Monday, February 16, 2009

Older Nurses Eating Their Young

I get really irritated when I'm in the middle of an insanely busy shift and an older nurse marches right up to me and proceeds to loudly criticize my nursing practice. Case in point – the doc orders routine bloodwork but she draws the INR and G&S. I have the requisitions filled out and ready to be sent for the ordered tests. She double checks the name on the vials with the name on the order sheets and the reqs and hands over the blood to me. I send it to the lab. 10 minutes later, I hear my name being paged just as I have finished preparing some antibiotics in the med room and rush to answer the call. The older nurse has picked up the phone and starts giving me cut eye. I ignore her and proceed to administer antibiotic when she hangs up the phone and loudly proclaims, "You know you young nurses have a lot of gall practicing in emergency. That was the lab saying that they don't have requisitions for the INR and G&S vials. Bloody young'ns so bloody unorganized I'm surprised you haven't killed anyone yet. And here's another thing – clean up yer bloody work station". Ummm... W.T.F.??? I wasn't about the let this one go (because this isn't the first time she has tried to belittle me in front of other staff) so I calmly tell her that the requisitions that needed to be sent were sent and the tests that the doc wanted are pending. The doc never asked for an INR and G&S so I don't see what difference it makes whether the lab has the requisitions or not. She proceeded to give me more stink eye before ranting on about how incompetent I am. I really hope I don't turn into a mean condescending bitch in the later years of my career. Or at least I hope I'm able to hold it in!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow.. that goes a little beyond 'nurses eating their young' and crosses into miserable, nasty nurse/person attacking someone that seems attackable. (i think i made a new word) :) keep your chin up and tell her off the 1st chance you have! as soon as she realizes you won't stand for these attacks.. or better yet, will call her out for her bs, she'll pick on someone else.

Jo said...

That nurse needs to have a little Xanax dropped into her coffee. Or be whacked on the head with something solid. Your choice.

BTW, I linked to you. Reciprocal link not necessary; I just love your stuff.

Michele in Michigan said...

I've worked with the same type of nurses during my career. One of my "favorites" used to say "god-damned new grads" every chance she could.

I'm a firm believer that if you are a miserable YOUNG person, you will be a miserable OLD person. Along those same lines, chances are those miserable OLD nurses were also miserable YOUNG nurses.

In my 27 years of nursing, I have NEVER belittled a colleague. If their practice was questionable (putting a patient at risk), I would find a way to privately (quietly) speak with them about it. As a unit preceptor, that was part of my responsibility.

I have always gone out of my way to make sure fellow nurses (and nursing students) would feel comfortable asking me questions or asking me for help. I remember feeling like SHIT as a nursing student & new grad because of the way some nurses treated me during those times, and I have made a conscious effort to NOT do the same to anyone else.

It's so sad to see others trying to diminish who YOU are so that they can feel better about themselves. There is too much stress in life as it is, to get more of it piled on by some miserable asshole!

Hang in there & continue to be the best nurse you can be! Believe me, there are more of us cheering you on than hoping you'll fail!

Anonymous said...

I have been an RN for 15 years and burnt out. My kids will never have this prof. and get bullied at work.