Got written up AGAIN

allnurses Guide · Apr 29, 2015

Your job sounds soul-sucking even knowing you do your best for your residents. If management doesn't get that you can't force them to and it's their loss. Best wishes to you -- you deserve better!

VANurse2010 · Apr 29, 2015

The only difference between not and too many is 5 UA's?
i just cannot imagine, I'm ignorant to this side of nursing.

This situation is just a symptom of what I suspect is a wider problem in this facility. And yes, 5 UAs can make a big difference in that setting with that many patients. The key to that ratio (which would only ever be doable on night shift) is as few medications, treatments, and required charting as possible, and adequate CNA staffing.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Apr 29, 2015

Your UM sounds like a loose cannon. Really, yelling?? That behavior is not even okay for my 4-year-old. :sarcastic: You sound like a good nurse and any facility would be blessed to have you; if I were you I'd find another job and then give a full resignation notice...resisting the urge to sing that old country song "Take this job and shove it" as I'm delivering that letter :whistling:

alprn1414 · Apr 29, 2015

I'm sorry about your situation but do you think going around and getting a cath sample would have made the whole thing easier? I would never attempt to get a clean catch from an incontinent patient. With all that said, no shift should take responsibility for getting all the samples, in fact, at my facility if you received the order you get the sample.

so you are saying call and wake up the doctor for an order for a straight cath at 4am? the other shifts could have AT LEAST called and gotten an order. I worked 11-7 at a LTC facility and the RN/LPN was in charge of 98 patients. rediculous. id quit too!

Ruby Vee, BSN · Apr 29, 2015

So today, I get written up AGAIN!!! & for what this time....
Here's my story, I have been working at this LTC facility for 8+ yrs (3 yrs as an LPN & 5 as a CNA), so I work 80 hrs biweekly on 11-7 shift. I have 60 residents all to myself.....yes 60! But I don't let that stress me out, I have great time management skills, my meds are always passed out in a timely fashion, my notes are completed, my patients are kept safe, etc. But no matter how great of a job I do my best still isn't good enough.
When I have off a day, and then I go back to work, the nurses are always complaining about the nurse who filled in when I have off because my co-workers and patients appreciate me is what I can say. However, over the weekend, when I'm getting report from the previous shift, it's like they are always passing something on to the night shift, like I'm just sitting on my ass all night. Mind you, with 60 patients, the CNA's are always calling out, bad enough they are always working short.
So with all this being said, as I got report, it stated that 5 different resident's needed UA C&S (urine specimen)....again they're working short, plus I have a ton of high-risk fall patients.....so as the aides were doing their rounds, I delegated to them the "pee samples" I needed, and out of my 5 patients I was able to retrieve 3, 2 attempts on the other 2 residents were unsuccessful, but many attempts were made. so I had to pass it on to the next shift.
So while leaving work, the Unit-Manager called me into his office and wanted to know why I wasn't able to obtain all 5. I kindly explained to him how my night went. All in all, he started shouting and wasn't trying to hear anything I had to say. He's telling me abt my job description and how I am responsible for checking labs (which I did) and I am responsible for obtaining urine samples (no excuses!) I explained to him that a bed pan cannot side under a resident for a whole shift or a urinal between someone's legs...but every two hours my aide attempted again (and they may have wet the brief in the time between, but an attempt was made), so since I continued to explain myself instead of just agreeing with him, he then writes me up and tells me to sign the write up, I said NO, and refused to sign.
He said to him, that he's always coming to me telling me about what I DIDN'T DO, what about all the things that I DID DO, it's never good enough, he then says "Oh well, if you tell as though you aren't appreciated, then take it up with HR!" ......the thing is he has no idea how my night goes, I come into my nursing station looking a hot mess, trash filled up to the top, meds are all over the station that they didn't put away, papers everywhere, their work incomplete, then I gotta do their work and mine.
When I vented to him in the past, it went in the ear and out the other. I just have this confidence, because I know that I work harder than the other shifts that he always takes up for. When I receive report, the nurses be like, oh well, they have 30 patients each, so they didn't have time to do so and so, and just pass it along, but what about my 60 pts I had, I did the best I could.
So after I refuse to sign the paper, he just kept saying I MUST get this and that! So I kept asking him, what on the other shifts, the pt don't pee? He just said worry abt your shift. I make attempts whereas day and evening shift don't make any.
So I made a copy of the write up paper and went downstairs to speak to my DON about the situation. the DON and I spoke for abt 30 minutes, I explained to him the situation, and long story short, I feel as though he sided with the Unit Manager. the DON was explaining to me that the UM has a stressful job position (but like my position isn't stressful), I gave an example to him that on day shift that pts have toileting schedule...why wasn't the urine obtained then or on evening shift, they have toileting times, why wasn't it obtained then? They don't make any attempts that's why, they just pass everything on to night shift, I was so upset that I cried in front of the DON (and it takes a lot to make me cry) but I was pissed, especially when I go above and beyond!
I normally don't take my problems home, but I thought about it all day that I only slept for one hour after working night shift, and it's now evening, still haven't slept, I just feel as though right is right and wrong is wrong, they have their picks with coworkers (when I know who the horrible nurses are - sorry to say) but since I'm not in the IN crowd, oh lets write her up again!
Someone told me along time ago that "A Piece of Mind has No Price!" - so with that being said, I just finished writing my 2 week notice (it's really a month notice)....since my best isn't BEST enough, I'm going to step down from my full-time position and go part-time (I be missing my bed anyway).... I'm the best nurse to ever run that floor! but lets see how that floor runs without me....
Sorry to vent for so long, just had to get this off my chest.... this just gives me more motivation to focus on my studies and be well rested while doing so.

I don't know you, so I don't know if you're a good nurse or not, nor do I know whether or not your high opinion of yourself is justified. But there are some red flags that stick out to me . . . .

You got written up AGAIN. That tells me you've been written up before. Your description of your interaction with your manager comes across as disrespectful on YOUR part as much as on his. You said he "yelled" at you -- I'm not sure if that means he disagreed with you or if he actually raised his voice and shouted -- but the common feeling around here seems to be that if someone disagrees, they're yelling. So I'll go with that. The best response when your manager wishes to give you feedback is to acknowledge it, agree to change any behavior that you can possibly change and thank them for the feedback. You already know that you got written up for "defending yourself" (read "being defensive") rather than for not getting the urine specimens. It's probably that when you've gotten written up in the past, it was also defensiveness which, to a manager, comes across as "attitude problem." Indeed, your post screams "attitude problem."

You think you're doing a great job, that you're the best nurse on the unit, that you work harder than anyone else. Your manager evidently doesn't believe that. Perhaps you'd be well served by figuring out what exactly your manager finds problematic about your performance that he keeps writing you up, and attempt to fix it.

It sounds as if you've been to your manager complaining about your coworkers in the past. He has turned it back on you. And then you go to the DON (above your manager's head) and complain about the manager. You didn't get the response you expected there, either, so you're quitting. It really sounds to me like you do have an attitude problem. If your work load is so problematic that you cannot handle it, you'd be wise to seek a different job. If you CAN handle it and just want to complain about your coworkers, that's unwise. If you actually DO do so much more work than them, that's probably not fair, but then life isn't fair most of the time. It's unwise to go above your manager's head to complain about him to his boss. Very unwise.

It sounds as if you've burned your bridges here, but if you're fortunate enough to find another job, please learn to behave like an adult in the workplace. Defensiveness, complaining about other shifts, going over your manager's head -- none of those are adult or constructive behaviors.

allnurses Guide · Apr 29, 2015

I'm sorry about your situation but do you think going around and getting a cath sample would have made the whole thing easier? I would never attempt to get a clean catch from an incontinent patient. With all that said, no shift should take responsibility for getting all the samples, in fact, at my facility if you received the order you get the sample.

Same here we always cath for our U/A's to make sure they are clean catch. I got a lab back the other day that was + for e-coli so I asked the nurse who collected it if it was a cathed sample and she said the CNA collected it from a bedpan. So we had to cath the patient. If we hadn't she would have been treated with ATB for no reason. But if she did have an infection it took another two days before we knew.

On the nurses station being left a hot mess - When my shift comes in we don't let the other shift leave until they have tidied up their mess. You have to have strong boundaries. We are also expected to leave the station clean and tidy for the next shift. One night shortly after I started there the Narc count was off by one fentanyl patch and you should have seen the look on the outgoing nurses face when I said "I will not accept the keys until that patch is accounted for." We did find it 30 minutes later in the bottom unlocked drawer where liquid meds were stored.

Hppy

Hppy.

caliotter3 · Apr 29, 2015

I would look for a new job and then hand in a full resignation. By going to part time, if the facility even allows it at all, you are asking for more of the same treatment. Things will get worse and you will have given them notice to find 'reason' to terminate you and poison your future employment chances.

Galendria · Apr 30, 2015

Wow, and I thought my short LPN gig before I finished nursing school was bad! That place had a ratio of 22 patients to 1 LPN on 7am-7pm shift and 44 patients to 1 LPN on 7pm-7am shift. I still felt as if my entire day was a never ending med pass. I take my hat off to you, and wish you the best as you take the next step!

Conqueror+, BSN, RN · Apr 30, 2015

IN MY EXPERIENCE if your male unit manager/DON is not American born they will HATE you for talking back to them or complaining about another male supervisor. If you are confident and speak up for yourself it is often treated as you're being "out of place" or disrespectful. And yes they yell at women like its nothing. IN MY EXPERIENCE.

Justliving00, ASN, RN · Apr 30, 2015

Yes, this is totally what I am saying...he had the floor; I let him speak and when he was finished, I then spoke and he was pissed when I did and even though I was just talking, that's when he started yelling...and u are right, the UM isn't American

Justliving00, ASN, RN · Apr 30, 2015

I don't know you, so I don't know if you're a good nurse or not, nor do I know whether or not your high opinion of yourself is justified. But there are some red flags that stick out to me . . . .
You got written up AGAIN. That tells me you've been written up before. Your description of your interaction with your manager comes across as disrespectful on YOUR part as much as on his. You said he "yelled" at you -- I'm not sure if that means he disagreed with you or if he actually raised his voice and shouted -- but the common feeling around here seems to be that if someone disagrees, they're yelling. So I'll go with that. The best response when your manager wishes to give you feedback is to acknowledge it, agree to change any behavior that you can possibly change and thank them for the feedback. You already know that you got written up for "defending yourself" (read "being defensive") rather than for not getting the urine specimens. It's probably that when you've gotten written up in the past, it was also defensiveness which, to a manager, comes across as "attitude problem." Indeed, your post screams "attitude problem."
You think you're doing a great job, that you're the best nurse on the unit, that you work harder than anyone else. Your manager evidently doesn't believe that. Perhaps you'd be well served by figuring out what exactly your manager finds problematic about your performance that he keeps writing you up, and attempt to fix it.
It sounds as if you've been to your manager complaining about your coworkers in the past. He has turned it back on you. And then you go to the DON (above your manager's head) and complain about the manager. You didn't get the response you expected there, either, so you're quitting. It really sounds to me like you do have an attitude problem. If your work load is so problematic that you cannot handle it, you'd be wise to seek a different job. If you CAN handle it and just want to complain about your coworkers, that's unwise. If you actually DO do so much more work than them, that's probably not fair, but then life isn't fair most of the time. It's unwise to go above your manager's head to complain about him to his boss. Very unwise.
It sounds as if you've burned your bridges here, but if you're fortunate enough to find another job, please learn to behave like an adult in the workplace. Defensiveness, complaining about other shifts, going over your manager's head -- none of those are adult or constructive behaviors.

Yes, you are so right, you don't know me! And with all that being said you don't know the UM either. See certain mornings when he woke up on the wrong side of the bed, he come in looking for things, picking with nurses for no reason. And he is disrespectful, many Nurses put in complaints abt him that he doesn't know how to speak to ppl, and the chain of command, I can go above his head, that's why I went to the DON and I felt much better after leaving his office, but I was still upset how the UM spoke to me, when I worked his shift before. And he let his staff to anything, it's UNGODLY. But in your opinion it may seem as thou I have an attitude when I was just in fact venting. And abt my other right, he tried to write me up abt a lab last month, but come to find out I had off that night, so I refused to sign that write up then too, and yes I do think VERY HIGHLY of myself becuz I know the work that I do whereas others don't, but I'm going to hold on to my 2 week notice, looking for another job now, so I can leave this job where they belong, bcuz everyone who works there knows that the higher ups aren't for their staff or residence, it's all abt money

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Apr 30, 2015

Does anyone else think that crappy staffing is leading to the need for FIVE UA's for possible UTI's all at once? How can proper peri care be provided to 60 residents with not enough CNA's/nurses?!