Incompetent Nurses.. Why are they working?

hollykate · Feb 11, 2001

you really need to report this situation to the government agency in your state that oversees nursing homes. It is great that you want to stay and "save" this facility, but they will not change unless legally forced to. And from what you describe little changes (hoyer lift pads) are not what this place needs. You can report them anonymously- but I would be sure to not be working for the surprise inspection, you could go down with the ship as well. We recently had a nursing home completely shut down immediately upon inspection. It was a terrible place, but we then heard it was even more difficult to find placement for all the residents. You're definitely in a difficult place. In addition, if the reputation is known about this place, it won't look good on your resume that you stayed, even if your intentions are good. To really effect change, you need to get the state inspectors, and the board of nursing involved. I mentioned the board only due to the med errors you say are occurring.

JulieW · Feb 11, 2001

Cherie, it seems like you got a bit defensive of your facility when you got the advice you did (and sound advice, might I add!). It's nice that you want to do so much good but if you don't take care of yourself, you will burn out quickly and your employers will take major advantage of your good intentions. I would recommend not doing so many doubles for them. Be the best nurse you can be during your shifts and let them worry about the rest.

Also, I wouldn't exactly refer to a nurse that makes daily med errors an exception if she's employed FT, and an aide that scolds a resident for incont. is a cruel human being that needs to be terminated asap.

Good luck if you decide to stay. In any event, I urge you to bring authorities into this facility. Once you're licensed, it will be illegal for you NOT to. It sounds like your DON was just pacifying you. If he believes she (the nurse in question) has done something bad enough for dismissal, then why postpone it? Because of replacement issues? Not too cool putting staffing needs on top of patient needs. Agencies exist everywhere. It all comes down to $$$.

I can tell you care for the residents. You sound like a really compassionate person and I'm sure you'll make a great nurse. Show your residents and their families you care by notifying proper authorities. You should have numbers posted in your facility for Ombudsman.

Best of luck.

Julie, LVN

Tim-GNP · Feb 11, 2001

Unfortunately, if you do not report even "suspected" abuse, [regardless of verbal, physical, emotional, psychological] to your state's ombudsman and DOH, YOU are EVERY BIT AS GUILTY AS THE PERSON WHO IS COMMITTING THE ABUSE! I would get in touch with your DOH immediately. Anonymity is guaranteed.

Cherie · Feb 12, 2001

Julie, I got defensive for a very good reason. The advice I'm getting is based on the knowledge of these workers, not the knowledge of the home. If they do infact take care of the problems then I will be happy to stay on there as an employee. And as for the double shifts, I was implying that I'd rather work doubles then have these ppl staffed.. not that I was working double shifts. The only thing that might burn me out is working and going to school at the same time. As long as things are being handled and not ignored then that is an improvment.. The LPN is monitored closely by the other nurses because they all know what's going on, and they have now started making sure she isn't killing any residents.

So if I sound defensive, it's because I'm not going to let a couple of rotten apples spoil the whole bunch.. we'll just toss out those rotten apples. Like I said in my other reply to Tim, I will be reporting to my Omb. about the other aide. And the LPN doesn't work full time, 1-2x per week tops.. but that's too much regaurdless. Thanks for the support Julie

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Walk9 · Feb 13, 2001

I agree with Duckie. Nurses who are incompetent survive by kissing the right butts. I worked as a Respiratory Therapist in a facility where aides spoke about their sex live with patients, chewed tobacco, played hide and seek in patients rooms on the weekends and ignored call bells. One nurse would always complain of a migraine (usually on a weekend when no management was around) and wear her dark sunglasses and sit in the back room while everyone else had to cover for her. I was the only one who spoke up about it and said that if she were that sick she should go home instead of being on the clock. I have witnesses when she confronted me in the hallway and told me to mind my own business in a very vulgar way. Guess who got reprimanded- ME!! It just so happens that she is buddies with the nurse manager and got away with it. It makes me sick to say that there were people who backed her up who actually saw the whole thing that day. Why should the rest of us pick up the slack for those who get away with not doing their work? I left there when i became an RN. They had the nerve to ask me to work there as a nurse. NO WAY!! Also the incompetent and very dangerous people who were in my nursing class who always squeeked by with help (cheating) are now out there too. I hope i never encounter them again. Incompetent people always seem to get by while the rest of us take up the slack or when we speak up- look like the bad guys. QUOTE]Originally posted by Duckie:

Another reason unsafe nurses keep their jobs is that they know who's butt to kiss to make all their troubles disappear. Example: About 2 years ago, I followed a nurse on a daily basis that would leave meds she has signed out as given in cups in the residents meds drawers...so much for presetting??? On a daily basis, I would find she had removed my time and date from treatments and place a new tape on them, but never doing the treatment. I have a certain marking to my dressing that no one knows but I can look at a treatment and know it was mine. She also forget to take off countless orders that were found by me and many other nurses. Once I called her at home about an order she had told me in report she had received but it was never written in the order sheet so I told her she needed to come in and write it as she received it from the MD. She said she wasn't coming back in, that she was tired. I told her in no uncertain terms she would come back in or I would write her up. She came onto the hall, didn't say hi, bye, or kiss my rosey red butt, grabbed the chart, wrote the order, then threw it across the desk, knocking everything on the floor. Of course this display of unprofessional behavior was documented on a "Report of Concern". Then there was a time she forgot to take an order off when she received it but it showed up a week later, with forged initials for all 3 shifts for a week. I wrote incident report after incident report, keeping copies of each and a ledger. Want to know how the story ends...well, this was termed a "personality conflict" between the two of us and one of us would have to be moved from the unit since we obviously couldn't get along. The icing on the cake was when she called me a liar in front of staff and residents regarding a notification of a family member of an incident that occurred. I had charted I had left a message on the family members answering machine to call the facility and talk to me. Well, this nurse announced in a very loud voice, "They said you didn't leave a message and I would never believe you over them." Later it was proven I had left the message and another family member had erased it accidently. Well, I had enough and demanded this nurse be dealt with. So here I was, a nurse who had never been written up, verses a nurse who had been written up 20 plus times in less than 6 months by me and other nurses. I got to stay on a hall I had worked for over four years, only because I had 3 days more in the facility. What a crock!!! I knew I was fighting a loosing battle because this nurse had lunch daily with the DON and Administrator and it was well known, they were all pals and this nurse was their snitch. I guess I should feel lucky I didn't loose my job for trying to set this nurse straight but I'm happy to report that nurse no longer works there, nor does the Administrator or DON. She went on to be floated from hall to hall, being wrote up repeatedly and nothing ever happened. She didn't get fired, she quite to work at a local ER. Now does that make you feel secure of what!!!! All of this taught me a big lesson. Always write it down, keep a copy and I also keep a ledger of incidents that occur. I work very hard at my job, triple checking everything I do to prevent mistakes, so I cover my backside because the ones that can't do their job, know who's backside to kiss to keep theirs out of trouble.