HELP! My director called me in for a "talk"

[inProgress]

Ok, so I'm a nursing student who got hired at a local hospital three months ago as a PCA. I am having a problem and I don't know what to do. I really need advice. Here is the situation:

I work Fri/Sat/Sun. Last Friday I came into work and got my assignment. The day was going well, I took vitals first thing in the am, gave all of my pts baths by lunch time (even giving two of them back rubs) and changed everyone's linens. I took my pm vitals and had my breakfast & lunch I&O's recorded but not in the computer yet. A Baker Act came in and needed a sitter, I volunteered to be the sitter (I had a little reading to catch up on for school-- which was approved of by my director when I was hired). The floor was getting pretty busy so I asked another CNA to bring me a computer on wheels so I could put my I&O's in and tried to give him report. I told him about each pt and that was the end of it. Until a few hours later when night shift came in. The night CNA went into a room and it smelled of feces. I forgot to tell the day CNA that the lady doesnt call to tell you when she has used the commode. (I check them no matter what every hour when I do my rounding so I didn't think of it to tell him). The day CNA got mad at me and said I was making him look bad on purpose. I explained to him that I check it on my hourly rounding but he walked away mad.

Saturday, I came in and the night CNA told me that a pt's wife said I didn't bathe her husband the day before. I told him that I went into the room Friday morning after breakfast to bath him and the wife stopped me and said not to touch him, that she was going to do it. She insisted that I just leave the linens in the room and she would call me into the room after his bath was done. I checked in with her two hours later and she said she was going to wait until her husband came back from dialysis because he "gets sweaty down there." I asked her if it would be ok if we washed him together now that way he would be fresh for the day and if he needed another bath later I would give him one. She said no. He went to dialysis and didn't come back until I was already sitting in with the Baker Act. I again forgot to tell that to the day CNA about the situation and it made it look like the pt didn't get made. The pt's wife told the night CNA that I didn't even offer.

Sunday was crazy. I started the day with my same assignment I had all weekend. I took vitals, gave half my pts baths then got floated to another unit. Two hours later I was floated back to my unit and got the same assignment back, but nothing had been done since i left. I gave the rest of my pts baths and by that time it was time to take vitals and then lunch. After lunch I was floated yet again to another unit and most of the pts I was left with still hadn't been bathed, so I gave them baths. That is how the weekend ended.

Today, my director called me and said we needed to "talk." I came in after school and she told me (short version) that my job was on the line, she didn't like my performance, my coworkers were complaining I don't bath all of my pts baths everyday but I chart it that way, I'm not honest with them when I give report, I pawn my work off on them, and I'm snippy with the nurses. All of which aren't true and I cried. Yes, I cried. I was so upset that people that I thought were good people/coworkers were saying this about me and it wasn't truthful. I have not had one complaint from a patient about me, I have however, had complaints about me from coworkers. I don't understand. When I finish my work, I ask everyone if they need help with anything, I ask the nurses if there is anything I can do for them (ambulating pt, etc). I told my director my side of the situation and that I was upset that they couldnt come to me first and let me know what I was "doing wrong".

I'm lost here. This is my first experience working in healthcare and don't understand how this works. I'm used to helping coworkers out, not going to the DIRECTOR and "snitching". I feel like I have to walk on eggshells with these people.

HELP!

[Diaper, RN]

Well when I was a CNA, these things seem to be a 'big deal'. But when I'm finally working on the floor as a RN, I realized that there're more critical issues that we need to deal with such as life and death. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just take it as an advice to improve your performance. Good luck.

[inProgress]

That was my initial reaction, to take it as advice on how to improve. It is just hard for me to sit there and be called a liar when I know the truth but she doesn't see that. I'm trying to be positive here. I really am.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

inProgress, the one thing you need to do right now is stop talking about school if you are. Right now. Some people are supportive and some are jealous. I have worked in both environments and you, unfortunately, are in the latter.

Do not bring in books, do not even think about trying to catch up on some reading while you are there.

And good luck.