Compliance nurse driving us CRAZY!!!!

[bluegeegoo2, LPN]

I have recently be moved back to the skilled floor, on days, where we have a brand-spanking new compliance nurse that threatens to be the death of me. She hovers over the floor nurses ALL-FLIPPIN'-DAY asking "Did you do this? Or that? How about this? Have you called the MD? What did they say? Did you tell them this? Why not? Call them back and ask..." SHRIEEEEEEEEK!!!! I have begun to run behind everyday because I would rather hide in pts rooms until she leaves at 3 than be anywhere near the desk. I have gently informed her that IF I had a question I would ASK someone, and that I do not require being baby-sat all day. At first I thought that maybe it was because I am still a new-ish nurse, but she does the same thing to other nurses. Including one who has been there for 20+ years. I am on the verge of losing my cool with this woman. She is really sweet and means no harm, but BACK OFF ALREADY!!!!! Any experience with managers like that? How do you make them go away?

[Jo Dirt]

They hired a nurse just to do chart audits at the nursing home where I work. She "writes us up" everytime there is a blank on the MARS someone forgot to sign or chart a blood pressure. I get so tired of seeing "love notes" as they call them, taped to the nurses station with my name on them.

It drives me crazy, but just think of it this way, if they did not have

a reason to hound us they wouldn't have a job...we wouldn't want that.

[bluegeegoo2, LPN]

Yeah, we get "love notes" as well. Nothing starts the day off like having some note taped to the desk.

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

You know she is just trying to appear competant at her job. You are not the problem her lack of experience and inability to trust herself yet is the problem.

You will find that after she knows the staff and the way you work she will aly off and leave you alone

[Vito Andolini]

Just a thought - either ignore her totally or ask her to give the doctor a call because you are very, very busy. Being asked to actually lend a hand might silence her.

[tencat]

It drives me crazy, but just think of it this way, if they did not have

a reason to hound us they wouldn't have a job...we wouldn't want that.

*snort*, yeah, we wouldn't or they might actually take the money they pay for such 'important' jobs and pay the rest of us better :wink2:

[vivere]

I came across your comments. I know Exactly what you mean! We just had a new Director placed over ICU/PCU and Med Surg, all of which is certainly too much for one person. She interrupts our work asking us off the wall questions about things she recalls about the patient, and will eavesdrop on staff conversations and then insinuate herself in the middle of it. She writes EVERYONE up, and sends out several memos a day telling us of some new protocol or policy that she is changing or initiating. I think one way to beat someone like this is to use their own methods: if she's a policy hound, hold her to her own policies. Bring them up. Watch HER instead of concentrating on how she is watching you. Thinking that you are being critiqued constantly only distracts you and you will make MORE mistakes instead of fewer...so turn the tables, and see what SHE is doing. Of course, sometimes if you ignore people, they disappear. I would say, just hang on.....because Kooky managers generally do not last long. Good Luck. It's sad when the volumes of paperwork done by a nurse take more time than patient care. I used to love going to work taking care of patients, helping them get well, but it has become much harder now, because of the interference.:loveya:

[Nascar nurse, ASN, RN]

Ok, I am probably going to get flamed by some of you but here goes...

Have you actually had state surveyors ever grill you for DAYS for mistakes another nurse made 6 months ago? Have you ever had YOUR licensed threatened because you are held accountable for mistakes that someone else made under your supervision? Have you read some of the stupid idiotic things some nurses write in the nurses notes (or the obvious thing they forgot to write that was vitally important). Have you ever been in a court of law and tried to defend what you did or didn't do (and be able to back it up with the documentation that you scribbled down in a hurry) P.S. I do not mean anyone in particular by using the word you, just generalization for all readers.

From my observation in several different facilities & several different corporations there is a great need for someone to be roaming around in every facility just to make sure all the i's get dotted. Here's my most recent example.. res. readmitted from hosp post GI bleed (admitted to hosp w/ Hgb under 6 w/ a INR of 8!). Now back in faciliy2+ weeks. As traveling MDS nurse, I pick up chart to do the MDS. Res is still receiving coumadin, hosp never found reason where GI bleed located, ie: so never fixed - AND NOT ONE NURSE HAD REQUESTED A CBC OR PT/INR since back in the building - For crying out loud. And trust me, I could go on and on with the stupidity I see.

The compliance nurse is just doing her job, just like we all have a job to do. If state walks in and finds a bunch of crap, she will take the blame as it was her job to keep it in line.

And last but not least, who actually benefits the most when care is completed accurately and professionally... THE RESIDENT... the reason we are all in this anyway.

Ok - off my soap box now. Good day

[vivere]

:yeah:I agree, it really does help to have another nurse looking over our charts, especially on night shift....a little fatigue can go a long way! However, I don't think a Nurse Manager needs to be involved in every detail of the shift. If you don't trust your ICU nurses to make the right decisions, then you shouldn't have them in the position. Just my two cents.

[Nascar nurse, ASN, RN]

:yeah:I agree, it really does help to have another nurse looking over our charts, especially on night shift....a little fatigue can go a long way! However, I don't think a Nurse Manager needs to be involved in every detail of the shift. If you don't trust your ICU nurses to make the right decisions, then you shouldn't have them in the position. Just my two cents.

This isn't ICU, this is LTC - the hugely over-regulated industry.

[DJM712]

How about asking this nurse for an in-service for requirements based on issues/questions she raises? In response to her asking if you asked a physician a particular question, how is it relevant to the care you need to provide? Regulatory and accreditation requirements change all the time - she should be offering advice based on observed variance in relation to her central role. Otherwise, you've got an additional "manager" installed - and that begs the question of what your actual manager is needed for. Her other questions can be answered simply through chart review - and then a collegial follow up with observed variance. Hope you find resolution - doesn't sound like she's very helpful.

[ktwlpn, LPN]

Ok, I am probably going to get flamed by some of you but here goes...

Have you actually had state surveyors ever grill you for DAYS for mistakes another nurse made 6 months ago? Have you ever had YOUR licensed threatened because you are held accountable for mistakes that someone else made under your supervision? Have you read some of the stupid idiotic things some nurses write in the nurses notes (or the obvious thing they forgot to write that was vitally important). Have you ever been in a court of law and tried to defend what you did or didn't do (and be able to back it up with the documentation that you scribbled down in a hurry) P.S. I do not mean anyone in particular by using the word you, just generalization for all readers.

From my observation in several different facilities & several different corporations there is a great need for someone to be roaming around in every facility just to make sure all the i's get dotted. Here's my most recent example.. res. readmitted from hosp post GI bleed (admitted to hosp w/ Hgb under 6 w/ a INR of 8!). Now back in faciliy2+ weeks. As traveling MDS nurse, I pick up chart to do the MDS. Res is still receiving coumadin, hosp never found reason where GI bleed located, ie: so never fixed - AND NOT ONE NURSE HAD REQUESTED A CBC OR PT/INR since back in the building - For crying out loud. And trust me, I could go on and on with the stupidity I see.

The compliance nurse is just doing her job, just like we all have a job to do. If state walks in and finds a bunch of crap, she will take the blame as it was her job to keep it in line.

And last but not least, who actually benefits the most when care is completed accurately and professionally... THE RESIDENT... the reason we are all in this anyway.

Ok - off my soap box now. Good day

I work in a 250 bed LTC and we have THREE full time quality assurance/compliance staff.We also have our MDS staff and they are very helpful at picking up things that may be missed. They do pull our pants up alot-that said,one in particular is very obtrusive. She arrives on the unit and spreads her crap out at the helm (the charge nurse's seat in front of the chart rack) and procedes to offer her opinion on everything going on at the moment regardless of it's pertinence to her duties.She has to follow up all incident reports and is incapable of doing so independently. Instead of getting into the chart and the careplan she starts grilling us at the desk-no matter what we may be doing. Her 2 co-workers do not do this. It does not matter what is going on-you can be in the middle of a crisis with a resident or doctor's rounds and she injects herself into the chaos. She is thick skinned and oblivious -nothing you say makes an impact. I was recently in a conversation with a surveyor into which she interjected by saying " I don't really know BUT...." SO SHUT THE FREAK UP THEN IF YOU DON'T KNOW..

Furthermore-I believe that alot of the crap that they pick up on is the responsibilty of the supervisor and we have 2 of those. It takes a few mins to check the documentation of each resident on report on each unit. I hate to call a family member the day AFTER an incident-it's poor practice IMHO but that's another thread. No one in LTC is naive enough to believe we don't need these people but there is something known as professional courtesy and most ancillary staff practice it where I work-the topic of this thread does not.