am I the only one who gets nervous when states are here?

[Ms.RN]

our facility began our state survey and yesterday a state lady watched me to pass medication to my patient through peg tube. i was so nervous that my hands shook and my whole body shook. this lady kept telling me not to be nervous, yet she kept asking me did you do this did you do that as if shes trying hard to find mistake. i probably got lot of citations becuase it didnt go well. is surveyor suppose to tell you what mistakes you made or are they suppose to do that to at the meeting?

[achot chavi]

Even the most seasoned nurse gets nervous in these circumstances and I think CCM's idea about not facing them alone is a good one, better to have a witness so that facts can't be twisted out of context.

It is normal for them to ask questions during procedures, try to stay calm and take deep breathes, (the briefs idea was pretty good too)They expect you to be nervous, but try not to let them see you sweat. After all you are supposed to be doing stuff that you do every other day of the year!!

You can go as slow as you want, there are no points taken off for that, but make sure you wash hands, close doors, give explanations, check id's measure meds just before administrating, put measuring cup on a flat surface before pouring, get signatures for narcotics, etc, etc.

This gets easier with time.

We try and make sure that only seasoned calm staff are working the mornings that surveyors come.

[noc4senuf]

When it comes to tube feeders and meds, I have my managers routinely watch the nurses administer the feedings and meds. This way the nurses are accustomed to being watched by someone else. THey also have the option of carrying a card with them to explain the steps, and to have a supervisor with them when performing in front of a surveyor. This has worked nicely.

With the QIS survey, the surveyors concentrate more on my managers than the acutal floor staff.

[BEDPAN76]

We are in the "window" for our visit from state. The administrator and DON are making things very stressful for everyone. They are always in a bad mood and the tension around the entire building is awful! This is a pretty decent facility where everyone really does a good job, and the residents are in good shape, basically. Over the years, I have seen some facilities that should be shut down. Are other DONs and Admins this bad? Any ideas to calm everyone down?