I recently began working with a nurse who . . . is just not all there. Upon meeting her she will tell you about how awful her life is; how her husband left her for her best friend & how she moved here (northern Indiana) from Florida to take care of her ailing father. She will also tell you of how she worked for 12 years in a hospital & she is not working in one now because she needs something easier & that is why she has gotten into long term care. In spite of her expertise just a few days ago she made 2 med errors in the giving of one pill. The medication had expired & the med sheet specifically said that the patient was to get just one but she gave 2.

The story of her life varies. To women she will simply talk about the types of nursing she has done, how good she is & how, because of her, the entire facility is going to be turned around. To the men she blathers on about how lonely she is & how difficult it is to be here with no friends. She then goes on about how she has to do with almost nothing until she can get her first paycheck (but she could afford to move to northern Indiana by car & apparently she got this job within 3 days of her arrival).

The unit I work on is by far the easiest medication wise. In the morning I only have 17 patents to give medications to & most of those are just 2 or 3 pills. Yet this new nurse is still passing out pills an hour after day shift comes in. The CNA who works on the unit most often (& has been here for 4 years without any complaints from day shift) has been told by this nurse that she is incompetent. When a male nurse (but never a male CNA) is close by she will be within their personal bubble frequently. Her 15 minute break usually takes 25, & her lunch often takes @ least 40.

The thing that bothers me the most though is how she tries to be secretive about medications she takes. She won't say what they are. She does everything she can to hide when she is taking them. Then afterwards she talks a lot more, though her conversation rambles in several directions with no apparent point. Her hands do not stop moving & she seems unable to get warm. I have no idea what could cause this but it concerns me.

She has either offended or pushed away almost everyone. Not just on the night shift. Every unit that she has worked on she has said or done something to cause the other nurses to dislike her-usually intensely. Since her arrival the only person who has liked her was the guy who hired her. Sadly, he is now in a laughing academy in Ohio & is not expected back for @ least a month.