Working with stipulations

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Hi All, well i was able to find a job within a month and a half of relicensure, but asides from all the issues i already have to deal with I am running into another problem at work. I have narcotic stips for one year this is known by the entire nursing management team including the administrator. I felt really weird and embarassed the first day i was orientating i had to tell the first nurse i was with i couldnt pass narcotics and then and all she said was oh my god are you on tpapn? i just told her no and that was the end of that. Then i had to tell my the nurse i was relieving i couldnt touch narcotics, he was ok he didnt ask me anything else he just said ok. Then i had to tell the medication aide i couldnt count narcotics. And he didnt ask why either. just said ok. Then there is the nurse i work with daily. This nurse i told her from day one i couldnt pass narcotics for one year and if she could help me out with that then i could help her with something everyday. She just said ok...but since the first day i had to work with her alone it was on. The med aide would tell her he was ready to count and she would say to tell me and then i have to tell her that i cant count. then she will get upset. And on Thursday. this past week she wanted me to count the cart again. we were at the nurses station and all the nurses were there. she tells me in front of everyone.."why cant you pass narcotics?' i know i turned red as a tomato because when she asked me that in front of everyone my face turned hot. so i quickly told her that it had nothing to do with diverting meds or anything to do with the meds at work that it was something that happened nine years ago and left it at that. but she continued to get upset everytime she had to deal with the controlled drugs for me. and even then still told the med aide again for me to count. so i dont know how to handle this anymore. i try to continue working with my head up and just do my job taking care of my patients that depend on me.

I have to add that if she already has this idea in her head about what constitutes a good or proper nurse, your explanation isn't likely to produce the desired response. She likely views any use of drugs no matter how long ago or where it was done as an indication of who the person is. It's another case of someone not understanding or caring to understand where another human being is coming from. It sounds like she is the type of nurse who will hold a grudge for having to give another pain medication to the hurting patient with a history of addiction and not think a second thought about the patient with diabetes whose had a limb removed four years ago who takes OxyContin BID. Keep your head up, you're doing amazing

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Just my two cents- kill her with kindness- don't suck up or grovel for her approval, but be kind to her in all situations. It's hard to be cruel to someone who is kind to you and eventually maybe she will lighten up. If no, u will feel better because your not stooping to her level. A favorite comment of mine is "we all have our own demons".

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Goodmorning, and yes I am attempting to be very kind to her. On Tuesday she didn't really ask to much or comment too much about the narcotics and she ended up needing my assistance with an oxygen tank. she had no idea how to even begin to set it up. I helped her do it and taught her how. She was very greatful indeed. I felt so good to be able to help her back with something. On Wednesday she called in and I worked with a different nurse. I don't know if they told her ahead of time I couldnt pass narcotics but she didnt even ask me anything. when she got there she automatically did the count and no questions asked not even once. She had been a nurse since the like 1976. Sweet woman. Helped me out alot. We were really busy that day. I had an admission and admissions at ltc facilities are very time consuming as many of you may know. But regardless she was back yesterday and it was a little better with her. I continue to be nice to her and maybe eventually she will stop asking questions. She did comment last night that i must hardly be making any money with all my restrictions and all. I just said yea that i wasnt hardly making money and walked away.

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Do not, under any circumstances, tell this woman ANYTHING about your past or personal life. Leave it to what it is, work. Discuss only things that are pertinent to this job and leave the past in the past. She's sounds like a real piece of work. Insecure and intimidated. Just raise above it. Ignore her (I know that's easier said than done but you gotta do it). Try not to let it get to you and do the best you can to accommodate her. Be nice. Be cordial. Be professional and keep shining. You got this. You don't want to give her any ammo for rumors or targeting you so whatever you do don't tell her! Please! People like her are conniving and back stabbing.

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Specializes in Main O.R. and CVOR.

find her in a dark alley..... lol! just kidding. I would speak to the DON or whoever is her boss.....

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@ Wenman- how are you?? how's the job going??

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Job is going good I suppose. I don't like it but Im working. I too have run into some jerks but I just move on and keep moving forward. 3 months down and 9 to go. I have been married recently and am 11 weeks pregnant as well. Alot going on these days :-)

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@ Wenman- congrats on all 3: the job, getting married, the baby!! all awesome to hear!!

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Hello everyone...well so far the co worker I work with day and day out has really eased up. The director of nurses and a.d.o.n. were really surprised at how well we were getting along. It all started with me helping her with the oxygen tank that day. Although there are still times that I feel I am singled out the nursing mgt seems to pick and day the smallest things. The other day they came to tell me that I needed to be in the dining room assisting the other nurse and I usually am except for one day , the tranche patient I had needed suctioning desperately and well....I believe that helping someone breathe is priority to help someone eat. And so therefore I spent some time with her making sure her airway was clear and then worked my way to the dining room. Regardless I was callld on that and she did say I know u were suctioning someone but you still need to be in the dining room. I just said OK. And the other incident were labs. Before administering coumadins I checked for any changes or new orders and there was none. I gave the coumadins and later on that evening labs had been sitting on the second floor fax since noon. I had to call the d.o.n. and tell her and she wanted me to write a mmed error. I called the MD on call and she gave an order to cont on same doses band I did. Called the d.o.n. bk and told her. She then said I didn't have to write it. Can you imagine how scared I was and quick to get blamed sometimes I am so uncomfortable and sometimes I am not. It gets stressful

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You are doing wonderfully, keep on keeping on. As you gain more confidence in yourself others will see also. It sounds like things are moving in the right direction. Keep that smile on your face, and yes the auctioning patient took priority, sometimes a situation is just no win. You are still new to the floor so my hope is that they are on you because of that, I know when I first got into nursing and worked at a long term care it felt like the management was always correcting me.

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