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Discussion

Your peer is suffering

When working with your peers, you have to be more vigilant about some of the behaviors that are worrisome not only from a patient safety perspective but also from a personal perspective. Bipolar, depression, OCD, sociopathic, dementia, drug addiction and egotistical behaviors are less often recognized among peers as they relate more to the patients, and not to a nurse. However, they are real issues and require proper solution. In some cases, you can see the writings on the wall, yet you do not take any action for a variety of reasons. This is a dangerous position of yours as you are not helping someone who is desperately crying out for some sort of assistance.

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    • Experts

    And...?

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    I don't understand. What is the point of this?

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    Maybe a riff on "where's the compassion"?

    It reads like a plea to cut each other some slack, knowing that co-workers might be carrying more burdens than "just" oversized workloads with undersized admin. support.

    Personally, I'm perfectly willing to do that if it helps a colleague get through a bad day. BUT, the workplace is NOT a therapy group. There has to be a limit set and responsibility taken for one's own welfare and ability to do the job for which one is being paid.

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    RNEducator some background to your post would make it easier to understand. Are you saying nurses are ignoring colleagues who are impaired?

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    • Author

    Yes, most definitely and I agree, the "slack," that you mentioned about is one of the prevailing factors in a dynamic work environment. One of my colleagues suffered from bipolar disorder for years in critical care units. During the maniac phase, you can't find a perfect genie like her in the unit and she will even climb up the wall if she had too, and on the blue side, you tell her anything and she will cry in isolation, remains withdrawn pretty much all day, not talking to anyone. She is off the critical care unit now, and we had to convince her to get the needed help. In another scenario, a colleague with 25 years of service, keeping getting written up for thing s that she couldn't do or forgot. She was suffering from progressive dementia. So my point here is to heighten the awareness and if you can, please be resourceful.

    Very well.

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    • Experts

    I'm not sure if that was a typo, RNEducator, but it's "manic," not "maniac."

    Employers are required to make reasonable accommodations for employees with qualifying disabilities. If co-workers are continually having to pick up slack for an employee who cannot meet the requirements of the job, and if the employee's disability has the potential to put the patient at risk, then that's asking for more than reasonable accommodations.

    It's sad to say, but sometimes we have to lose a cherished co-worker in order maintain a safe environment for our patients.

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    • Author

    My apologies, it was a typo.

    Yes, her transfer to a less stressful unit/dept., was a part of the reasonable accommodation.

    The irony is that no one seems to recognize these things until the milk is out of the jar.

    Great post.

    Thank you

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    I'm a psych nurse and even though I have my opinions about certain people I'm not qualified to diagnose, much less suggest any kind of treatment. The humane thing to do is to offer assistance to a struggling co-worker if possible, but only in the vaguest of terms. "You don't seem yourself lately. Would you like to talk?" But don't offer if you don't mean it. That's worse than ignoring people who are in pain. If you're really concerned, take it to management.

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