Does Inadequacy equal Incompetancy?

Hiyas guys and gals... heres my schtick...

ok--

I work overnights at a local nursing home. I am an LPN in charge of 1 40 bed floor in the facility. I immediately supervise 2 CNA's and, above me, we have an RN Supervisor.

I am Mandated to make walking rounds Q hourly, which I do without complant. My Nurses aides make their hourly rounds (aside from changes and ADL's) basically in between my rounds. Its a nice system-- we usually pick up problems pretty quickly.(sometimes a resident who's swaddled up to their neck in multiple blankets as a matter of course may *rarely pass away through the night and, we'll discover that on change rounds... but always before the morning)...

My aides are predominantly immegrants from other countries, most have accents, but are easily understandible both in person, and over the phone. I am 'locally grown' :) and speak the English language Very Fluently. I do not use foul language, and encourage other people to do the same when on the nursing unit.

My Nursing supervisor, on the other hand, is an older woman... a very older woman (I do not mean to sound demeaning, as, yes, I am considerably younger than her, but, shes pushing mid seventies.) with a VERY thick foreign accent (I dont know if my co-workers/boss read this, and saying of which country she's from has a good chance of getting me in trouble). She has a habit of 'dissapearing' through the night, into a locked area of the nursing home for several hours in the middle of the shift and is very difficult to obtain on occasion (not all the time, but on occasion.)

While having difficulties on the unit recently (had to send out 2 patients, 1 at 2:30am, 1 at 6:30am for unrelated reasons) I was able to obtain the supervisor with only a modicum of difficulty (I had to send one of my CNA's downstairs to find her, if the residents were less acute, I probably would have done it myself)

and, told her, I wanted to send the first resident out. (the resident was very unresponsive with difficulty breathing and slight facial droop. No DNR.)

Instead of calling EMS for me, and filling out the forms while I was caring for the resident, she basically waited for me to finish my cares and assessment of the resident (O2 administration, fingerstick, repositioning, neuro check, et al) and, then had me fill out all the paperwork and call EMS. (due to a type of insurance, we have to get clearance before certain res. can go to hospital...)

I can understand having me call EMS... I am more easily understood, but, all the info I needed to tell them is on the forms I had to fill out (an extended transfer sheet, if you will) it is considerable more easy and concise to have 1 person do the sheet, 1 person take care of the patient.

then, she asked me to notify the family. which I happen to know is NOT one of my responcibilities... its the RN duty. (its written out that way in the P&P manual) Which I told her, and she very unhappily agreed, and notified the family.

I replayed this event at around 6am--another res had a seizure, without seizure history. Same story, she stood around, barely looked at the resident, and, did not help a lick.

On top of this.... she recently slipped on some ice, and broke her non-dominant arm. I do not mind assisting her with some of her work responcibilities (IE- putting things away in the cabinet) and I do not mind if she does not help with the physical side of problems, but, paperwork necessary before a transfer (that MUST be done before the res. can leave)... now, that she can do, but did not. I can understand having someone in a supervisorary role who is not at 100% working... there are we 'underlings' (I'm so resisting the use of the word 'peons' here) who can, and will do the grunt work.... but c'mon now..... gimmie a break... Goddess forbid... what would happen if both of them crunked at the same time! I think I'd be up an unsanitary tributary without a means of propulsion.

I feel that if you cant do the work, dont come in and make it 9 times as hard on the others (ie: being sick and insisting that you cant work or... in my least fave case-- being sick as a dog and leaving early... you're not benefitting me by coming in and doing a haphazard job that I will have to re-do. Best bet, stay at home, Get well, and do what you need upon returning.)

Now, I feel that if you Can do some work, but not all the work, C'mon in and do what you can, I will try my hardest to make the ends meet....

And... Finally... If you can do the work, and are feeling very apathetic towards the job.... STAY HOME. Apathy is not welcome on my unit. Ever.

*sigh....

also... something else, and, I suppose this continues the above rant...

If you are on my nursing unit, you are an equal. IE... You are responcible for EVERYTHING contained within your State licencure AND your job description, the state being the higher power. Nurses can do bedpans, diaper changes, and toileting. We can even answer call bells...

On a number of occasions, while I was doing very little at the nurses station, while both CNA's were doing changes, a call bell went off... I went to go and answer it promptly (a bell left on unnecessarily for too long to me is the most irritating thing on the planet.) If both CNA's are in other rooms... do you A) Check out the bell, B) Totally ignore it, or C) Scream down the hall for the CNA's to check it out... Supervisor has told me to do 'B' or 'C' until its been answered, can you say, I dont think so.... (actually, I said to her 'There's nothing in my job description that prevents me from answering bells. Now, excuse me while I go check on it')

I get so irritated at anyone in a supervisory position (LPN's over CNA's, RN's over LPN's) who gets into a holier than thou position about doing some menial chore. Heck-- most menial chores SAVE work in the long run-- if you answer the bell promptly, you can toilet the resident, who's now not going to Climb the rail and fall, and not going to break their hip, and, not cost the facility tons buku bucks, and, not take a 3 person transfer after their bedbound w/ a broken hip... SEE.. *sigh...

I believe I'm done venting...

What do you all think about Inadequacy equaling Incompetancy...

Thanks for the input.

--Barbara