Young Eating Unit Secretaries

Nurses General Nursing

Published

At my current assignment I've noticed that both the unit secretaries are territorial, bossy, cranky, and often very testy when someone asks where something is. I was talking to a gal who just went to days, and she was commenting on how mean the unit secretary is. I responded that I think many, if not most unit secretaries are like that, that she shouldn't take it personally.

What do you think, do they learn this in unit secretary school?:clown:

I've worked with some very nasty, gossipy office people.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

The unit I'm working on now has a fabulous crew of unit secretaries.:yeah: They're young (around my age), but they do their job well and are (99% of the time) extremely pleasant to be around...very helpful to students, nurses, and family members. I did a clinical in a psych unit in a different hospital, however, and the unit secretary was awful. The nurses tip-toed around her, and our clinical instructor told us to avoid her at all costs. A unit secretary wielding that much power? Give me a break. I know everyone has bad days, but this woman had a storm cloud over her head. Of course, management wouldn't do a darn thing. Ah well, at least I'm outta there.:p

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I personally think that the hospital should crack down on that.

Whether it's a unit secretary or front end staff at a physician's office...these people are the #1 reason why I change physicians. I'll never forget calling one once to cancel an appointment and her getting really snippy with me that she "didn't have time" to take down just my name to cancel my appointment. I told her that I wasn't going to call back and she said, "If you don't call back this afternoon, we are not going to cancel your appointment and you'll be charged for it." I said, "Do whatever you want and I'll take it up with the physician."

I got her name, I got the bill and I sent that plus a letter to the doctor's HOUSE (not her office). Needless to say, that secretary was no longer working there.

I would like to say these are isolated incidents, but they are not.

We have two US's on our floor...one, is an idiot. She is 27 and acts like she is 14...and has a major attitude problem. Calls herself the "pink princess", even brought a stupid crown one day to wear on her head during a shift...very, very unprofessional and childish.

The other one is only 19 years old, and I don't know what we would do without her. She is the nicest person you'll ever meet and works very, very hard every day to learn her job better...she is also a single mother and NEEDS her job....and has only been in it for about 8 months, but knows WAY more than the other one.

.

Most of our secretaries over my working life have been good to great. Totally valuable. A couple have been crabby, a couple have been too much on the phone or out smoking.

I work with an aide who very childish. She acts like she's in high school. I am planning to leave because of her. I just can't take it any more.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Ours, for the most part, are pretty miserable people too. Our HUCs do very little. Basically they answer phones and relay messages and give us our orders. They are also the gatekeepers for families (ICU) and try to tell ME when families can come back. If its 8:59 and I tell them that family can come back to see their loved one, I get snapped at because 9:00 is when visiting hours start! We have many people who are often doing very badly and become unstable and the family may only have hours left to be with their family member and these people wanna give me crap! Also if I get a new admission and I work with the pt for the first 3 hours DURING visiting hours and it becomes 'quiet time' then they give me crap for wanting to let the family visit for a few minutes since they waited 3 HOURS! Sometimes they will flat out just tell me no, even when I give my rationale so I end up doing it myself. Families comment on how nasty they are when they call for an update or when they page people over the intercom system. Many have yelled at me IN FRONT of families. I've told management but it really doesnt do a dang thing. They are usually just surfing the net or making personal phone calls. Many times they are on THEIR phones and just let the work phone ring off the hook. When HUCs call off and we dont have one we really dont notice because we do most of this work ourselves anyway. We do have this one guy who is absolutely wonderful though and its a breath of fresh air when hes working!!! Most of em though make me want to :banghead:

I hope you will band together and get rid of these evil beings. They should not be working around people or any living creature. Go up your chain of command until you get results.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Ours are very nice and very helpful. In nursing school I witnessed a real winner. I couldn't believe how rude she was not just to the students but to the medical staff and patient's families. She literally sighed in everyone's face with every single question. According to the nurses they complained and knew many patients did as well but she still kept her job. It was absurd.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I suffered through Unit Secretary H e l l at my last job. Two tyrants that truly believed they ran the place.

I now am at a new job and the HIGHLIGHT of this new position are the two unit secretaries. They have gone out of their way to help me and are professional at all times. They also show the same respect to EVERY patient and employee that they have shown to me. It is awesome to have these team players around!

Why is bad behavior rewarded with a long career at some facilities?:angryfire

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Good question, Barbyann -- why they are rewarded is anyone's guess.

I remember the first unit sec I dealt with as a new grad in a nasty ICU environment. She'd yell "Don't touch that chart!" if I, the newbie, tried to get to the chart before she did ... old witch. :sniff:

Now, if a secretary did that to me now -- I'd remind her that it is ME who is taking care of that patient, ME who has final say over that chart (other than the doc) and I will take it when and if I want to take it!!

That said and over with, I really feel warmly towards the unit secs we have now. One gets a little testy when overwhelmed, but always keeps a smile. Most are great -- but they also burn out fast. All I expect is that they keep the forms stocked ...I got VERY sidetracked looking for forms the other day and was getting deep into the weeds and in trouble because I'd not gotten to some other things I should have. Just do your job -- I'll do mine.

But I love our unit secretaries -- one younger one is just a cutie and I love her. I always hate it when they're not on the schedule and we have to rely on our cranky nurses to do the job for the night.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peds, OB-GYN, CCU, ER, Corrections.

I love both of our unit secretaries, even though one of them has more conspiracy theories than J. Edgar Hoover. Poor old gal always thinks everybodys out to screw her over. But I digress..due to the fact I'm in an RN program and EXTREMELY POOR, I work any extra shift they'll give me...as a nurse, an aide, or a unit secretary. One shift in CCU as a unit

secretary and they nearly had to put ME on suicide/homicide precautions. That is a tough job. The doctors are all breathing down your neck with a kagazaillion orders and wanting fresh order sheets and stickers, the phones ring all day long, the call light NEVER stops, and twelve people talk to you at once. All that for minimum wage or a teensy bit more. I'm about to have a nervous breakdown just thinking about it again!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU.

I am a new grad in a very large (80 bed) NICU that usually has 3-4 Unit Clerks on per shift (one front desk and 3 others). Our clerks are so smart and several of them have been there for 20+ years. They can be a little cranky, but I totally understand. The last couple of months before I graduated I filled in as a clerk a lot when one was out on maternity leave. I HAD NO IDEA HOW STRESSFUL THAT JOB WAS!!! We recently got a new clerk that is sooo quiet and sweet. Everyone is taking bets on how long it takes for her to get crabby.

God Bless Unit Clerks! We couldn't survive without you!

Bobbi

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, ER, Peds ER-CPEN.

Now, if a secretary did that to me now -- I'd remind her that it is ME who is taking care of that patient, ME who has final say over that chart (other than the doc) and I will take it when and if I want to take it!!

You might want to rephrase a bit kinder because the last nurse that yelled at me (literally) like that when I asked her to let me scan an order before she took off to parts unknown with the chart,got a bit of lesson in how things "magically" happen on this unit, her patient did not recieve several medications on time, nor were the cardiac enzymes completed correctly, not to mention the change in the dose of BP meds, sometimes the unit secretary HAS to go through the new orders before the nurse, how else did you think the meds got sent up from pharmacy? entered into your pyxis/diabold/whatever machine you might have? or how did lab know when to draw certain test or CT come for your PE patient? Or how about the myriad of consults that are often needed for a complicated patient? I am also a graduate nurse so yes I have the faintest of a clue how hard your job is, but to be honest there is no way in HELL I would be a fulltime day unit clerk, your responsible for X number of patients, when it comes to orders I'm in charge of all 23 and it's a bit daunting at times when the nurse comes off at me with the "I'm the nurse I'll do what I want when I want" attitude and it disrupts not only my job, but the patient's care
Up Vote Up Vote ×

All too often, abuse begets abuse.

I've read threads where nurses are disrespected by Doctors. I've read in this thread that nurses scold clerks. I've read how patients scold nurses.

Ironically, it would seem that we are broken people caring for vulnerable patients.

I think that it is important for us to remember to not let mistreatment of ourselves become an excuse if we mistreat patients.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Mixed Level-1 ICU.

Know your job...

do your job...

expect the same of others.

But, we all fail sometimes...

so, be circumspect.

Still, never allow disrespect to go unanswered.

If thoughtful complaints always fall on apathetic ears, plan your exit.

Stay too long and most will be unaware as their self respect fades into the shadows.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment