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Discussion

I was reported by the social worker.........

My unit coordinator came to me yesterday to tell me that the social worker complained to her that she saw one of the residents taking his medication without me present. What she didn't know is that I was right outside the room and just about to go check on him when she walked out. There's a whole big story why I left the meds with him momentarily and I won't go into that now but I know that it was the wrong thing to do and I guess she was probably right to report me.

However, it does gall me that every single day I run my you know what off like crazy to pass meds to 30+ residents, do a dozen fingersticks with insulin injections before breakfast and lunch, vital signs and treatments, the endless charting, taking off orders, filling out no less than 10 forms when a resident falls followed by a million phone calls, chase the aides around, talking to relatives, and all the other thousands of tasks required of a med and treatment nurse. In fact, we are not even called med and treatment nurses here. We are referred to as "charge nurses," even though we each take a hall and the "unit coordinator" actually functions more as the charge nurse. (However, when she doesn't want to take responsibility for something she will say, "Well, you are the charge nurse down that end.")

Anyway, I guess it irritates me that here is this social worker who has no idea what my job is, and evidently she has taken it upon herself to decide what is appropriate and inappropriate. And the reason I'm irritated is that, believe it or not, this was the first time I had turned my back on a resident after having given him the meds, and wouldn't you know that I would have the misfortune of having this twirp watching me MY VERY FIRST TIME. You would have thought maybe she would have given me a chance and then if she saw me do it again (as though that is her business!) then she may have gone to my coordinator. In fact, even my unit coordinator felt it was inappropriate that this social worker didn't come to me first rather than going directly to her.

Okay, I know it's a big no no to leave meds and it is not my habit but honestly with all the tasks and demands they ask of us, do they REALLY expect us not to take a shortcut now and again? At this particular nursing home, I am convinced the higher ups really don't care whether we actually do the work or not, they just want to make sure we charted that we did it and there is at least an appearance that we are following the rules. I'm sick of it. I've only been there three months and I'm really sick of it! :uhoh3:

Anyway, it's a fine thing when a social worker gets to monitor what nurses do. Isn't it nice she gets to sit in her office and no one sees her work!!!

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    • Featured Replies

    Well that social worker sounds like she has nothing else to do. If she felt what you did was inappropriate, it would have been better for her to approach you. I don't work LTC for a reason...it's always the same stories from these LTCs. I know at the hospital, if I have a medication that isn't essential and a patient that's oriented. I'll give him the cup of meds to take and when I make my rounds to check up on him, the patient says they took their meds. If the patient is confused, well yeah I'll stand there and watch them take the meds. Even if you took a short cut...we all have at some point so I won't sit (type) here and throw stones at you. It would have been better for the social worker to approach you. Perhaps she should shadow a nurse for a bit to see what it is you actually do. However, I've noticed that some social workers will have problems with things nurses do...things they don't even really understand. There's NCLEX world and then there's the real world of nursing. Next time you see her, tell her "welcome to the real world."

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    as a patient advocate, she was justified no matter how many grievances you air about your job.

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    People can be so cruel and not realize the damage they do to their co-workers. Makes you think anyone can report you at any time, huh? I hear yah. Why couldn't she just speak to you and not report you?

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    • Expert

    Yep, the physical therapist, respiratory therapist, occupational therapist, recreational therapist, housekeeping staff, maintenance staff, dietary staff, the medical records clerks, any and all family members, visitors, any Joe or Josephine Blow who meanders in off the street, can and will make complaints, because it strokes their ego to do so; not so much that they really care for the well-being of the residents. Just another thorn in the sides of nurses. Best to just keep on chugging along, and remember whenever you spot one of these people in your neck of the woods, to be extra careful. Sometimes it takes a long time to find out who is the "official" eyes and ears of administration and how much power they wield.

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    I know exactly how you feel. Too bad there are piranhas and scorpions in every hospital/care facility. But hey, keep on the good work...

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    that was a nasty thing for that social worker to do, but it happens all the time.

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    to the OP: i'm so sorry that happenned to you. Try your best to learn from the situation and move on.

    It really irks me how in the nursing field people are always scared about getting 'written up.' I hate that. No one truly understands that if you followed protocal and did everything you were supposed to do you how you were supposed to do it you would NEVER leave.

    I'm not justifiying taking shortcuts, all I'm saying is that so many of the rules are written to cover everyone else's behinds. No other (or atleast none that come to mind) professions are in so much danger of making a mistake because no other profession does work with such a high risk of human error.

    It's like yelling at my mom for getting burned and pointing out that my dad never gets burned. Well guess what, my dad doesn't do any cooking. If that makes sense...what i'm trying to say is that yes nurses probably 'mess up' more than in other professions....but the way the job is set up, under the time constraints and high level of multi-tasking required for the job it is almost like in many cases you are set up to fail.

    I'm not justifying taking shortcuts, but like I said, the environment needs to be supportive and created in a way where people CAN work at their best.

    It reminds me of a story I once read about how a nurse was written up for not using some sort of protective padding during a code because that made marks on a patients skin (yes the pads should have been put on) but no one bothered to thank the nurse for running the code in the first place! I"m not saying that the nurse needed a thank you, but its like....I don't know. I don't know what i'm trying to say, just that I think nursing is a very hard job and it isn't appreciated enough. People don't understand how difficult it is and it is VERY easy to judge and make comments when you aren't a nurse or in the field of nursing yourself.

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    • Expert

    It seems she could have spoken with you first; to me that would have been more appropriate. You were in the wrong as it is. She could have used it as a "teaching experience" on her part. And I am sure it would have gone much smoother. Just try not to do it again. OK?

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    • Expert

    Two words describe this social worker: passive-aggressive. . .

    I absolutely hate when someone reports something behind one's back because it is disgusting and juvenile behavior. If the person was really concerned for the safety and well-being of the patients, he/she would have intervened right then and there.

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    That was really nasty of her to do. Shes not a nurse. She doesn't know your rationale behind that. Nor does she have a med pass.

    I only leave beds at the bedside for 3 patients. 2 are alert and oriented as you and me. 1 is of course alert and orientedx3 but she likes to take her meds (20 pills) 1 at a time. If I was to stay there.. I'd lose a half hour. I make sure I am near her room though.

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    If this SW was is so concerned about the residents, maybe SHE should volunteer to sit with some of them while they take their meds. I doubt she could walk a mile in your shoes.

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    • Guides

    Yeah, don't you just love it when social workers stick their noses into the nursing department? At my last facility, our SW made up rules for the nursing staff all the time.....usually when she herself did something foolish, like spill soda all over the chart she was working on. After that incident, we were forbidden even to have covered food or drinks anywhere but in an alcove way at the far end of the hall, which made it extremely unpleasant to work in that building on a 100-degree day :devil:

    However, being the sort who never lets something as inconsequential as a ridiculous rule get in the way of running my floor as I see fit, I flat-out ignored this dictum and kept my drinks at the nurses' station and on my cart, all with appropriate covers to prevent spillage. I also allowed the CNAs and med aide to keep theirs within easy reach, and ignored the pointed looks from the SW whenever she spotted a contraband drink container.

    Now, if it had been the unit manager who'd issued the ban, I'd have fought it, but I would've followed it; IMO, however, social workers have no business telling nurses how to do their jobs, and I wasn't about to let this one make life miserable for me or my staff. So the water bottles and the travel mugs found their way back to where they could easily be accessed, and that SW never said a word about it.

    I'm with the posters who said the SW knows not whereof she speaks, and needs to mind her own business. Nursing has enough "bosses" as it is; we shouldn't have to answer to someone who knows nothing about what we do all day. Yes, LTC is a multidisciplinary endeavor, and we SHOULD work together for the good of the residents; and in a facility where the SW knows her/his place, it's pretty easy to do so.

    That said---for the safety of your job and your license, NEVER leave meds at the bedside of a patient, no matter how A & O s/he may be. There's always the possibility that s/he will forget to take them, or decide not to take them at all, and therefore miss out on vital medications. And of course, we've all heard the horror stories about some not-so-oriented person who meandered into the wrong room and took another patient's meds by mistake......I saw it happen once, a number of years ago. The poor confused resident had a bad reaction to one of the pills and had to be sent to the hospital, and the nurse who left the meds on the bedside table lost her job AND had to answer to the BON. It's just not worth the risk to walk away from an uncontrolled med cup!

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