Working with a tyrant

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Hi all....

I've been a nurse now for about 5 years, and have worked in a few different NICU units, only to find that each is full of back-biting gals that love to find a hot topic to talk about. I work with one in particular, who is a more senior nurse and seems to intimidate those she works with as well as the nurse managers. She has a personal (not sexual) relationship with one of the attending physicians, and everyone seems scared of her. She is extremely two-faced, and constantly has her nose into everything that goes on in the unit, including other people's personal business. Needless to say, she is quite aggressive at times, and acts as though she can do no wrong. I am a pretty assertive, outgoing person myself, but do not have near the seniority that she does. I am extremely frustrated with her behavior (as mentioned above), but know that "rocking" her boat will only make matters worse for me. She has been known to make life a living he** for those who go against her, yet she is constantly talking down about someone. Any suggestions?

Thanks for listening.

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I would just stay clear of her. You can not contro how others act only yourself. I doubt you or anyone else could change this person in anyway...some people are just plain difficult.

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Ditto what Kitty said. Sounds like the place I work! You will find gossiping, elitist, back stabbing rude people anywhere. They are in retail, DMV, post office, etc. Just steer clear of her at all possible. Or you can do as one of my coworkers did and ask what she has stuck up her orfice today.

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I am a pct (nurse assistant) and I have a similar problem w/ a secretary. I have tried my best to be polite but she is always trying to take anything I say out of context as if I am talking bad about her. I try to say hello whenever I see her and smile but all I get is her nose turned up for my efforts. I'm afraid I have made things worse because I could not hold my tongue the last time she was vocally rude to me and I told her I didn't want to hear her crap anymore (with a smile on my face and bobbing my head like she does when she talks to me and waving my finger at her just as she does to me) and was told we should calm down by a supervising nurse. I just said that was all I could handle today and left. Nothing more I could do to make it worse I guess.

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Thanks for your responses....I do try to steer clear of her, but it can be very hard to do so. She finds a way to get involved in everything, even personal and private issues! I just don't see how someone so passive-agressive and manipulative can gain so much power, to intimidate other people and try to get others in trouble! She runs to the nurse managers and insists specific people be "written up." This in turn causes damage to these people's reputation, which is tragic. She is one of those people who is overly nuturing and nice to your face when you are new, etc (she loves the preceptor/mentor role), then sets out to destroy you once you are able to stand on your own two feet. She has even gone as far as to prevent one of our staff nurses who got her NNP from being able to secure an NNP position at our institution!

Guess her life is so miserable that she is an overall miserable person!

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I work with someone similar to your tyrant. She is very self centered. She talks about herself all the time and it shocks me that people actually sit and listen to her. This girl is also very negative, she is never happy with anything and lets everyone know what is bugging her. The fate worse than death is being near her when she has an assignment she doesn't like. She has actually refused to care for certain patients and the charge nurses will switch her assignment, I am guessing so the they don't have to listen to her complain. She doesn't like chronic kids, high maintenance parents, neuro kids, or gastroschisis babies. I guess the rest of us are working there just to make her life easier. It is really frustrating, I can't figure out why people like this get what they want and those of us who take the assignments we're given without complaining end up with the harder to care for kids.

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Specializes in NICU.

I can't imagine having to put up with stuff like that, what a terrible working environment. I'm shocked at how many of you work with people like that and in facilities that accept such behavior.

Makes me feel lucky to be working where I do!

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Hello all,

I think all units have one of these personalities. I am a tech on a Cardiac floor and their is a "senior" nurse who also works as a Charge nurse. She is in charge on the weekends I work. I actually dread working with her even though she is a fantastic nurse. She is condescending and rude. One time I was taking vitals with the dynomap and it registered the patients heart rate at 180. I knew this couldn't be correct because she wasn't in any distress. I then took her pulse manually but had a hard time finding the pulse because she had a lot of excess weight. I then went out to the monitors to check the patients heart rate and it was 82. The charge nurse gave me the third degree asking me all types of questions like I was the nurse. It was not the questions she asked it was how she asked them.

I reported to her that her patient's O2 sat was 88% with respirations of 24 and she nearly jumped down my throat and growled to hook her up to 2 Liters of oxygen. Instead of thanking me for bringing this to her attention immediately I got attacked.

She is quick to find flaws in others and always shakes her head back and forth in a fashion that makes you feel like an idiot.

She is this way with everyone but she does it with some more than others. I try to stay away from her and only communicate with her when I absolutely have to. She must be a miserable person when not working aslo. I think I would look into getting out of floor nursing if i was this miserable.

Just my 2 cents

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Specializes in TELEMETRY/CARDIAC.

I have the same problem with a certain unit secretary. I am in nursing school and she told my instructor that my husband called (faked the whole thing) to try to get me in trouble for having to leave early... I have never done anything to this girl, but she hates me!!!!!!! My instructor said to steer clear of her. Denise, i bet she is jealous of you. That's what I think this one is....

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