Who is tired of the abuse from lg Corp politics?

tracytoon · Feb 24, 2005

The only way I can really bring any balance to my ethical self since I work for a nursing home company is to do good things on a volunteer basis. Unfortunately few nursing home corporations are altruistic in nature. It's where our salaries come from. I had to give a cynical little chuckle when the goals for our facility were posted by the administrator. They were all FINANCIAL goals. Not one of them addressed improving patient care. Sometimes you can't change the big picture, you can just make some small personal differences as a nurse.

surfnbeagle · Feb 24, 2005

Certainly sounds like many of us are totally fed up with corp. Where I work there are also rules that only apply to some. We even have a married couple working on our wing,when the handbook says thats is not permitted. When the DON has been asked about this, she says oh I have that covered! We had a wonderful CNA who was told to "fill in all the holes" in ADL books(hmm..fraud) he called corporate on their alleged anonymous number, and the next day he got a conference call about following the chain of command. Needless to say, they let him go later on a trumped up accusation. So beware of the so called corporate anonymous line!!

Catch · Feb 25, 2005

Anyone else feel my pain...

Hey, I've been there, too, 15+ years, and finally left because I felt like I hated everybody. Fortunately, I've gotten over that attitude, but I never want to go back. I don't know if there is any answer or solution to the problem of how nurses are treated by administration--we're expendable, period. As long as we have no power, we'll be treated accordingly. Back in the 70's, when I was in school, the thought leaders in nursing were saying the nurses needed more education and needed to get third-party payments, the way MD's do, and that would level the playing field somewhat. I haven't seen that happen where I live. I work in homecare now, and I decide who I work with, when I work, how often, etc, etc. I love that kind of self-determination.

Va rebelnurse · Feb 25, 2005

Our facility is part of a chain of LTC homes. Our particular home has only been open a few months. There has been a real big push over the past two weeks to increase our census. We have had 4-5 admissions in a day with only two nurses to care for the residents we have now on top of doing all the admissions. Our admissions director is taking any patient that is breathing as a new admit on our skilled unit. We are getting total care patients on a unit that is supposedly skilled for short term rehab. Yesterday my manager told me that staffing was going to be cut further "temporarily" until the census came up. Whatever happened to taking care of the patients first! I must be really naive- somehow I thought our facility was different than a lot of the others- until yesterday afternoon. :crying2:

Catch · Feb 25, 2005

Thats fine when the company makes tennis shoes or Suburbans, hell I PROMISE I'm a capitalist. But some things should not be a source of profit- like misery and disease. Its morally WRONG WRONG WRONG. In this country we pay out the nose for our idea of privatizing everything, where other countries have people that live as long and in as good of health and pay a LOT less than us.
Some things should be run for the public interest, and run with the idea that what is important is the quality of life of those involved, staff included. NOT for the fat cat brats. They have enough.
(germain keels over out of breath and falls off her soap box)

You're funny, germain, but seriously, I can't decide who comes last, the nurse, or the patient.

CHATSDALE · Feb 25, 2005

ii was surprised to see rebel's post about the skilled unit...usually those homes with a skilled unit get more money per pt and so have better staffing ratios

as for looking for a sacrifical lamb when they get a bad survey that is something i have seen and heard about country wide..they run around in circles and scream off with her head [gender chosen on purpose]

solution?? i don't know but people walk away when they feel like they can't make a differance and they are replaced with someone who also feels dumped on or by someone who doesn't care...patients are never the winner

to op i hope that you find a position where you feel fulfilled...and don't stop c/o to state or federal inspectors...yu may be labeled a 'disgruntled employee' but someday somewhere a little bit of good will come ..

littleplaynurse · Feb 25, 2005

Reading all these posts once again validates the "we aren't alone" theory. It's widespread, it's criminal, it's legalized abuse. The almighty dollar wins out once again. It's discouraging and heartbreaking to those of us who thought we could make a difference, only to find that while trying to do that we were on a treadmill going nowhere fast....unionization would be great - but most places don't have one, and most nurses don't dare to attempt to start one because they KNOW they will be terminated. One poster asked the question "who is worth less -the patients or the nurses" (or something to that effect). The answer is: We are both worthless in the eyes of the facility/corps., but the nurses are the only ones with the option to "get the hell out of Dodge". Sadly, the patients don't have that option, and THAT is what breaks my heart........

jyoung1950 · Mar 14, 2005

Just wondering how many other nurses there are out there that is ready to give up on LTC and change to smething else because of all the COrp. bull and crap they jam down our throats. :angryfire
I was just let go from a LTC Corp of about 300+ homes across the U.S. Worked for them for 4 years as DNS and then as a consultant. One of the facilites I have been asigned did not have a good survey and was placed in a stop placement. The area V.P. needed to come up with someone to blame and that was ME the lonley "just a consultant" as the VP keeps telling the us.
I have seen this V.P. who has been with the company just a little over a year continue to do this.
It seems Corps. do NOT care about resident care anymore. They do not follow their own mission statement. So many LTC facilites are in a crisis for staff and they treat staff like they are the scum off their shoes.
It has always amazed me people of power can not do my job as they are not a nurse they are bean counters. They make the rules and the P&P and then shove them on us and inform us if you do not follow their rules they will go after your LN lic. Now wait a minute I have a standard of care and nurse practice act to follow. I pass a federal state exam. They graudated from a college and that is IT. They took no state exam.
So what right do they have to threaten my lic.
Can they be charged with abuse and neglect of a resident? They are the ones that come up with staffing grids and numbers and budgets that are so low there is no way anyone could even begin to give decent care.
So sorry... I am just really tied of the politics that seems to go with giving patient care. I must have missed that day in nursing school. I sure do not remeber having any classes relatred to this type of crap.
The really sad thing is I am a great nurse and love old poeple and the deadicated staff in nursing homes, but can not handle it anymore after this. 15 + of working in Long Term Care from LN to DNS to consultant. It is time to stand up for the rights of the elderly and their needs and not the bean counter needs and the profits of their pockets so they can drive cars fancy cars and live in big fancy houses and big salaries.
Anyone else feel my pain...

When health care facilities start being run and administered by people who are health care professionals.

People in business, accounting, human resources and law don't have a clue what is involved and needed.

Sure, they may empathize and try to understand but the business is health care.

Yes, the underlings and worker bees for the different departments can be accountants, bookkeepers, legal eagles etc. but the overall decisions should be for health care professionals.

This industry is dealing with warm, sick bodies - not widgets and must be adminstered differently than a manufacturing factory or a service industry that does not have an issue of working with life and death situations.

Here at the hospital I work at, our wonderful human resources department continues to believe that fingerpainting type activities will elevate morale and alleviate the stress of the direct patient care staff. As far as I am concerned, that kind of attention is insulting.