I am writing for some advice from people with experience. I am a new grad and I have been working in a LTC for the last 3 months. The facility is sponsoring my green card and they made me promiss to work for them for 2 years, although they haven't made me sign any agreement yet.
The problem is that the management is so horrible that I am dying to leave the place, but I can't until my green card is approved.
For example, I didn't get the basic fire safety in-service the first 2 months. The first week the DON and the assistant DON told me to spy on all the floors and tell them what I found the nurses do wrong. When I came back with a list of things that were wrong, after a while they didn't want to hear it any more and labeled me as a complainer. Then the nurses on the floors where things are done wrong, they don't want to work with me because I want to do things the right way, and it makes them look bad.
A nursing supervisor complaind about me to DON that I was annoying because I requested a drug book (which every unit is supposed to have) a couple of times.
We have to punch in and out every day and the time clock is unfair and inconsistant. I always get paid anywhere from 15minutes to 1 hour less than I am supposed to. Lunches are not paid, and over time is not paid.
The DON told me not to take BP on cardiac meds because "it takes too long and you won't finish all the meds if you do BPs." She says "you sort of have an idea of your residents' ranges" although the MD order read that BP ranges had to be 60-100 and that MD had to be notified if it wasn't within the range. In fact, when I took the BP like I was supposed to, it was so low that I had to hold 3 medications and call the MD. Imagine what would have happened if I had given the meds??? The DON laughed when I insisted on taking the BP saying that I was young and inexperienced.
Then, a family complained about me that I "ask too many questions when the patient wants a pain med (which is actually an anti-anxiety med)." The DON asked me what happened, and I said I normally go through the standard protocol when a patient asks for a PRN med. Typically, when the family comes, the patient says "can I have my tranquilizer?" I say "what's going on? how are you feeling?" pt says "I am feeling anxious" and shakes her hands to make herself look anxious. Meanwhile, pt's hands are shaky all day long and I ask her if she is aware that her hands shake all day. She says she didn't know that. I go and get her ativan. So the DON and the assistant DON told me that I should not ask any questions and just give the PT the med. I explain to her that as per protocol, I have to document why I am giving a controled substance and I have to ask why the pt needs the med. IT's not a tylenol or a vitamin we are talking about here. It is a double locked controlled substances that each shift counts to make sure no pill went missing. And the DON tells me "just give it without asking questions" ??? I told the DON maybe she could explain to the family that I am just following the protocol to give the pt the best care, but she didn't want to do that. Her and the assistant DON both said "We don't side with the nurses. With side with the families because that's who brings the money! There is so much competition among nursing homes and we have to make the family happy so that they stay with us!" They told me that I was impossible to work with and that they are going to write me up for insubordination.
I like caring for patients and always want to do the best I can. I don't think I did anything wrong. I would like any advice on how I can handle the situation while I am stuck at this place for another 1 year and 9 months (unless I get a greencard fast or they somehow decide to terminate the verbal contract ). Leaving the place is not an option. I just would like to figure out how I should behave to make the situation somewhat bearble. By the way, there are some nurses that feel sorry for me and side with me, but they are scared to say something for their own sake...
