Hello, all...seeking advice or information...I am a first year LPN student, going part time, mornings. My dilemma involves a couple of fellow students.
We have just started our clinical rotation in a LTC facility, one I happen to have just left after 14 years of employment as a CNA.
One of the residents assigned to our care has often been found to be dressed by the overnight shift, which has been their routine for many months. He often refuses to be undressed, rebathed and redressed, and we report this and document it, and perform whatever else we can that falls within our skills to date. I was assigned to bed bathe him today, as a matter of fact, and the scenario played out exactly as I write it above.
Monday, though, two other SPN's were assigned his care. As team leader, I offered assistance to the various pairs of caregiver/students, and was in and out of nearly all of the rooms, fetching linens and taking notes for them. I entered Mr. B's room 30 minutes after we received report and got out on to the unit, and found him fully dressed in bed, with the students assigned to his care standing at bedside. With no other motive than to find out what his status was, I asked if he was found to be dressed, or did the students provide him with care (a complete bed bath!) and dress him. The response was that they had indeed done his complete bed bath, and dressed him, and begun to assist him with his breakfast, within the past 30 minutes. My gut said that they weren't being honest, but let it go after confirming that I understood that THEY had done the bed bath, not the night shift workers at the LTC facility. Later, during the exit conference with the instructor, they repeated this information. Another fellow student tapped me on the shoulder, and informed me that she had been in the room shortly after we received report, at about 8:20 a.m., and Mr. B. was dressed at that time. She had not been aware of my misgivings, so that had nothing to do with her telling me that; I see it more as because of my assignment as team leader that day.
Today, when our regular instructor returned, we had an opening conference, and the two students told her that they had bathed Mr. B. yesterday.
It sounds pretty petty in the re-telling, but the four of us who are aware of the dishonesty are pretty disturbed by it, and are inclined to report the behavior to the regular instructor. Our first week in class, we were told every day that honesty and reliability is a requirement of the nursing program, and that cheating, dishonesty and untrustworthy behaviour would not be tolerated, and would be grounds for dismissal from the program. I naturally don't wish to be the catalyst for someone being removed, but I also don't want to be in a professional or accountable position with these two women, who are lazy enough to not do their assigned work and dishonest enough not only to lie, but to repeat the lie at least 3 times.
Our first week in class, we were told every day that honesty and reliability is a requirement of the nursing program, and that cheating, dishonesty and untrustworthy behaviour would not be tolerated, and would be grounds for dismissal from the program. I naturally don't wish to be the catalyst for someone being removed, but I also don't want to be in a professional or accountable position with these two women, who are lazy enough to not do their assigned work and dishonest enough not only to lie, but to repeat the lie at least 3 times.