who claimed that I refused to put a resident on the bedpan. She was walking by me and told me a certain resident told her she needed to have the pan and I said, "Okay, I will get her aide." I spotted the aide around the corner and just a few moments later, she and I both walked back to the resident's room where I left her to put the resident on the bedpan and I went back to my med cart to continue passing what was an already overdue med pass.
Normally I always do whatever I can for the resident without walking a mile to find the aide, but at this particular moment I couldn't do it since I had already just helped three of the aides either transferring residents, repositioning or dressing them. I simply had to get back to my med pass, and it didn't really matter anyway since the aide was just a few feet away and easily accessible.
I thought everything was cool until the supervisor approached me later that day and said that this bookeeper asked her to speak to me about my refusing to put the elderly woman on the bedpan. We actually both just laughed about the absurdity of it and I said to my sup, "Well, it angers me but as long as I have your support I'm cool." To which she replied, "Of course you have my support. I know the work you do. She doesn't know a thing about what we do, except her bookeeping!"
The thing is, this nursing home has the nonnursing administrative personnel walk around on the weekends with a clipboard for four hours observing and marking down anytime someone does something wrong!! They can be bookeepers, secretaries, scheduling clerks, just about anyone who is the farthest thing from a medical professional. Believe me, the nurses absolutely RESENT being spyed on, and of course, now I resent it too.
What a great way to promote morale and good interpersonal relationships, huh? If they are going to use these folks to monitor the professionals you'd think they would at least train them in communication skills, if nothing else.
The good news is that I think I have finally found another job.............I had an interview last week, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I will find out this week whether I have the job. The only thing left to do is pass the drug and background test, and I know those are clean!!!!!!
Hmmm that sounds like my bookkeeper lmao! We are told as nurses that our med pass must not be interrupted, but obviously the person who made up that rule didn't work in a nursing home lol. I too assist with bedpans, transfers, turning and many other duties. Some people think that when they tell you something you should immediately go do it. They don't realize that if you are punching out meds its an act of congress to stop, either go assist that resident or find someone to help you if it requires 2 person assist. If you have meds in your hands then you either go give them or put them in the drawer return... Its great that your supervisor is supportive and has your back!!!
When I have 10 hours of work that needs to be done in the last 5 hours of my shift.. you bet your tush I'll be getting a CNA to toilet or put a resident on a bedpan.
My facility is starting to tell the nurses to help the CNA's. But another co-worker made a good point to the DON that they can't help us with everything we have to do so how can we get our work done?
Haven't heard a word about helping the CNA's since then.
I have no problem bringing a resident to their room, helping feed during dinner, answering a call light, getting water or juice. But there are some nights when I have to fly through the med pass even to get everything done with admissions, orders, charting, calling MDs etc.
We have non nursing weekend managers. A few of them have tried to pull this on me/ my staff. I am the nursing super/ charge nurse/ med nurse/ treatment nurse. It is the weekend so in addition to those duties, I also have to answer phones and deal tihe all the other issues etc...of course staffing is less on the weekends too.
I resent having the weekend managers look over my head and nit pick everything. "I know what the issues are tyvm, but it might take more than 5 minutes to warm Mr so and so's coffee up. Thanks for pointing it out, but did you know that the kitchen is this way and the you can actually answer a phone if you pick it up?" Yes....I actually said that to them. Needless to say...they are not looking over my sholders and rarely come out of the office to "weekend manage"
That's kind of stressful place to work. A non-medical personnel snooping around and assuming what was not done right and reporting the nurse? The bookkeeper should have at least talk to you first. Well, obviously the person did not have a clue of nursing priorities.
Specializes in drug seekers and the incurably insane..
We have a few like that where I work....one that comes to mind is our incredibly anal-retentive dietary services manager. He will not do anything that could be remotely out of his job description, I overheard him refusing to put a clothing protector (bib) on an elderly resident. He told the resident "I'm a manager, I'll go get the aide for you". There was no reason why he couldn't have helped the resident with this. However, he'll be the first to report a nurse or CNA if they took a brownie for a diabetic resident!!!! Uh, hello!!! Resident's rights!! And he will not assist a resident out of the dining room either....he'll place them near the doorway and time how long it takes for nursing to get to the resident!!! My boss just takes him with a grain of salt.....things aren't so well in his dept.. If he actually did his job, maybe he would not have so many citations from the state!! *wine
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Isn't that a potential HIPAA violation?
No. Anyone employed by the same facility has signed the same confidentiality agreement and are held accountable. If they have permission by administration to enter the pt care area they are OK. BUT, if they go snooping in patients charts without permission and over step set boundries of the task they are held to disciplinary action. The same for them.......IF they are caught sharing confidential information without permission they can be held responsible for breaking HIPAA.:)
Thank you all for your replies. Reading them helps me realize even more that this nursing home I've unfortunately joined is quite dysfunctional in many, many ways. I've felt that way from the day I set foot in the place, and five months later, I believe it even more. It starts at the top and filters all the way to the bottom.
One more story before I sign off. The tattling and reporting in this place goes on continuously. My manager told me of an instance where the activities director reported a nurse (for some minor infraction that she undoubtedly didn't understand) and decided that instead of going to HER manager or to the nurse herself, she bypassed not only the charge nurse, supervisors, DON and the administrator, but went right to the corporate offices to talk to the chief nursing administrator!! The accusation was that the nurse turned her back on a resident while giving her meds, same as what happened to me the first time.
Well, instead of the chief executive nurse telling the snotty little activities director to go out and play in traffic, and by the way next time use the chain of command, an entire investigation ensued, with people interviewed right and left and write ups, and everybody getting all upset. And after all that, nothing could be proven against the nurse and the only thing "accomplished" was creating mass hysteria at the nursing home.
I've decided that the next time ANYONE comes up to me and says, "So and so has reported that she saw you......." I am going to answer, "Well now, you just take and tell so and so to come to ME and report what she saw, and unless and until that happens, I will not address it with anyone! Let's stop reliving first grade over and over again."
Totally agree. But I think the reason they do it is because they want someone with non-nursing eyes to look around and see how the residents look. In other words, how does the place look to any old John or Mary walking around visiting relatives. So, the intention is good, but definitely the wrong approach.
I don't think the administration understands the resentment they are causing among the licensed nurses. This, in addition to all the other problems there. It doesn't seem as though this facility really cares to bring up their ratings, as they appear to insist on dragging the place further and further down. They just don't seem to get it. Bad management.
Its great that your supervisor is supportive and has your back!!!
GHGoonette, BSN, RN
1,249 Posts
And OP, if you do get that job, write a lovely "exit letter" telling management what you think of their "prefects".
Doesn't sound like a care facility, it sounds like a school.