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Discussion

Do you complain and nothing is ever done about it?

I like my job, I love the people I work with, the management sucks. They always say if you see something wrong, specifically if it effects patient care or a patient, make sure you report it. I do just that. I don't report much but in cases like last week I do. I had a patient who was all upset because she couldn't see what her O2 sat was. She had a O2 sat monitor and this was 0800. I said "honey, it's turned off" she said "I know the night nurse turned it off because the alarm kept going off and she got tired of coming in here." I turned it on and her O2 sat was about 84%. I reported it, was asked to fill out an SOE. Nothing was done and this is the same nurse that has been reported over and over and over again. The same with the tech who refuses to take VS when I ask her, tells the patients she's a nurse and says very inappropriate things in front of the patients. I was told yes we know, she has been reported for the same things many times. We've talked to her but she continues. I'm thinking "What does it take to get written up? Put on probation? Fired? We're not that hard up for nurses. I have decided not to report anything anymore unless it directly harms the patient or the patient asks me to report something. It's more irritating to report something and see nothing done than to just ignore and go on about my business. Wrong attitude I know but after 4 years I don't see things changing. We're not allowed to go over the nurse managers head but it wouldn't do any good anyway because it has been done and with the same results. The higher up is more lax than the nurse manager. Thanks for letting me vent. Whew I needed that. Any thoughts?

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  • Expert

I've been there too. There are a lot of issues in the unit where I work right now, and one of them is the lack of attention paid to serious complaints. In fact, management likes to intimidate people who report problems, instead of admit they exist and try to solve them. One of our problems is staffing. Shortages result in unsafe and inappropriate assignments. I documented an unsafe assignment and have been chastised for doing so by two managers. A coworker documented a patient care issue and was also chastised; the manager said that if she had know the nurse was going to fill out a professional responsibility form she would have done things differently. Well, excuse me for belaboring the obvious, but it shouldn't take the threat of a formal complaint to have things done properly. Another time, the same coworker wrote up another nurse who gave a prn sedative to her patient while she was on break, then not only didn't chart that she'd given it but didn't tell the patient's nurse that she'd done it. The only way this coworker knew about the prn is that the nurse who checked it told her. This is a practice issue that could be taken to the licensing board, but won't be because the management chose to dump all over the nurse who reported it for reporting it and never even spoke to the nurse who did it. (This nurse is reported on a regular basis for all kinds of reasons, but she's the managers' pet and will never be disciplined.) They'd rather keep everything hush-hush so that they can pretend to the world that everything is just ducky. One day all of that will blow up in their faces and I'll be holding the detonator!

I don't know what it takes either. When people come to me and say "I reported her and nothing was done about it." I have to ask "how do you know for certain? Have you been a fly one the wall?". We really can't say what goes on behind closed doors between a manager and an employee.

If you seriously feel lives are in danger and nothing is being done, bump it up the chain of command. Make a report to the state board of nursing.

It's hard to get fired, and sometimes incidences can be written up separately. So a person can get multiple verbal warnings, written warnings and final warnings and still keep their job.

Frustrating isn't it?

  • Author
Frustrating isn't it?

Yes, Tweety, Frustrating as hell ! And thanks jan for letting me know how it is where you work. I feel like the only one going through this crap at times and it's nice to know I'm not alone.

Lucky us! We have an anonymous Hotline to Risk Management. So maybe that's why our management is so great.

  • Author
Lucky us! We have an anonymous Hotline to Risk Management. So maybe that's why our management is so great.
Wow I should put that in the suggestion box. I wonder if that too would fall on deaf ears? Thanks Angie

We have an anonymous hotline too. Our manager was being investigated for racial favoritism (she's African American) because of a complaint from someone. It was unfounded. Usually, it's the disgruntled, i.e. the one's getting written up and needing to be fired, that seem to use it.

After working at my facility for 2 years, for new years I said I would finally submit my ideas for improvment to my managment! I wrote down the main probelm and several suggestions for improvement they could use, and even mentioned that these were only some ideas to help, and others may come with discussion with the rest of the nursing staff!

I was so happy to turn that in...and five minutes after I turned them in my DON came up to me and said "Admin is going to call you to discuss your dissatisfaction and 'issues' with our company". WHAT?!?!?!?!? All I brought up was some ideas to make nurses end of shift report run smoother, and a proposal to define what duties need to be done by what nurse at end of shifts (there were too many resentments forming over tasks being handed to other shifts during change of shifts and I though clearer definitions may help!).

So great..I finally put two of my ideas on paper and got "you get to talk to the principal' BS! Oh please...I guess I found out why no one makes suggestions anymore. I kept it silent, asked if I could have my suggestions back so that if there was any doubt that I was only trying to help, I could re-submit it at a later time. Nope..they refused to give it back and said "it is a permenent part of your record now, and lets us know your grievences..which we will deal with at a later date." Holly cow caca..they were just suggestions and I didn't even sign or date the darned thing (my name isn't on it at all!!!!).

My other suggestions done verbally have met the same fate...nothing being done and management saying it was and because it is confidential info I can not know what was done...Yeah right, since they demand that the nurses oversee displinary actions...would be good to actually know what they are so we can enforce them huh?

Oh well...good news, the loan process for my home is begining, and so there is light at the end of the 'can't switch jobs right now' tunnel (I had to sign a paper saying I wouldn't change jobs). As soon as that is complete...look out want ads!!!!!!

Too bad I feel this is pretty common, and my suggestions may never see the light of day except for times they open my file to put a complaint in :(

Our Risk Mgmt hotline is supposed to be anonymous. If you mention your name Executive Mgmt will contact you personally about the outcome. Do you have a Risk Mgmt person on staff?

Once again the posters at allnurses confirm for me how lucky I am to be working for such a great NM! I have never once heard a complaint from any one of my co-workers about her in more than 4 years of working there.

Our NM has a yearly review or evaluation similiar to our evals. She puts out forms for the Staff Nurses to give feedback about the job that she's doing that includes what we like and what we don't like; what we'd like to see changed, added, or excluded. She then has a staff meeting shortly after her eval and announces the outcome (not monetary stuff, just staff issues that have been brought to her attention) and what her "plan" is to address the requests.

I feel that she has NEVER let us as a group or as individuals down. If we feel we need something she always comes up with a plan. She is such a results oriented person and an outstanding leader. I have never felt a concern of mine brushed aside. And when she says, I will get back to you about something, she always does and her door is always wide open.

Patient safety is first and foremost and I feel that if I went to her with a concern about patient safety, which would be just about anything from alarms were found off to so and so isn't getting their breaks or is struggling, it would be addressed with not only the person who may be having a problem, but with the entire group as well.

This is difficult to explain because in all my working life, I've never had a boss like her. The hospital, the patients and the entire staff (RN's - housekeepers) are lucky to have such an advocate. Some nurses are simply brilliant!

It just goes to show...nurse morale is first and last hit by the action/non-action and attitude of management. If you got great management, things go very well. Communication is open. Ideas are encouraged. Problems are dealt with in a reasonably, timely manner. Staff feel supported and give an extra mile. When management is sub- par, well the reverse is just as true.

Our hospital also has an anonymous risk management hotline. I have never needed to use it thus far. At this time, we have good management on my floor. The CEO is excellent as well as well as Nursing Administration. However, the hosp CEO who has been here since the first brick was put in is retiring this year sometime. Things will change as the saying goes. I hope for the best, but you know how everything in management changes when the top guy leaves and a new guy comes in show his stuff. It may be pretty, and then again, it may get ugly. I cross my fingers and say my prayers.

  • Guides

"Another time, the same coworker wrote up another nurse who gave a prn sedative to her patient while she was on break, then not only didn't chart that she'd given it but didn't tell the patient's nurse that she'd done it. The only way this coworker knew about the prn is that the nurse who checked it told her. This is a practice issue that could be taken to the licensing board, but won't be because the management chose to dump all over the nurse who reported it for reporting it and never even spoke to the nurse who did it. "

You don't have to wait for them to send it to the BON, you can do it yourself. Get dates, times and witnesses. If you aren't sure how to do it, just call the BON office and ask.

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