work hassles and team spirit

JillR · Sep 6, 2000

Tara,

Some people just like to complain about every little thing. If they can't find something important to complain about, they will find something insignificant.

The IV mistake would have been written up as an incident in my facility too.

A filter for IV Dilantin????? Have no idea what the rationale for this is. We run IV Dilantin as we do any other IV medicaion. Use filters for blood products. Anyone out there know what this is all about?

The thing about not throwing you old IV bag away, I wouldn't have said anything about it to you unless this is happenenig all of the time.

It almost sounds as if this person is looking for you to screw up. We have a couple of night nurses that do this. One wrote up an incident report because there was an extra pill left in the drawer. The RN on had signed it out. The doctor refuesed to sign it because it could have been a pharmacy mistake, maybe they put an extra one in there. Even Pharmacy said that the incident report was unfounded because they could have made a mistake. This nurse insisted that the doctor sign the report. She sits there at her desk at night and check over everyones charting and complains about everthing. I know she sits on her but and does this because I have worked with her when she does this.

The other day my supervisor brought to us another of the night shift complaints that we were not leaving the rooms so that the RN's can get near the beds on nights. Gee, I wonder if we can get to the bedside without any problems, why can't they?????

Finally I told her that this was all getting too petty.

When I started it seemed like people were on me all of the time and sometimes it feels like most of them are petty complaints. If they didn't point out some of the mistakes, would you know they happened? Are you learning from your mistakes? I know it seems like everyone is out to get you but as long as you learn from your mistakes and take corrective actions, I think they will begin to lay off.

You may be experiencing the nurses eating their young syndrome. When they bring complaints to you, ask is this happening alot? Did you ask why a filter was even needed for IV Dilantin? Don't be afraid to ask if you don't understand.

Some people are so insecure in their own little worlds that they have to point out every little thing to make themselves feel superior. Sometimes you have to just consider the source.

The first few months on the floor are terribly frustrating. Sometimes it will seem like you can't trust or please anyone. Just hang in there, learn form you mistakes and don't take every little thing personally.

I wish you much luck and please let us know how you are doing.

Jill

Mary H. · Sep 6, 2000

It is important that problems get documented from the process perspective. Most often when there is a problem, a particular nurse is just there at the time the problem is discovered, but the problem happens because a process breaks down in one or more places. From a quality perspective, you can't track problems with a process to determine where the process is failing without having consistent reporting every time the problem occurs. Your manager or someone should be tracking these process problems to determine where the process is weak, and the information should not be used to blame individuals. It is hard not to be defensive, as we all expect ourselves to be perfect. I know how much I beat myself up over every mistake, no matter how small it is. If certain individuals are using the process to harass individuals, it becomes very clear in the tracking process, then those individuals should be approached by the manager. In many places, night shifts seem to pick up and/or document things they find better . In some places, they are, by policy, responsible for checking everything for the 24 hours, so finding and reporting process problems is inherent in their job responsibilities. If you feel you are having problems with a couple of people, try to approach them quietly in a non-defensive manner and discuss it with them. Some of the older nurses are sometimes intimidated by newer staff, because you bring a fresh perspective, enthusiasm, and engagement into their situation. Try not to get caught up in negativity and don't buy into regressing back into high school behavior.

hollykate · Sep 6, 2000

Hi Tara,

What a bad experience! I think the key lies in the statement, "we have noticed you are missing a lot of things and are not very good".. WHoa- if that person wanted to help you, wouldn't thay have said something like this, "We have noticed you are missing a lot of things-Are you feeling overwhelmed, Or are you having problems with your load, or just about anything but you are not very good-

Now, yes, I would have to write myself up for hanging the wrong IV fluids, but we don't hang dilantin with a filter either- as a Neuro RN, I hang a lot of it and I guess i do remember at some hospital it being policy to have a filter? but you had one. AND, I find empty bags and bags of fluid in the sink in my pts room everyday- thats just picky- like you said, maybe a little sloppy (I am guilty of it myself) but that minibag surely did not jump up and try to smother your pt and destroy his/her health!!! (Maybe you can try "humor?--Gee, I didn't know an empty Minibag was so hazardous to my patient? Stick with it- I know from your other posts that you have a backbone- maybe you are somewhat intimidating to this "him" you speak of? I will be thinking of you, and hoping things start to get a little more normal. Let us know how things are!

saphie · Sep 7, 2000

Thank you to all the replies! I certainly have appericated them! To fill you all in...

The evening staff that I worked with were outraged when they found out what had happened. I was told today after I left 3 of my co-workers that i work with regularly approached him - the nurse that was going on about the dilantin filter - and basically told him to shove it up his .... and gave him lots of grief. On days, the nurse that started the dilantin IV line gave him a few words too! Then our assistant manager talked to him and basically he was wrong. Our pharmacy backed me up 100%. Tonight, he apologized to me in front of the evening staff, which I tried to gracously accept. I was a little disappointed, I found ton of articles to support the filter thing. At our facility we are required to use a 0.22 or 0.45 micron filter somewhere on the IV line, don't matter where as long as its on it. When I asked our manager about the status of the report she said she hadn't talked to him and I told her what he said and that i didn't appericate it. I felt that type of critism didn't make me a better nurse or a better collegue. Which she agreed to. However, since the apology I left a note for her saying that he apologized and I'm okay with that. So I don't know what will happen now. As for the IV bag, I take responsiblity for it, it was my fault, no excuse... - upon thinking about it I know kinda why the mistake happened, the IV fluid was wrong for this pt to be ordered , but whatever it was what was ordered.

To the poster above me, I do have a backbone, I'm not the typical nurse that my school advocates for, the shy take anything doormat... if I think I'm right, I'll fight it. And I'm right, so I feel vindicated. And two, I couldn't believe how many people stood up on my behalf. It gave me a shock, maybe I'm being accepted as a good nurse and co-worker. I certainly hope so.

Tara