New Nurse and so Frustrated!

1 So I have been a nurse less then a year (having started last June) in a general med/surg float pool (in which we go to pediatrics as well). So I'm on this peds unit (which I go to often) and I always seem to have to work with this charge nurse who is lazy, unhelpful, and condescending. I try not to ask her for anything, but sometimes it's her job to help with my situation or question. So the other day I am discharging an INFANT on a meth/ativan wean and have never done this before. I know about all the teaching and all that, but apparently there is a step by step procedure to discharging these patients of which I did not know it all from start to finish. So to make a long story short - putting the "pieces together" of actually discharging this pt properly was like pulling teeth to get the info out of this charge nurse. Everytime I would try to clarify something, she would look at me like I'm bothering her and like I am stupid. So back and forth I go betw the nurse station and pt trying to get the whole picture of what we're doing here. Finally another nurse asked me how it was going and I just unloaded on her and she explained the process step by step and helped me find what I needed etc (God love her heart). Because I had to just walk away from the nurse station and say... "this patient WILL NOT get d/c'd until SOMEONE helps me get this together correctly. Why do some nurses act this way???? Do they not understand that as a new nurse (and in a float pool) that we don't know EVERYTHING and need a little help???? I mean we're talking a baby on a meth wean for God Sakes! Can you not take a moment to help me out here? Arrrggghhh
not all nurses are like that. She may feel threatened by you. Our Code of Conduct prohibits this behavior and some people have been fired for breach of the Code, simply because bad behavior is contagious and reduces productivity. Talk to your supervisor.

Hi sorry to hear that..just read your post and i can feel you.. its just too bad that some people act that way..I mean you can understand if some patients does those kind of things..like if they get condescending whatsoever, but if it's a colleague Oh God arent they suppose to know first hand how it is to be a novice? though i'm not a nurse in Canada..we will be migrating there soon though , im an RN here at our country and yes people like that seems to be widely distributed all over the area.. they seem to love seeing you do it the hard way.. it gets you all frustrated and annoyed .. but i guess we'll just have to look at the greater picture , and think that you are not there for them and you are there for a dream , for a greater purpose .. and if it makes things better .. lots of nurses right now are of the same place as yours.. i hope everything would get a little better through time.. best of luck to you!

i have been there. the best policy i have found is to find the most knowledgeable and helpful person on the floor and start going to them with your questions-in my opinion that has not always been the charge nurse. pretty soon, you will be able to have a group of people on each floor that you can go to. because you are pool, it has made it more difficult and is taking a lot more time but it will get there. i think all of us have had these people in our work lives and it makes it really difficult-i’m sorry.

I agree. Talk to supervisor. It is charge nurses responsibility to help and she didn't. Maybe she just had an off day or maybe it is her norm.

Unfortunately, one of the things that a new nurse needs to learn is which of the more experienced nurses are willing and able to answer your questions. Ideally it should be ALL of them, but it's not. So, you've now established that this particular charge nurse is in the "NOT" category, and the other nurse who jumped in and helped you is in the "able and willing" category. What I did as a new nurse was to start out asking questions of everyone, but to then keep in mind who was willing and who gave me a hard time, and to go back to the willing ones -- I tried to rotate questions among the willing nurses, so as not to overburden any particular one.Also, at the hospital where I worked, many of the policies, procedures, and protocols were available online, so that was another source of information.

your just a new nurse and fire of being a nurse just heated up, in years time,, you may be like your co-staff especially when you get the raise or your loan was not approved.lol

Maybe this charge nurse is not a teacher. Not all of us are. She obviously doesn't recognize that you needed instructing and that she should do it. Unfortunately, sometimes they put people in charge positions because they have "done their time" not because it is a well-suited position. It's a shame. I'm sorry this happened to you, and maybe next time you have to float to this area you will know better who is good at teaching and who is not.

I've worked with quite a few lazy charge nurses. Would like to hunt them down and kick them in the butt when I retire.Go up your chain of command and report her behavior. There is no reason for her to act this way. The hospital needs to realize that they would be better off without her!