Is this the norm everywhere? Should I turn & run the other way?

roser13, ASN, RN · Jul 29, 2012

Run Forrest, run!

caliotter3 · Jul 29, 2012

Well, how badly do you need a job? Can you get something better? You could tell yourself that you will only stay as long as it takes to get another job offer, or you could type up your letter of resignation, submit it, and go home to wait for the last paycheck to be mailed to you. You are the one who is stuck with the consequences no matter which way you decide to go. Tough decision made by lots of people all the time.

beast master RN · Jul 29, 2012

Is it the norm to have patients run out of meds & to have to borrow/steal from another patient's meds?

Is it the norm for a facility to run out of testing/treatment supplies & not be able to do proper treatments & tests on dozens of patients for the entire day?

Is it normal for nurses to sign off on whole med passes & treatments & not actually do any of them?

Is it common for nurses to skip vitals on multiple patients & then just "come up with something" to put in the chart?

Is it common to meet what seems like an excellent nurse only to have to do a double-take when they sneak a pill out of the patient's cup of meds on the way down the hall & pop it into their mouth - slide of hand?

Is it common to have a policy of "Here's what you're supposed to do, but in reality here's what we do to get by. I'm not telling you to do this, I know you're going to do it because you gotta do what you gotta do...but if you get busted it's your butt on the line."

....

ok the first one, yes that is normal and while its not the proper thing to do , and you never do that in front of state surveyors it is common practice, its like the lesser of two evils u no?? is it better not to give this norvasc 10 mg or just borrow it tell the med gets delivered tomarrow...?

the second im not sure what your talking about?? if your talking about finger stick supplies or wound care supplies then definitively never never not normal, and not good

the second , while it happens , is not normal and dont do it!! your are responsible for you!! dont do it plain and simple, now that doesnt mean you dont occasionally not give a breathing treament or something small like that because somebodies sugar is 37 , or there o2 is 79, or you have to er some one out or get two admission in one night !!!

the third is just about the stupidest thing iv ever heard and needs to reported to the don and administrator now, period ps DONT DO THAT !!

the last sound what we in the business like to call "time management" some times u have to cut corners, not where it counts, but u gotta do what u gotta do , alot of procedures are nessary and needed . and some are ridiculous ,period

i hope this helps and its just one humble nurses opinion who was several years experiences in a ltc facilty , take it with a grain of salt some people will think different , and alot of people dont know what its like in a ltc with 35 residents 3 tube feeders 6-10 dm2 pts 4=5 psyc pt on a normal floor , 5-6 hoyers lift pts and every thing else under the sun

good luck keep your head up

tyvin, BSN, RN · Jul 29, 2012

Unfortunately it sounds like many LTC places that I've seen, worked, and had friends work in as well. You don't have to turn into that type of nurse. You can keep yourself professional in spite of it all. Seeing someone divert pills is a big no no and you need to report it. As for the rest of it there isn't much you can do but keep your head down and follow the rules. There's usually p/p related to borrowing of meds. As for supplies, who orders it...find out and see if they need help if it's that big of an issue or if that's the issue. Are you sure they weren't performing for the new nurse?

As far as other nurses you should just concentrate on your med pass. What other's do unless it's related to narcs or abuse is usually best left alone. You can become a target so be careful. Concentrate on doing your med pass. You'll get faster with time. Read other helpful post on here related to LTC med passes and how to trick out your cart and consolidate time best.

Keep submitting your resumes...eventually something will come up.

MzMouse · Jul 29, 2012

Is it common to meet what seems like an excellent nurse only to have to do a double-take when they sneak a pill out of the patient's cup of meds on the way down the hall & pop it into their mouth - slide of hand?

Evidently not slight of hand enough... :uhoh3: Wow; that is scary.

As far as policy compared to what actually goes on; that isn't uncommon. If I roomed every patient ( I work in a clinic) the way our Patient standard of Care is written it would take me 15-20 minutes per patient; not acceptable to keep things running. Of course it doesn't help that policies are written by people who never see, much less ever do any patient care.

OnlybyHisgraceRN, ASN, RN · Jul 29, 2012

Common? yes. Right? Heck no. Run don't walk away from this place. Not all LTCF are this way but many are. Keep looking.

imintrouble, BSN, RN · Jul 29, 2012

Well, how badly do you need a job? Can you get something better? You could tell yourself that you will only stay as long as it takes to get another job offer, or you could type up your letter of resignation, submit it, and go home to wait for the last paycheck to be mailed to you. You are the one who is stuck with the consequences no matter which way you decide to go. Tough decision made by lots of people all the time.

I like this no-nonsense down to earth advice. Throw in non-judgemental too.

Having worked in several LTC facilities, I've seen every single scenario described. It happens. You can't fix the world, not even that little corner where you work. Accept it or move on.

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Jul 30, 2012

No,no,no,no,no,....not common or tolerated in any facility I've ever worked in.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jul 30, 2012

sleight of hand, and doesn't sound as if it was that successful, either.

1) get another job stat

2) as soon as you start there, report #1 to the state dph

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Jul 30, 2012

Please stop referring to residents as "tube feeders"....it is SO disrespectful and demeaning.

nursynurseRN · Jul 30, 2012

I have seen places run out of supplies and borrow meds from other patients. Never witnessed another nurse steal meds for her self. Have seen nurses make up vitals. Cutting corners to get your work done in time is cmmon, but its how you cut them. Will cutting corners harm a patient? Like not giving them their bp med? Sad to say but the scenario you describe is nit uncommon and like another post states, how badly do you need the job?