Am I being too sensitive?

I've been working nights on a busy Ortho floor for about month now. With a little over a month to go on orientation, I'm still trying to learn all the ropes, names of equipment, names of doctors etc. On our floor we give taped reports. Last night, I had a terrible, stressful night and while taping my report this morning I accidently mispronounced one of the names of the equipment. After day shift finished listening to report, a day shift tech came up to me and very loudly (and rudely IMO) , in front of everyone said "It's pronounced so-so. And by the way last week you said Dr. So and so's name wrong during report. It's pronounced Dr.??? I'm telling you so people can stop laughing at you in report." I felt kind of embarassed 1. because she just randomly confronted me in front everyone and 2. the fact that people were laughing at me because I accidently mispronounced a word/name. I know I'm still very new and by all means if I'm doing something wrong I want someone to tell me, but I guess I'm upset with how it was handled. I would've been ok, if she had pulled me to the side and told me or better yet if one of the day shift nurses would have told me instead of laughing behind my back. Am I being too sensitive about this? Should I say something about it?

BTW: Sorry for any typos....still haven't slept yet. lol
I think she may be blowing smoke....up your you know what. I have a hard time believing a bunch of grown adults would repeatedly make fun over a new nurse mispronunciation of a docs name. Maybe a giggle... one time. Don't let her get to you, look her square in the eye, smile sweetly, and say thank you.OH I just reread your post (I haven't been to bed yet either). A tech told you this? She's just ruffling your feathers. I still mispronounce things especially when tired and if someone corrects me I just laugh at myselfI know it's hard being new but don't let the vultures get to you! Smile and shrug it off.

Quote from TittytatRN...look her square in the eye, smile sweetly, and say thank you.

Are you a new nurse, or just new to this floor?If you are a new nurse, then understand that new nurses are going to be a bit over-sensitive for a while. Allow yourself this for the first year or so. It takes a while to build up a shield of confidence.If you are an experienced nurse working in a new place, then don't say anything about it.

Look her square in the eyes and with a smile and in a sing-song voice say, "Thank you, Regina" (that is if her name is not Regina) and then laugh it off with her.

Don't worry about it. I know that's easier said than done though... I've been a nurse for about a year now and have learned that nurses can be mean, sometimes. I too am trying to learn not to be so sensitive, but I think that it's something that will come with more experience. It'll happen eventually. In the meantime, don't beat yourself up over things. Just be nice to everyone (those who are nice to you & those who aren't... making enemies early on isn't good), remind yourself that everyone makes mistakes, and be glad that the mistakes you made were so small.

That would just make me start mispronouncing things in her presence all the more....but I'm a jerk like that.

Unfortunately there is always going to be someone who likes to inflate their ego by demeaning others in public. Not that you shouldn't let it bother you because then you would be insensitive like her, but just take pride in yourself knowing you would never treat anyone that way. I have made some blunders and have found it helps to laugh them off (and never repeat them)! Gravitate toward the more compassionate coworkers, they will be a source of comfort and support.

Take her to the side, thank her for the info, and remind her that it is professional to take people to the side and privately tell them things like this. Then let it go.

Quote from n87934Look her square in the eyes and with a smile and in a sing-song voice say, "Thank you, Regina" (that is if her name is not Regina) and then laugh it off with her.

Her correction doesn't have to be a slur against your character--unless you let it.Of course, you're sensitive now because you don't yet feel secure in this new environment. Once you feel like you belong, you'll be able to separate the wheat (the good information) from the chaff (the not-so-great approach). Then you can have the presence of mind to think of a snappy (not snippy) comeback. "Thanks, but if I stop butchering these words, what will the day shift do for entertainment?" A line like this delivered with a silly smile can defuse the situation and leave you looking serene and unruffled.

Quote from rn/writerHer correction doesn't have to be a slur against your character--unless you let it.Of course, you're sensitive now because you don't yet feel secure in this new environment. Once you feel like you belong, you'll be able to separate the wheat (the good information) from the chaff (the not-so-great approach). Then you can have the presence of mind to think of a snappy (not snippy) comeback. "Thanks, but if I stop butchering these words, what will the day shift do for entertainment?" A line like this delivered with a silly smile can defuse the situation and leave you looking serene and unruffled.

As always, rn/writer has hit the nail on the head - Remember this one thing:If you laugh at yourself, they have nothing to laugh at. It does diffuse the situation! When I graduated nursing school, I also went to work on a busy Ortho unit with a taped report. There are so many different doctors it is IMPOSSIBLE to know how to say all of their names! When I transferred to labor and delivery at my current facility, I came from a very large hospital with an IV team and techs who did our foleys. This hospital has neither. Pregnant women's vaginas are much different than the 90 year old grandmothers I have had to cath before. I had a hard time at first and one LPN loved pointing out how incompetent I was. "Yeah. She says she's been a nurse for three years but she can't even put in a foley right or do an IV!" It made me want to cry. It made me even more nervous when I had to do it in front of her because I KNEW she was going to tell everyone who incompetent I was.I thought of some "comebacks" and kept them stored. The next time I had to start an IV I joked "are you guys sure you want me to start one on this girl. She seems awfully sweet. Don't you have an old grouch I can stick 4 or 5 times before I get it?"Tom and Jerry cartoons were playing in the waiting room. Tom was shot and when he drank water, it came out of his sides like a sprinkler. I laughed "Hey there is one of my IV victims!" They couldn't make fun of me any better than I could do it myself. Bullies still exist. And they feed off insecurity. If they see it gets to you, it becomes a game for them. Laugh at yourself and it takes the power away from them.And I have found that techs are often the worst to new nurses. When I worked ortho, we had an ortho tech and another tech who treated me like a turd at first. One of them threw a pair of TED hose at me in a patient's room and said "You need to put these on him" and walked out. That was the last straw. I finally approached her and asked "Do you have a personal problem with me? Do you feel I disrespect you in front of the patient? No? Then please do not ever disrespect me like that again." Sometimes, they need to see that you'll stand up for yourself before they respect you.~Sherri