AIBU to have reprimanded a colleague?

[DentyNurse]

I have worked as a receptionist at a dental practice for a few years, and I also do some nursing, when our dental nurse is off, even though I'm not qualified.

Unfortunately, our nurse doesn't keep on top of processing the instruments, she lets them really build up, and then hides them away. She doesn't bother taking out the clinical waste bags, just lets them pile up.

I'm only given short notice to nurse and I hate it, because I'll start the shift and there will be hardly any instruments prepped.

I have raised this issue twice in staff meetings, and each time the dentist has asked the nurse to ensure she stays on top of her job. But nothing has changed.

Yesterday, I had to nurse last minute. I went to set up the surgery, and there were virtually no instruments ready. Everything had been just left from Friday night. The autoclave was full of instruments that needed bagging, the sonic bath was of instruments waiting to go in the autoclave. I didn't know where to start

The nurse came back, while I was still sorting the instruments. I was really annoyed, so I indicated the state of the instruments and said 'This is absolutely unacceptable.' She replied it was because we'd over-run on Friday. I said that eventhough we'd over run, she obviously had just let everything pile up, anyway. I pointed out, that although I'm not a nurse, I keep on top of the instruments all the time (and I do). She told me that I couldn't speak to her like that (I hadn't raised my voice, or anything, just been quiet but very direct and firm), and stormed out of the room.

She went into the surgery, and started shouting at the dentist, saying 'She wouldn't be f* spoken to like that' as she was slamming cupboard doors etc. Eventhough the surgery door was closed the rest of the staff, and waiting patients could clearly hear her

She didn't speak to me for the rest of the afternoon, eventhough I was perfectly civil to her. And, last night she texted another colleague to say she wouldn't ever work with me again.

I don't know what to do. I emailed the dentist last night, explaining what happened, he hasn't replied yet. The nurse is only a teenager, whereas I'm pushing 50 and just don't know how to deal with someone who acts to unprofessionally, I've never had it before.

Should I just have kept quiet, and said nothing

Hmm, YWN a tiny bit U as you're not her line manager, but her overreaction is way over the top. Let your boss sort it out.

Jade Goody was a dental nurse wasn't she? I don't think their training is all that involved ...

Would anyone be saying OP was BU if this was a question involving a hospital ward? If someone doesn't pull their weight and you are trying to do a good job, why it is unreasonable to get sick and tired of not being able to do a job properly and point this out? Team players are what is often lacking and that can make a big difference in all areas of work no matter what area of work that is.

Your employer is deeply unprofessional for allowing this situation to happen in the first place and allowing it to continue, and I'm glad they're not my dentist. I do wonder what their respective professional bodies would have to say about it all.

I don't think you are BU - the important thing is that patients are well cared for and safe, - so to pull someone up on poor practice is perfectly justified IMO. And she is clearly ve unprofesional if she had a shouting match within hearing of patients.

However, - I would steer well clear of the practice you work in if I knew what was going on - receptionists standing in for qualified nurses? - dirty instruments left to build up over the weekend? bags of clinical waste lying around? - sounds manky as hell! Sorry.

To work as a dental nurse you have to be qualified and registered with the GDC or on an approved training course working towards your qualification. I would leave that practice if I were you and work in one which doesn't break the law.

I am so glad I'm not the only one who knows Jade Goody was a dental nurse!

Just suggest bringing in a rule that at the end of each day, all tasks must be completed, and all equipment, and space clean, so you have a totally clean fresh work place ready the following day.

I would of gone out of business years ago if we didn't have this in place.

Reprimanding a colleague is the least of your concerns right now.

You will be prosecuted for working as a dental professional without being qualified or registered.

Here is a recent example of such a prosecution www.gdc-uk.org/Newsandpublications/Pressreleases/Pages/Unregistered-dental-professional-found-guilty-of-illegal-practice.aspx

As for your colleague, this module might help her keep on top of cross-infection control procedures in the practice.

users.uoa.gr/~abakas/dentcpd/instruments.html

Instruments should not be left like that over the weekend - she is clearly not following the guidance and is posing a threat to all staff and patients at the practice.

As for anyone else, you can check whether the dental nurses and dentists at your practice are properly registered here

You could lodge a grievance. So could she.
She isn't doing her job correctly,you are being asked to do a job you are not qualified for. To be frank,the whole workplace sounds a complete shambles.

Thinking on this more, cross infection control is part of the core CPD for dental nurses. If she is qualified and registered with the GDC then she has to do core CPD by law to remain registered.

has the op come back on here yet?
i think she did the right think speaking to the nurse, i would have done the same. the dentist is obviously pretty shite at doing his job in terms of looking after the interests of his staff and patients.

Jade Goody was a dental nurse wasn't she? I don't think their training is all that involved ... I'm cringing but laughing at the same time. Oh dear.

YWNBU to speak to her, you also need to stop working as a nurse.

quite often the advice is if you have an issue with someone at work you should try to resolve it directly before escalating. there is no rule saying we have to make all communications through our line managers.

I don't think you've done anything wrong about complaining about extra work you've had to do because she hasn't. It maybe could have been worded better.

I think she won't be working with you.

I suspect she will be sacked.

Good luck, it's not nice.

Ywbu - you should have spoken to the dentist.

YABU. You're the receptionist. You had no right to reprimand her, you don't supervise her, you were bang out of order.

You don't manage this woman and you don' know what her workload is like. You don't know if she has extra duties that you don't cover which take priority to the instruments. To be honest if she finds it easiest to leave the instruments till the Monday morning and sort them then - that's her business and her managers business.

If you had any concerns you should have brought them up with her manager or yours. The way you behaved was unprofessional and your language, you say you 'reprimanded' her, no wonder she is upset. To be honest I think most people would be annoyed if they were spoken to like that by a junior member of staff.

I think we have a 'hit and run' on our hands here ladies......no response from the OP? Quelle surprise...... I'm going in for a filling tomorrow and I don't need scare stories like this!

i dont think uwbu to tell her to sort her shit own instruments out maybe the language could have been toned down but i would be seething if i was left to sort all that out before having to cover the nursing side too so can see why u flipped .Im also a dental receptionist though im a fully qualified and reg'd nurse as well and at times i have to over the surgery last minute (if they run over @ lunch so they can have a lunch break before the afternoon surgery) if the CQC got hold of your boss i dont fancy his chances tbh. it is a legal requirement that all clinical waste if kept in a locked clinical waste bin daily after the session has finished (obv its ok in surgery bin until the end of the day)and ideally kept outside the practice not allowed to build up inside the building as it is a health hazard!!! as well as all kinds of nasty gubbins left on the instruments these also are not to be left in the open not sterilized/covered. Why are they in the autoclave unbagged ???? they should be bagged before going into the autoclave as they wont be sterile as soon as that door is opened !!!! there should be a setting on the machine that allows this (we have 2 diff ones @ work) with regards to you covering if your not on a training scheme/reg'd with the gdc then your not covered legally if anything goes wrong with the patient in your care (emergencies happen & you wouldnt have a leg to stand on if you were neglegent and the patient sued you(yes you can be sued too now not just the dentist in charge) im not even sure the practice indemnity insurance would cover you either so you could end up in a heap of trouble there) .

I know its easy for me to say all this but i really would look into the legalities of you covering the surgery even for 5 mins and get it in writting from your boss so you have no come back but tbh id be looking for another job as soooo many alarm bells are ringing to me. i thinking miss huffy pant has seen her bum and doesnt like the colour but its unacceptable to leave the surgery in that stae even if you have run over (we have to stay behind and clean our own mess we dont leave it for others to do as we all work in different surgeries every day not 1 set one so there would be merry hell daily in our surgery if we had to clean up after the nurse the day before lol ) anhoo ill get off my soap box now sorry for long post

Dental nurses have to be registered with the GDC, I'm astounded that your dentist is letting this happen. He is ripe to get struck off with all of those lapses of judgement

shatz- if its not an autoclave with a vacuum cycle the instrument don't have to go in bagged.

op-if your are not training to be qualified you should not be nursing, you should also not be touching any instruments at all!

Are you inoculated??

I would leave your practice immediately, and report them to the cqc for allowing an unqualified unregistered receptionist to nurse.
Also report the standards of hygiene and cleanliness of the qualifie nurse

Poster who made the funny quip about the training- it's not as simple and easy as you may think. We don't JUST suction and write down notes- thanks

YANBU.

She sounds young, immature and probably never had a telling off in her life.

She will learn. The hard way.

YY to what wannabeaninja said. A good nurse is like a gift from heaven; a bad one will ruin a dentist's life. I'm lucky to have three great nurses but a rubbish dentist working for me!!

There is so much that goes on behind the scenes that folk have no idea about.

Can't believe people are saying the OP is being unreasonable for speaking to her colleague, it's that sort of attitude that lets incidents like Stafford (?) hospital happen, people are too scared to speak directly to their colleagues. Not every issue needs to go through a 'line manager' - particularly when the line manager appears so incompetant.

There seems a real culture of 'not speaking out of turn' - and, hate to say this, appears to be more relevant to younger people who have to have a 'policy and procedure' for every single action, whatever happened to old fashioned common sense?

No, of course the OP shouldn't have to be covering as a Dental Nurse, but if she does, she certainly shouldn't be pickiing up on someone else's slack attitude.