoever. The reluctance of admin to deal with this woman makes me hesitate to complain...how can I be sure that I won't suffer should I make a formal complaint? So, I walk on eggshells around this person, and just do whatever I have to to cover my ass and try to get through the shift. But that is no way to work.

Have any of you had a problem like this? And how did you deal with it?

[morte, LPN, LVN]

document and send to risk management....the problem with this is, of course she will know who complained and if she isnt summarily fired will have it in for you......that said if you can make it a group effort....it might work

[RuRnurse?]

Thanks to all for your responses, it helps to vent.

As for leaving, that is not really a possibility for me. I'm in the state retirement system, and need to keep putting in my hours. However, I will certainly be on the watch in the future. Everything WILL be documented as it occurs, and there will be no private discussions between myself and this person.

The thing that really bugs me is this...I have TRIED to extend a hand of friendship to this woman, she is universally disliked and mistrusted here, and I have tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. People are always making fun of her behind her back, mostly because of her oddball ways. But when you extend your hand to someone, and all they do is spit in your palm again and again, well, you figure it isn't worth the effort or the aggravation anymore.

I will practice CYA, and will watch my back as well. Thanks again to all for your input!

[morte, LPN, LVN]

Thanks to all for your responses, it helps to vent.

As for leaving, that is not really a possibility for me. I'm in the state retirement system, and need to keep putting in my hours. However, I will certainly be on the watch in the future. Everything WILL be documented as it occurs, and there will be no private discussions between myself and this person.

The thing that really bugs me is this...I have TRIED to extend a hand of friendship to this woman, she is universally disliked and mistrusted here, and I have tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. People are always making fun of her behind her back, mostly because of her oddball ways. But when you extend your hand to someone, and all they do is spit in your palm again and again, well, you figure it isn't worth the effort or the aggravation anymore.

I will practice CYA, and will watch my back as well. Thanks again to all for your input!

if you are going to insist on staying, then perhaps the risk management option looks even better, if you are state are you union?....perhaps a private visit with risk management personel would be better than a written complaint?

in the end though, if she costs you your lic, she may also cost you your pension.....something to think about

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

since you mention that you have a union, i have to tell you that a union does nothing without documentation. it is all about whether the contract between the facility and the workers is being honored. that being said, they are all about following the written policies, procedures and rules and this supervisor broke a nursing rule on medication administration that is probably in your policy books.

if this supervisor tries to bully you (as she did in the incident you described above) you must document it by writing it all down. what you did by calling the medical director was absolutely the correct thing to do. you probably followed facility procedures and that is never wrong. unions will always go right to the facility policy and procedure books to back up anyone's claim when a grievance is filed, believe me. what this supervisor did was, deliberate or not, advise you to do something that could have resulted in a medication error and violated facility policy on how to handle a change in medication i am guessing. so, write her up so your director of nursing has the documentation of her wrongdoing. otherwise, the evidence of it will be lost forever. as a supervisor she's supposed to know the company policy and procedures. i know. i was a supervisor for many years.

i have to tell you that i understand your emotional investment. i've worked in a lot of nursing homes where there was a lot of dead wood that needed throwing out. nursing homes tend to collect this kind of debris. however, it is difficult to get rid of these people without the proper documentation. it takes people like you who have been involved in the wrongdoing by them to take the time to sit down and factually list out what these people did so there is a record of it for the administrators. when the documentation is there, the administrators can then do what has to be done--discipline the person, fire them or put pressure on them to quit. when there is a union, people who get their hands slapped think the union can protect them and they are wrong. they will file a grievance and ask for a hearing. if the employee violated company policies, procedures or rules the union will not support them. i have been in meetings of unionized hospitals where that has prevailed.

do not bring up this lady's new age/eastern religious thing. just sit down and document the facts:

• address it to the director of nursing or whoever administrates the nursing department
  
• resident had a new order for a medication that we did not have on hand because it had not been delivered yet
  
• it was not available in our night pharmacy and the supervisor (name her) brought up a similar medication and told me i was to give that
  
• i told her i would need her to put an order in for this substitute. make it clear that she said, i didn't need an order, the med she gave me was, in her words, "the same damned thing", so i should "just give it, and stop giving her a hard time".
  
• state that you went to the facility computerized reference library and looked up the medications. when i showed her in our computerized reference library and that it was not the same thing, she said, "you're just an lpn, you need to do what you're told".
  
• i called our medical director next. (you got an order from him for the replacement dose, right?)
  
• mention her reaction to reporting your call to the medical director.
  
• date and sign
  

if you hear about any other incidents encourage the people to do the same and document them for the don. it may take a week, a month or 6 months. if she is as much of a bully as she sounds she will hang herself by doing something stupid and get herself fired. however, it takes people who are brave enough to report and document her indiscretions so administration knows about them. she is probably doing stuff the cnas could tell you about too. traditionally, cnas are fearful to tattle on people in authority for fear of retaliation. no one can be fired without just cause. even aides.

i want to commend you on doing a fine job in standing your ground. it must have been a difficult situation for you. i'm proud of you. you need to let your don know what happened and not let this supervisor's actions go unnoticed. at the least, the person who manages her needs to address what she did wrong as well as how she talks to the lpn charge nurse staff. there is no excuse for that kind of condescending manner.

[RuRnurse?]

Thank you, daytonite, for your excellent advice! Yes, this woman is a problem, and from what I'm hearing from many other staff members, she is getting worse. I think it is only a matter of time before she runs into real trouble. She has been getting away with some pretty outrageous behavior, especially towards the CNA's, who she obviously has very little respect for. She has also come breathtakingly close to making outright racial remarks about our African-American staff...eventually something is going to come flying out of her mouth that is not going to be ignored. She recently was overheard by several people telling a CNA she needed to "Shut up and listen to me!".

So, I think time is on my side here. But in the meantime, I will be VERY CAREFUL around this one, and be sure to document!

[Moogie]

Yes, this woman is a problem, and from what I'm hearing from many other staff members, she is getting worse. I think it is only a matter of time before she runs into real trouble. She has been getting away with some pretty outrageous behavior, especially towards the CNA's, who she obviously has very little respect for. She has also come breathtakingly close to making outright racial remarks about our African-American staff...eventually something is going to come flying out of her mouth that is not going to be ignored. She recently was overheard by several people telling a CNA she needed to "Shut up and listen to me!".

I think I have worked with her twin! Her triplet! Her octuplet!

My point is---people like this supervisor exist in all sorts of places. Sometimes the powers that be condone the the behavior, creating a toxic environment. It's far more difficult to deal with bullying when it's your supervisor instead of an equal.

I do hope eventually karma bites her in the backside. Sometimes it doesn't, so, although you do have good reasons to stay, watch your back. It would not hurt for you to look discreetly for a different position. If and when she gets to the point at which she's throwing people under the bus (that is, firing them for stupid reasons), you could be on her list. Much easier on your work history if you quit a job than get fired.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

i've seen this happen before. one or two smart cnas are going to report her very quietly to the boss for what she is doing and will get her run out of the place. it is never the people who gossip about this kind of person that get anything done about her. it is always the silent ones who quietly do something behind her back and keep their mouths shut about what they are doing. it takes time and persistence. unless the supervisor's boss is willing to protect her, the boss has got to have documentation of what is going on. the documentation is always confidential unless people shoot their mouths off about writing her up. this incident is a perfect example of her not following a medication policy that shouldn't be ignored. given enough rope she will hang herself with other things as well. someone needs to tell her boss about her condescending speech to the staff even if they anonymously write notes about it and stick them under the dons office door.

[zuzi]

When a confict beetwen two parts appear is a problem with BOTH PARTS! I had a lot of supervisors till now... and I could be agree with you... some could be weird also, but always them weirdness came from your reaction at events implied also. Now after couple of years... to my WEIRDO one, I have just to say him A BIG THANKS. Without his weird lessons about nursing life... I never understand why nurses act like that here. IF she is a weirdo for you... you need to going back to your actions and analyze yourself and see where you loosed the control of your nursing actions or communication style. Why she DARES to talk with you in this way! Is not nice at all! She did that with anyone or you are the only one?

Back to my old suprevisors the most that I could tell you is that he was smart, sneaky tricky, knowing more or less his job like nurse (lol) but knowing well the supervising one and at that time I was to prove him how beuatifull new nurse I am, taking MY OWN decision.... was my fault!

People and places have THEM OWN RULES! Even if you really belive that your nursing thinking and decision is the best...the rule is ANOTHER ONE!You need to respect them or you are out! Is hard to tell you that but is THE RULE! At that time I choosed to go out! "Too smart" I belived, lol too independent, too up to front.... REAL LIFE is not like that and never will be.... Could you do it that here...in real life ....is a big no no!

If you start a confict with her... go out from there.. is not your place! You could report her is good to know that you did it is a "peace with your own soul" ... later you will see the TRUTH in another way..

Till then, my advice...is not any advice in this weird cases....the truth will became to you in time, give yourself time! Changes start with your self...and with your Karma of course...lol... I am your supervisor? He, he, he... NOT at all, I hope that never, lol ... just an RN, trying to understand thinks in a nice peacefull style...

A kiss an hug to my last weirdo one I love him now for all he helped me so much to decide my self of coure than in a hard way! A big hug to you to be able to pass by all of these!