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!!!!!!
The issue I have with this is that a book keeper is not licensed or certified to be directly involved with res. care and is not legally allowed to supervised RN's, licensed nurses or CNA's. It is also against the res. right to confidentiality and HIPPA for anyone to be going into the res. rooms, observing their care, if they are not directly responsible for rendering the care. I can see someone like this playing the role of a receptionist, answering non nursing questions, etc. You could make a formal complaint in writing about this person practicing with out a license or certificate or complain to the health department that they are using her as a supervisor over peoples medical care. If a person needs something all she can really do is tell the charge nurse and leave it their hands.
Agree. On the one hand, I understand she was concerned for the resident, and I love that about her, but in addition to jumping to the wrong conclusion, such actions cause dissension and resentment among staff, and just generally a mistrust that whatever one does will be interpreted negatively and immediately reported. It's already happened to me twice at the same place in less than four months!!! And NEVER in my previous 20 years of ltc work. :)
indigonurse
216 Posts
The issue I have with this is that a book keeper is not licensed or certified to be directly involved with res. care and is not legally allowed to supervised RN's, licensed nurses or CNA's. It is also against the res. right to confidentiality and HIPPA for anyone to be going into the res. rooms, observing their care, if they are not directly responsible for rendering the care. I can see someone like this playing the role of a receptionist, answering non nursing questions, etc. You could make a formal complaint in writing about this person practicing with out a license or certificate or complain to the health department that they are using her as a supervisor over peoples medical care. If a person needs something all she can really do is tell the charge nurse and leave it their hands.