Is my coworker incompetent? Please weigh in HEALTHCARE WORKERS!

[mskafka]

And soooooo, I have this coworker. She has actually been in my line of work for 2 more years than I, only she has few years at the company that we work yet....MUCH FEWER than I.

My problems:

1. She doesn't seem interested in getting better at her job.

2. Part of our job includes IV infusions, that one MUST be capable of doing quickly...lest patient could potentially die. It's a big deal.

3. Her last working partner, prior to me, was terminated. Now I have worked with him (the terminated one) a few times, and while he isn't the best medic that we had....he also was not as bad as he was painted. He has actually relayed through a friend of ours for me to "watch my back", as this POS coworker of mine will do what she has to to keep her job.
4. She is constantly writing grievances about coworkers...for what is, in my mind....non-issues.

So why am I writing this? We have a book that has multiple drug calculations, so that all we have to do, is look at the mL dosage. It's idiot-proof. It's so that we don't have to do the calculations (which I've done many times) sitting behind a patient at 3 AM...with a piece of paper, or calculator.

But I had a question about a particular drug, which appeared to me to be off-limits to a pediatric patient. So my coworker, who will do whatever she can to make others look bad, to cover her incompetency (her inability to figure drips on her own) wrote an email to our operations director, who then forwarded it to our shift supervisor.

So I was called and told where to find to dosage calculation grid could be found in the notebook. This BITCH, apparently wrote this email (for an answer that SHE didn't know either) and made me look like the only one who was confused.

This is the same girl who asked how one goes about applying a traction splint on an OPEN femur fracture, during a class. For those of you in healthcare...how do I deal with this?

 

[Gagafritz]

I think you have to be careful about labeling someone as "incompetent'. She might not be your cup of tea but she may be doing her job adequately, or not. I really don't know.
But, in general, when working it is best to focus on what you are doing and your job. If you see her doing something truly unsafe, then you can call your supervisor and discuss it.

 

[PredFan]

I have been a healthcare worker for almost 30 years, working in a large mtropolitan hospital.

Do your job, don't stress out about the other person. You should try to have an open but professional relationship with your immediate supervisor. You should let him or her know about your concerns in a way that is also professional.

If this person is as incompitant as you make him/her out to be, she will be exposed eventually.

Good luck.

 

[MeBelle]

Document, document, document.
Don't ask her any questions.
Peoples lives are at stake.

 

[rightwinger]

The best way to tell if she is incontinent is to see if she wears a diaper

 

[Sunshine]

And soooooo, I have this coworker. She has actually been in my line of work for 2 more years than I, only she has few years at the company that we work yet....MUCH FEWER than I.

My problems:

1. She doesn't seem interested in getting better at her job.

2. Part of our job includes IV infusions, that one MUST be capable of doing quickly...lest patient could potentially die. It's a big deal.

3. Her last working partner, prior to me, was terminated. Now I have worked with him (the terminated one) a few times, and while he isn't the best medic that we had....he also was not as bad as he was painted. He has actually relayed through a friend of ours for me to "watch my back", as this POS coworker of mine will do what she has to to keep her job.
4. She is constantly writing grievances about coworkers...for what is, in my mind....non-issues.

So why am I writing this? We have a book that has multiple drug calculations, so that all we have to do, is look at the mL dosage. It's idiot-proof. It's so that we don't have to do the calculations (which I've done many times) sitting behind a patient at 3 AM...with a piece of paper, or calculator.

But I had a question about a particular drug, which appeared to me to be off-limits to a pediatric patient. So my coworker, who will do whatever she can to make others look bad, to cover her incompetency (her inability to figure drips on her own) wrote an email to our operations director, who then forwarded it to our shift supervisor.

So I was called and told where to find to dosage calculation grid could be found in the notebook. This BITCH, apparently wrote this email (for an answer that SHE didn't know either) and made me look like the only one who was confused.

This is the same girl who asked how one goes about applying a traction splint on an OPEN femur fracture, during a class. For those of you in healthcare...how do I deal with this?

Keep a diary of her behaviors. Get a notebook that has pages that cannot be added or removed and record everything that is amiss. Do this religiously no matter how tired you are. There are people in the town where you live right now who can't get a job because someone did this and showed them for the idiots they are.

I mean, write down not only every mistake, stupid question, or fuck up, but also write down negative behaviors, things she says to you about the boss, the workplace, her coworkers. If she jokes on the job about drugs or alcohol write that down as well. In context or out comments like than can come back and bit you hard on the ass. (I NEVER joke about certain things on the job.) You will have her nailed in less than a month I would guess.

 

[mskafka]

I think you have to be careful about labeling someone as "incompetent'. She might not be your cup of tea but she may be doing her job adequately, or not. I really don't know.
But, in general, when working it is best to focus on what you are doing and your job. If you see her doing something truly unsafe, then you can call your supervisor and discuss it.

No, she's pretty goofy. I finally got the full story. I simply asked her a question about this particular drug, and being the opportunist that she is, she prefaced the email that she sent by saying: "My partner had a patient with X problem, and she didn't treat it because she didn't think that X drug could be used on this patient." Now...this dingbat was not on this call. She made me look like a moron. The truth is, I didn't actually have to use the drug, because the drug was no longer indicated by the time I reached him. But she made it sound like I didn't treat him at a critical moment. She knew this...and she equivocated the point. She didn't lie..she just didn't place all the facts out there.

I have been VERY patient with all the goofy questions that she has asked me, and haven't been to administration...except once. I did tell the supervisor about 1 month into our partnership that I was concerned about her lack of knowledge, about basic things. He asked me at that time, if I felt like something needed to be done, or if I felt like I could handle it on my own. I told him that I would give her a little more time, and see if she could learn to read the protocols (Dr's orders that we are supposed to follow, ALWAYS!). And then she craps on me. It's bad enough that I'm considering recording my conversations with her, so that I can remember all the goofy things that she says and does. Illegal? Probably. But if it saves my license and my reputation...I'm ready to take the chance.

It's not that she isn't my cup of tea. I've trained many people, and have been very patient with them. But it's my belief that she KNOWS that she is incapable of doing this job effectively, and she knows that if she keeps the microscope off herself, then she's in no danger of losing her own job.

Many of my coworkers told me to watch my ass. That will do whatever she has to do to "save her own ass", and that she's "an adequate paramedic at best." I can count on one hand how many times I've hung a coworker out to dry, but I'm about to do it to her.

She needs to work in a more rural area with an EMT, so that she will be responsible for actually treating patients, as she doesn't have to do it now....(many of our firefighters are paramedics)....so she just kind of stands there with that deer in the headlights look, when it comes time to do something that requres headwork.

I've quietly dealt with her dumb questions for months. I'm done with it.

Thanks for listening. I'm a nice person...I really am. But I've had it up to HERE with her.

 

[mskafka]

And soooooo, I have this coworker. She has actually been in my line of work for 2 more years than I, only she has few years at the company that we work yet....MUCH FEWER than I.

My problems:

1. She doesn't seem interested in getting better at her job.

2. Part of our job includes IV infusions, that one MUST be capable of doing quickly...lest patient could potentially die. It's a big deal.

3. Her last working partner, prior to me, was terminated. Now I have worked with him (the terminated one) a few times, and while he isn't the best medic that we had....he also was not as bad as he was painted. He has actually relayed through a friend of ours for me to "watch my back", as this POS coworker of mine will do what she has to to keep her job.
4. She is constantly writing grievances about coworkers...for what is, in my mind....non-issues.

So why am I writing this? We have a book that has multiple drug calculations, so that all we have to do, is look at the mL dosage. It's idiot-proof. It's so that we don't have to do the calculations (which I've done many times) sitting behind a patient at 3 AM...with a piece of paper, or calculator.

But I had a question about a particular drug, which appeared to me to be off-limits to a pediatric patient. So my coworker, who will do whatever she can to make others look bad, to cover her incompetency (her inability to figure drips on her own) wrote an email to our operations director, who then forwarded it to our shift supervisor.

So I was called and told where to find to dosage calculation grid could be found in the notebook. This BITCH, apparently wrote this email (for an answer that SHE didn't know either) and made me look like the only one who was confused.

This is the same girl who asked how one goes about applying a traction splint on an OPEN femur fracture, during a class. For those of you in healthcare...how do I deal with this?

Keep a diary of her behaviors. Get a notebook that has pages that cannot be added or removed and record everything that is amiss. Do this religiously no matter how tired you are. There are people in the town where you live right now who can't get a job because someone did this and showed them for the idiots they are.

I mean, write down not only every mistake, stupid question, or fuck up, but also write down negative behaviors, things she says to you about the boss, the workplace, her coworkers. If she jokes on the job about drugs or alcohol write that down as well. In context or out comments like than can come back and bit you hard on the ass. (I NEVER joke about certain things on the job.) You will have her nailed in less than a month I would guess.

THANK YOU, Sunshine! That's exactly what I plan to do. She is a piece of shit, and I have a feeling that she has been doing something similar to me. It's going to be all business from this point forward. And the next time I see her stupid ass give fentanyl without taking a blood pressure first....it's going in the journal.

It's fine. Treating pain is a federal mandate; but killing them in the process is not going to look good for the svc. It was amazing. This goofy girl had no clue how to mix anti-arrhythmic infusions, and what rate to run them. She has NO business being in this level of healthcare. She is a menace to society. But the traction splint with an open femur fracture....that was what took the cake. The instructor looked at her like, "Is this a joke?".

Yes, pull traction on that open femur fracture. You need a bigger challenge. An amputation, or severing vessels would be more fun anyway. What a moron! This girl has been in EMS for nearly 20 years. HOW, did she pass school? Holy shit!

 

[mskafka]

The best way to tell if she is incontinent is to see if she wears a diaper

Incontinent? Ya, it wouldn't surprise me if she craps herself on calls. She has riding a rig on and off for about 20 years. In my line of work, we often tell "war stories". It amazes me that she has been in for so long, and has NEVER worked a gunshot.

This is so unusual, that is makes me wonder if she is really a paramedic, or she has somehow shystered a license. "There's something rotten in the State of Denmark."

 

[The Professor]

I think you have to be careful about labeling someone as "incompetent'. She might not be your cup of tea but she may be doing her job adequately, or not. I really don't know.
But, in general, when working it is best to focus on what you are doing and your job. If you see her doing something truly unsafe, then you can call your supervisor and discuss it.

It's bad enough that I'm considering recording my conversations with her, so that I can remember all the goofy things that she says and does. Illegal? Probably. But if it saves my license and my reputation...I'm ready to take the chance.

WARNING

DO NOT tape record anyone unless you have checked the laws in your state. In Florida where I live, and in some other states, tape recording a person without his/her consent is a FELONY. Committing a felony can send you to prison and will most likely destroy your career and your reputation.

In Florida a few years ago, a judge approached an attorney and told him that in exchange for a sum of money he would treat his client favorably. The attorney wanted to prove the judge had asked for a bribe, so he came by the next day with the cash and tape recorded the entire transaction. The attorney turned the tape over to the State Attorney for criminal prosecution. Can you guess what happened? The tape recording couldn't be used against the judge because it was illegally obtained. Nothing happened to the judge, but the attorney who recorded his conversation was convicted and sent to jail. Don't let this happen to you!

In some states it is a felony to tape record a conversation unless ALL parties to the conversation give their consent. A few other states allow you to record conversations without permission when you are party to the conversation, but it is illegal to tape record when you are not a participant (while you're hiding in a closet, for example). The laws vary from state to state, and a state's laws change from time to time, so it is critical that you know your state's current law regarding tape recording.

PLEASE....DO NOT TAPE RECORD ANYONE UNTIL YOU HAVE VERIFIED WITH ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY THAT IT IS LEGAL TO DO SO IN YOUR STATE. I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU CONSULT AN ATTORNEY WITH EXPERIENCE IN THIS AREA.

 

[Two Thumbs]

Transfer
get another job

Inform people of the truth you know.

 

[Gagafritz]

Do you really want to make yourself crazy over this person? If you do, then go ahead and keep journals and record and document and make your life miserable. What you need to do is just do what you do and document your care of the patients. That's it. You need to keep some stupid journal of her and that isn't going to amount to a hill of beans anyway. Again, if she does something unsafe, then yes, report it. And, in the meantime, if you have to work together, find a way to work together as best you can. That is what i recommend doing unless you want to be in a state of agitation 24/7.

 

[Wry Catcher]

And soooooo, I have this coworker. She has actually been in my line of work for 2 more years than I, only she has few years at the company that we work yet....MUCH FEWER than I.

My problems:

1. She doesn't seem interested in getting better at her job.

2. Part of our job includes IV infusions, that one MUST be capable of doing quickly...lest patient could potentially die. It's a big deal.

3. Her last working partner, prior to me, was terminated. Now I have worked with him (the terminated one) a few times, and while he isn't the best medic that we had....he also was not as bad as he was painted. He has actually relayed through a friend of ours for me to "watch my back", as this POS coworker of mine will do what she has to to keep her job.
4. She is constantly writing grievances about coworkers...for what is, in my mind....non-issues.

So why am I writing this? We have a book that has multiple drug calculations, so that all we have to do, is look at the mL dosage. It's idiot-proof. It's so that we don't have to do the calculations (which I've done many times) sitting behind a patient at 3 AM...with a piece of paper, or calculator.

But I had a question about a particular drug, which appeared to me to be off-limits to a pediatric patient. So my coworker, who will do whatever she can to make others look bad, to cover her incompetency (her inability to figure drips on her own) wrote an email to our operations director, who then forwarded it to our shift supervisor.

So I was called and told where to find to dosage calculation grid could be found in the notebook. This BITCH, apparently wrote this email (for an answer that SHE didn't know either) and made me look like the only one who was confused.

This is the same girl who asked how one goes about applying a traction splint on an OPEN femur fracture, during a class. For those of you in healthcare...how do I deal with this?

Document, document and document your concerns. Use a calendar and note with detail who, what, when and the why of your concern. Any matter where the patients welfare is at risk - in your opinion - provide a written explanation to your immediate supervisor (and keep copies, dated and times - of any such correspondence).

Don't gossip or complain to other employees, if anyone expresses concerns simiilar to yours, note it on your calendar and document the comments made to you by the terminiated employee.

 

[Gagafritz]

I really doubt that your personal journal or diary is going to have any validity at all. It really seems silly to me to do that.

 

[toxicmedia]

I'm a healthcare worker, sort of........I'm an appeals and grievances processor for a medical insurance company.

I am surrounded by incompetent temps, who routinely missinform members and providers regarding claim payment/denial explanations, and benefits/copay information.

 

[koshergrl]

It's not silly at all, and they carry a LOT of weight. People in child custody cases can lose custody over what is put into journals, and that goes across the board, regardless of the situation.

I'm not in healthcare, but I agree with the majority. Document everything, and develop a good relationship with your supervisor. And when she shows incompetence report it.

 

[Gagafritz]

Well, you can do whatever you want. I would simply choose to just report any violations or safety issues as that is what really matters. But, making myself more annoyed and aggravated isn't on my list.

 

[Wry Catcher]

I really doubt that your personal journal or diary is going to have any validity at all. It really seems silly to me to do that.

You're wrong. It's evidence.

 

[Gagafritz]

The only evidence they need is to see that safety violations have been reported when they occur. Nobody is interested in some pissing contest between people. And if the OP is documenting stuff that is unsafe and NOT reporting it, then he/she is setting him/herself up for trouble by having a lot of stuff on file that was not reported to supervisors in a timely fashion. If it is something that needs reported, it is relevant and should be done right away. If not, keeping some secret diary of he said, she said, is a waste of time.

 

[koshergrl]

No, it's never a waste of time if you are trying to track unethical behavior or show a pattern of behavior.

The first thing an attorney tells their client who says they THINK something is going on but they aren't sure is "keep a journal". It's particularly useful if you have a co-worker who might try to pin consequences of their own retarded behavior on you. You may not be recording events that are unethical in and of themselves, but later, if that person wants to pretend that the behavior was YOURS and resulted in some egregious wrong doing, you have evidence that will clear you.

Pissing contests are one thing. But when you have a co-worker who is trying hard to set you up, as it appears this one may be, a journal is a very useful tool. I've used them in difficult work places as well. If nothing else, they give you something to review and consider, and allow you to keep track of your own behavior/actions as well. They increase AWARENESS and that's a good thing.

If there's a log, that's also a really good place to put down incidental events that you think might be notable. If they aren't, no biggie. If they are, you've got it.