[not_telling]

DS just had his 18 month WBV and we had the same nurse we had at his 15 month. This woman we had never seen before, so I assume she was a new hire between his 12 and 15 month appts. Anyway, I am so turned off by her. She is brusque, not warm at all, makes no attempt to connect with the child/make the child feel comfortable with her, chews and snaps her gum constantly, and is very rush rush. This is the first staff person my son has contact with when he goes to the doctor's office - and he does not like being having anything done to him (weighing, measuring, temp) - you would think she would make an effort to be kind and comforting (like the other nurses there). She acts as though this is "just a job" and not like she cares about kids at all. Today she instructed me to strip DS down so she could weigh him. Well, it's winter...he had on socks, shoes, pants, two shirts...the usual. She literally asked, "Ready, mom?" after each piece of clothing came off. Umm, hello? You're right here. You can see that my child is not naked yet.

So, I was very tempted to say something to our ped, but I held off. I feel like the people in charge should know that this nurse's demeanor is, to my mind, inappropriate. I could tolerate this (probably) in a practice for adults - but not pediatrics. What would you do?

 

[nextcommercial]

Wow.. the chewing and snapping the gum would almost be a deal breaker to me. I can't STAND that! I think that is the single most obnoxious behavior ever.

Anyway... I would definately send in a short letter to the doctor who (I assume) hired her. I would discuss how she was rushed, and I would absolutely include the gum thing. That's ignorant and unprofessional.

 

[Marsupialmom]

Your really need to talk to the ped about her. Your feedback is one factor in knowing how well she is doing.

 

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

I would definitely drop a note to the doctor with factual information, maybe closing with a comment about how this impacts your child's visits. He is not going to see this unless patients point something out.

 

[VisionaryMom]

Are you sure she's a nurse? She may be a medical or nursing assistant. I say this only because the training period for people in those positions is very short, and many of them have no experience with patients. She may not have known she doesn't care to work pediatrics because she had no experience there. I only say this because my mother is one of those people who does *not* ever want to work with children, and I can see her being abrupt (not chewing gum, though!) in a pediatric setting.

I would say something to the doctor. S/he could then talk to her and find out if she's in the wrong type of work or just has poor professional skills.

My mother is the director of nursing at a nursing home - and at a hospital before that - and she absolutely would not allow someone under her to chew gum while working. She would freak out on them for that because it is unprofessional. It turns off some patients. It's hard to understand people chomping gum. What if the gum fell out during a patient crisis? I can hear her now...

 

[LilacMama]

Yeah, I bet she's not a real nurse. (Says the concerned RN).

I say tell the office. If I was running an office, I would want to know if there was a staff person who made the patients uncomfortable!

 

[elmh23]

Tell the doctor you don't like her, and next time you make an appointment, tell them you do not want to see this nurse.

I've been seeing our doc for 17 years now and my children have gone to him since birth (he's a family doc.) I know he really appreciates it when I let him know how his staff is doing.

 

[ElliesMomma]

complain. the sooner the better. those conversations are always best in "casual conversations" on the spot.

the sooner the better b/c if she's new, there's usually a review period/probationary period for the first several months... for changes to be made or the person is let go.

 

[ChristyMarie]

Are there other nurses there or is she the only option?

There was one nurse at our ped's office and while she didn't do anything specific I just got a bad vibe from her - so did DS. So if she was starting to come in with us I would just ask for someone else. She's not there anymore so perhaps I wasn't the only one.

I do agree with letting the doctor know. The doctor probably has no idea how she is with patients.

 

[not_telling]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm wishing I had said something, since (barring any big illnesses or medical issues) we won't be back for 3-6 months. She had trouble with the head measurement today - basically that it was coming out as smaller than last visit (when she also was the one to measure it). After measuring a few times, she left and the nurse we've usually seen came in and did a measurement, too. Which did make me wonder if this woman was not yet a full nurse. I'm remembering as I type this that the practice now has a website, so maybe I'll see if there's staff info on there.

 

[Joyster]

I'd definitely say something to my doctor. She takes the concerns of little ones very seriously and she's a GP. If it's a pediatrician, they should be doubly interested in how their nurses are interacting with young ones. The first caregiver often sets the tone for the appointment and it's in the best interest of everyone for it to go smoothly.

 

[Latte Mama]

The majority of doctors offices do not have nurses (LPNs or RNs) because we are too expensive for them. They have techs or medical assistants. It can make a difference in skills, experience, etc. Of course, they should behave in a professional manner nonetheless.

 

[not now]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LilacMama Yeah, I bet she's not a real nurse. (Says the concerned RN).

That's the first thing I thought too. Although the pediatric clinic my husband works at has one LVN and five medical assistants but that's because it's a hospital run clinic and they like to cover their rear.

There are lots of grumpy nurses (I work with some), you have to complain or nothing will get done.