One of the nurses I used to work with came back to our unit. Last fall, she had left for a doctor's group in another part of town, and I guess she realized what a great place to work our unit is, and she decided to come back.
This particular nurse is not my best friend. We have very different styles of working and interacting, and we clash. She has had a tough life, I have had a charmed life (sort of). One time, before she'd moved on, she said something to me that cut me to the bone. Something (that wasn't technically my responsibility, anyway) didn't get done, and she assumed I was a lazy-ass selfish nurse. She let me know what she thought about that.
I am the least lazy ass nurse around and it really gets me when others assume I'm not diligent and conscientious. However, I am not perfect, and the event that did happen was unfortunate.
It wasn't life-threatening, by the way.
But her assumption that I was purposely and actively ignoring a patient's call light!!! Oh, for God's sake.
Anyway.
She has come back to work. She was gone in the period of time that the hospital transitioned to computer charting. Therefore, I am her "preceptor" for the charting aspect of our job. I know she knows the nursing tasks she needs to do. I am there to help her chart it properly in the new system. I was asked to do this because I like the electronic charting system and I know it very well.
Unfortunately I have difficulty communicating with her - I am telling her to do things but it's not because she doesn't know how to do them, or that she needs to do them. She knows that-- I know she knows that. I am telling her to chart them in the new system so she knows how to document it in the new paradigm.
She hears me criticizing her nursing skills. She has informed me that she's been a nurse for a long time and she knows how to do her job.
Sigh.
When I was asked to precept her I hesitated for this very reason. I think I shocked the nurse educator on the unit when I said this, after all, Lauren (me) doesn't dislike anyone!!
What I told the educator was that we have very different styles and I felt awkward trying to precept someone who was much more experienced than me, both in our hospital and in cardiac nursing. The educator assured me that I'd be an adviser to this nurse, not a preceptor, just to help ease the transition for one week. Since I also recognized I probably was the best person for this job, I reluctantly agreed.
Here is my philosophy on this situation: I am a professional, and my dislike for any individual should not get in the way of my professional duties and obligations. My strategy is to find ways to deal with it. I generally keep quiet about personal issues unless I cannot overcome them - which is rare. When she left, I felt bad for the unit losing an experienced nurse, but personally, I didn't mind too much. When it was announced she was coming back, I thought it was great for the unit, but personally, I was not as elated. Nevertheless, I had worked with her successfully (mostly) for a year before, I could do it again.
I didn't expect to be so involved in her work, though.
It's only a week. It's only a week.
We have had some communication difficulties the first day, which was yesterday. Fortunately we resolved them to some degree.
I'm really glad it's only a week, though. It totally stressed me out. I came home and ate too much and had some wine. I couldn't sleep well last night. It will pass, though.
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