I cannot believe a nurse did this......

Nurses General Nursing

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My grandmother in law is a resident at a local nursing home. My husband took my kids to see her today (I was at home with the baby). The nurse there took the cotton packing out of the top of a bottle of medicine she was opening and tickled my 4 year olds face with it. My husband pulled him away and told me about it when he got home. I'm furious about this. No telling what kind of powder or residue was on the packing..it could have been a chemp drug or who knows what. My husband didn't think to ask, just wanted out of there. Am I crazy for thinking this is absolutely unacceptable? I'm actually thinking of reporting her to the nursing board (she's done a lot of other crazy stuff we've noticed while granny is there). We've talked to admin before about stuff this nurse has said and done, but this is over the top.

Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

I consider it a symptom of our upside down society, where outrageous comments and actions cannot be called out in an equally outrageous way.

A family member seriously considers threatening the job of a nurse. When jobs are hard to find. At this time of year. Over a cotton ball!

And responders here are admonished for their harsh response.

Anyway thanks to all for the comic relief on a very quiet Sunday AM.

@nursedirtybird. Earlier I responded to others who said chemo isn't given in LTC. I stated that it was, hydrea being an example.. The previous poster called methotrexate "chemo-like". It is chemo, not "chemo-like". Tamoxifen is a hormone modulator, not chemo. Not disagreeing, just clarifying.

Oops, I misunderstood your post. Sorry about that!

Seriously....that is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard in my life.

Totally absurd!

I'm rarely at a loss for words, but wow...

We've talked to admin before about stuff this nurse has said and done, but this is over the top.

If you think THIS is over the top then I'd really like to know the other things she has "said and done" that were unacceptable. Really, I'm sure those are gems!

Specializes in MDS/ UR.

I get that you didn't like the nurse touching your son's person with the cotton batting.

I get that you have worries about some residue on it that might be harmful.

I don't think this nurse did anything harmful, malicious or even unprofessional.

Silly or goofy would be the most I would put on it.

I don't believe your child was endangered.

Did you over react? Yeah, I think so.

What makes me most uncomfortable about your post is that you are immediately thinking about taking this nurse to the board.

You are there from zero to sixty in a hot minute for something ultimately minor.

That frightens me and makes me question how rational and reasonable you are in this.

You go on to voice that there are problems with this nurse that have not been addressed to your liking. This tells me you already have an agenda.

Call the board of nursing over the incident and inquire if you have grounds to file a complaint.

Frankly I think you will not find them taking any action and likely think it is frivolous..

This feels like a witch hunt built up from frustration.

You might want to take a step back, breath and than rethink it through.

I had to laugh at this. As earlier stated, there are few meds that are given in LTCs that would be packed with cotton. But much more importantly, any medical facility is so full of crud that being swiped with a cotton ball would be my very last concern,

Those rails in the halls? Whose hands were on them since they were last cleaned yesterday? Any door knob? And after your kid rubbed his runny nose - where did that stuff end up???

I clearly remember taking my own kids to nursing homes to visit various people, and nearly every person just wanted to touch the children as we passed. When I took my first-born to visit my grandmother, I'll bet he was touched by 15 different people that day, some family members, some were staff, some were other residents. He is still alive!

Oh, and I took him to work one time, before I went back in. Into an acute dialysis unit in a very large hospital. Nearly every staff member touched him in one way or another. Did the same with my 2nd kid. Both are still alive!

I am not trying to be mean, but everything needs to be put in perspective. Your kids play in a sandbox or in a playground with other kids - - who knows what they come in contact with??

By the way, I noted that the OP has not commented on what has been posted so far.

Please realize that most people do not mean any harm to your children. My dad loved to talk to little kids in stores and supermarkets, and so do I. It makes me sad when parents get all upset because I have smiled or waved at their little ones.

Best wishes, dear nurses, all of you!

Specializes in Med/Surg/Tele/Onc.

@merlee On Christmas Eve, my 13yo and I were in line at the grocery store (very busy). A Little Old Man in one of those motorized bascarts came up to my daughter and struck up a conversation. He asked her about school, made jokes about himself. My daughter smiled and answered the best she could (she's 13 and you know a "teenager"). The lady behind me and I also answered him and were cheerful. I wondered if he was lonely at home and came to the grocery on Christmas Eve to find companionship. It made me a little sad. I hope my daughter brightened his day.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Methotrexate is chemo, Tamoxifen is not. And I'm pretty sure JTC has little to do with LTC.
True, it is, I take methotrexate as chemotherapy.....it is classified as a chemotherapeutic drug I was talking about "chemo like drugs are give in LTC as well as drugs like methotrexate...I was not clear. I apologize. I stand correct on Tamoxifen. But the nurses action..... I still feel was inappropriate and unprofessional. Don't take a cotton ball from a bottle of medicine and swipe it on my kids face.....I personally, probably, would not let my kids go to the nursing home....but it's Christmas and they are visiting Great Grandma...I don't find that outrageous behavior on the action of the parents.

But the JC does accredit LTC

The Joint Commission’s Long Term Care Accreditation Program was launched in 1966. Today, more than 10,000 organizations offering long term care services are accredited.

Organizations eligible for long term care accreditation include those with:

  • Beds licensed by the state as nursing home beds, excluding intermediate care facilities specializing in care for individuals with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities.
  • Beds designated as long term care beds under a hospital license, excluding beds belonging to a long term acute care hospital and hospital swing beds.
  • Beds, units or facilities certified by Medicare or Medicaid as skilled nursing facility beds.
  • Beds, units or facilities designated as long term care by a governmental entity, such as the Department of Veterans’ Affairs or a state authority.

For more information see Facts about Long Term Care Accreditation.

Let me pose another question to the OP, if this is even real. If you have an issue with a particular nurse, why can't you address it with the nurse directly and calmly. Why does it have to be over her head?? What other way would be better in getting your expectations of behavior straightened out?

Going to administration, TJC, or the BON seems so ridiculously premature when a simple conversation with the nurse would probably suffice.

Karma people!

Specializes in Med/Surg/Tele/Onc.

Interesting. I wonder if any LTC around here are accredited by JTC. I only ever hear about state surveys.

Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

And we wonder what is wrong with society today.

FFS

ugh get over it.

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