You won't believe this.....HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!

[epsilonprodigy]

As far as nurses, and in this case, techs, eating their young, I think I have now seen it all.

Yesterday I was unfortunate enough to lac my hand. I went ahead and called the ER I work at and asked if they could hook me up with some sutures. The charge nurse agreed and told me to come on in.

While I was there, one of the new grads was working. This girl is so sweet and very shy with a high anxiety level. She gets pushed around all the time, and I've seen her crying more than once (mostly it's the ancillary staff!) Anyway, the techs saw me and decided to play a really mean trick on this girl. One came into my room and said, "hey, can we hook you up to the monitor for a sec.. we want to show the new grads what sinus brady with a U-wave looks like." (I'm a runner.) So I said sure. I was super tired, so I was just sitting there with my head propped against the wall in the chair with my eyes closed. A few minutes later, this scared new nurse runs into my room, looks at the monitor, cries out and yells for her preceptor. She runs over to me and puts her stethoscope on me, practically crying. I'm pretty awake at this point and ask her what on earth is wrong and what she's doing. More crying.

Turns out the tech decided it would be funny to tell her that he found me "bradying with an abnormal wave" and "wasn't sure but she should come check it out" knowing full well that a) that's totally WNL for me and b) she wouldn't know the difference between a bradying old guy who's about to croak and me. Finally the techs came clean and were practically on the floor laughing. They're like "oh come on, can't you take a little joke..."

I told them that if I saw them picking on her again, I would write them up and show them more than just my u-wave

[prmenrs, RN]

Wow! If this poor thing leaves the profession, we'll know why. Thanks for standing up for her. (maybe you can help her play a joke on them someday!!)

[gonzo1, ASN, RN]

Thanks for taking up for her. Tell her to hang in there. This kind of stuff was done to me all the time when I was new. I quit the first place and have now been at my second place 4 years. They did it here too at first but I decided I was not going to be run off again. If they didn't like me they could just fire me.

Well, one of them got fired herself and I am still there. Tell her to hang in there.

[nuangel1, BSN, RN]

thakyou for standing up for her .that was nasty on their part .won't be a surprise if she leaves. i would acually speak with the nurse manager privately.i would just say for fyi this is what i saw them doand say .etc and leave it at that .then its up t the nurse manager from there .who knows they prob.done this to her before maybe they are being watched already.never know

[Keepstanding, ASN, RN]

Poor girl !! I think if it was a seasoned nurse with a sense of humor, I might be able to see the humor in it. But the new kid on the block......it wasn't too nice..

[RN1982]

I only encountered that in my first job after I graduated. I wouldn't put up with it anywhere else. I'm pretty vocal, strong minded and I speak my mind. And I'm not afraid to confront someone giving me a hard time. You did the write thing but I think you should have sealed the deal and wrote them up. Even better, maybe talked to the manager.

[rn-jane]

I was really appalled how this girl is being treated. Where is her preceptor during this time? We wonder why new grads usually leave their first job within a year. I really think you should report this.This is not funny! This is not only cruel but dangerous. How do they know the next time she might come in with atropine or the crash cart and hit you with the paddles. I really feel bad for her and this has to stop, not a good learning environment and this is being done by techs. They need written up, next time you won't be there to help her out.

[RN1982]

Epi, just report it now before you forget. I agree with the above poster. Talk to the ER manager as soon as you can. I would write an incident report also.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Definitely report the inappropriate behavior now. If you ignore it, it will continue. Please follow-up on it to protect that poor orientee and all the future orientees those techs will torture.

Be part of the solution. Please don't tolerate the bad bahavior. Tolerance only encourages it.

[RN007]

With colleagues like that, who needs enemies? It's hard enough for a new grad w/o being the butt of a cruel joke. I graduated a year ago and have been so fortunate to work with good people, for the most part. These people acted very unprofessionally. I hope they're given an opportunity to learn a lesson.

[Batman24]

It was nice of you to stick up for her. I'm sure that made her feel so much better. I would now report it. This is harassment.

[ukstudent]

I have always thought and still do that practical jokes are just another form of bullying. More subtle than physically hitting some one but can be just as devastating and has nothing to do with having a sense of humor.