I have seen this in my facililty before and I don't think its a good idea. She's your grandma so her care is always going to matter more to you than the other residents. How will you feel if a CNA passes her room to get another call light? There are several examples of situations like that. I know that if it were my grandma, I would spend more time with her and give her more attention than I did the others. Not like a purposeful ignoring of anyone else but I just know that her care means the MOST to me because she is my blood. So, for me the bottom line is not whether its "allowed" (because it is) but "should" it be done...
If I were your new employer, your failure to raise the subject during your interview and hiring process would concern me. No one wants to hire a "sneaky" employee that is not being totally honest with you -- and/or does not have the good judgment to think this is important enough to mention during the hiring process. The best time to mention it would probably have been after you had been offered the job as you were in the process of accepting it.
However ... if you talk to them ASAP, they may overlook your previous omission ... particularly since you are new to the profession and probably desparate for a job. Talk to them, tell them the truth, and ask them how they would like to handle the situation. Comply with their wishes as to how to handle assignments, etc. They have a right to have the final say as to whether or not you will be allowed to provide care for your great-grandmother or not.
If it is a "good" facility and employer, it will probably work out OK for you. But keeping these kinds of secrets from your employer is not a good thing -- and not the way you want to start off a new job.
Always living in a rural area, this is normal for me. I have seen many staff work at places that their relatives were residents. It was never a problem. It has also been my experience that in a LTC facility, there are people that inadvertently become "favorite" residents due to their personalities. These people tend to be a little more tended to. Why would someone's grandma be any different than this situation?
And call me controlling or whatever you want, but I would want my grandparent to be in the facility where I worked so I could keep an eye on his/her care. My grandparents have been in nursing homes and I don't think I was very well liked in those facilities because I was there making sure she got the best of care, and I knew the rules and regs so there was no pulling the wool over my eyes. It would have been much better if I had actually worked at those facilities because then I would be a caring presence, advocating for my relative, making sure that he/she got good care along with everyone else in the facility, as opposed to the ***** that complained when grandma's care was not what I expected it to be.
police respond to emergencies of family members, lawyers represent familiy members, doctors provide care to family members, noone of the above is seen as a conflict of intrest......
Actually, where I live, these situations are considered conflict of interest. I know police officers, and if they are called to an emergency that involves their family, they will try to get another officer to respond because they can't be objective. Doctors here are given very clear guidelines by their College not to provide direct care to a family member. Lawyers I can't comment on. Having said all that, if it were life and death emergency, and there is no one else to help, a police officer/paramedic or doctor would be expected to do what they can. I actually know a doctor here that got in trouble with the College because he prescribed antibiotics for his wife "because it was easier". We live in a city of over a million people, so it wasn't like there weren't alternatives. And, because of other medical conditions she had, that were not within his area of expertise, he actually ended up harming her. It was horrible.
As for the original question, I would inform the facility ASAP and ask what are the chances of being assigned to another unit or floor than great grandma is on. Or I would swap pts with another nurse. I have done that when I have had pts admitted to the acute care inpatient unit I used to work on. If you cannot avoid looking after her, just be sure that none of your actions can be called into question. Oh yeah, and I'd have a conversation with great grandma about things, she may think that if you end up on her floor she will get preferential treatment just because. I'd make sure she knows if you swap pts so that you don't have to look after her, it isn't because you don't love her but rather because it is the professional thing to do. And besides, she might not want you looking after her. A lot of seniors don't want their family helping to change attends or have to feed them. You wouldn't want to make her uncomfortable either.
I think that as long as you assure the appearance of favoritism never exists than have at it. Do tell admin ASAP that your great grandma resides there. I would have loved to have had the opportunity to take my breaks sitting with my long gone relatives. At her age these are precious few moments left to cherish.
I would let the facility know, too. It's not like they won't find out once you're there.
Kudos for putting the patient first and thinking of this, when we all should have a long time ago. Or maybe everyone was just like me and assumed the g-grandma would be thrilled about it.
If I were your new employer, your failure to raise the subject during your interview and hiring process would concern me. No one wants to hire a "sneaky" employee that is not being totally honest with you -- and/or does not have the good judgment to think this is important enough to mention during the hiring process. The best time to mention it would probably have been after you had been offered the job as you were in the process of accepting it.
However ... if you talk to them ASAP, they may overlook your previous omission ... particularly since you are new to the profession and probably desparate for a job. Talk to them, tell them the truth, and ask them how they would like to handle the situation. Comply with their wishes as to how to handle assignments, etc. They have a right to have the final say as to whether or not you will be allowed to provide care for your great-grandmother or not.
If it is a "good" facility and employer, it will probably work out OK for you. But keeping these kinds of secrets from your employer is not a good thing -- and not the way you want to start off a new job.
I agree here. I don't think the issue itself is that big. Not bringing up the issue made it turn into a bigger problem than it is.
I really think you need to do a bit of damage control and speak to the facility asap. I can't imagine a good enough reason for "why it never came up"...that should have been the first words out of your mouth. I was the DON at a LTC facility and did the hiring, I would have hired a nurse if their great grandmother was there for the reasons stated, I would be sure the care was being given would be exceptional, I would make sure the other patients weren't being negligected for awhile, but it would be ok with me...HOWEVER, I would not like it at all, if this was not disclosed to me during the initial interview...that just does not sit well with me....I would wonder what else was not disclosed? I'm sorry, I would not hire this person once I found out after the fact.
I disagree w/ whomever said this represents some inherent conflict of interest, in fact, I don't think it is a big deal at all. However, ITA w/ Diva that the failure to disclose the connection is the real ethical issue.
In nursing homes I've worked in, the general policy was that the employee wouldn't have direct care of their family member- then it wasn't an issue. If it's not a facility big enough to have different wings or nurse assignments, then I don't know....
IowaLPN
26 Posts
I have seen this in my facililty before and I don't think its a good idea. She's your grandma so her care is always going to matter more to you than the other residents. How will you feel if a CNA passes her room to get another call light? There are several examples of situations like that. I know that if it were my grandma, I would spend more time with her and give her more attention than I did the others. Not like a purposeful ignoring of anyone else but I just know that her care means the MOST to me because she is my blood. So, for me the bottom line is not whether its "allowed" (because it is) but "should" it be done...