I want her fired!!!!

[HisTreasure]

If I hear that one more time I swear I am going to stop wherever I am and scream. Literally. I will stand there and scream until The People come to take me away for evaluation. :uhoh21:

I haven't worked staff at a facility for a very long time so I haven't had to deal with this issue personally in eons but it still chaps my hide every time I hear it.

Today I was supposed to meet my sister for lunch. I arrived at her facility and waited in the car at the designated spot. She didn't come down after 15 min so I called up to the unit (I used to work there). The secretary told me she said to meet her on the unit and we could eat in the staff cafeteria instead. I didn't understand why but when I went up to the floor I saw a huge semi-circle around Nursing Station B comprised of nurses, aides, administrative big-wigs, and family members of a particular resident. Particular as in picky. I hear, from the ENTRANCE of the unit the man of the family (father, uncle, whatever?) yelling "I want her fired!" He is pointing at this poor aide slinked low against the nursing station half crying, half yelling something about new bed linens. The rest of the staff, my sister included, are trying to calm down the man and his female companion, meanwhile he is still yelling "I want her fired. If this is the type of trash you hire in this facility then you should be closed down and I'm going to call State."

:nono:Oh, no, not those words. That's a bad threat.

So now this poor girl may lose her job. I don't know for sure because obviously my sis didn't get a lunch, or rather, I had to leave before I even spoke to her, so I don't know if she got a lunch or not. But she missed OUR lunch date because some layman read somewhere or heard somewhere that if you threaten to call State you can get anything you want. That is an abuse of power and it peeves me to no end. Further, I feel it is highly improper and rude that a family member can dictate who is or isn't employed at a facility.

This is not to say that she didn't deserve to be reprimanded. I don't know what she did, but I highly doubt it is worthy of being fired and even if it IS, that should be at the discretion of the facility not a family member.

WHEW! Thanks. I feel better.

[gentlegiver, ASN, LPN, RN]

I had a situation at work where a family member insisted that Mom had rampant diarrhea every night and she refused to take her home until we did something about it. Problem was that we charted on Mom's BM's for 2 weeks and never saw any signs or symptoms of it. However, whenever she did have loose stools, it came after family member brought in food for Mom. (Hummmm... makes you think) Dr. discharged Mom and she ended up staying an extra 2 weeks. Dr finally stated that if Mom was to stay the family would have to self-pay for her, (she was completely independent). Family was so up set about being forced to take Mom home that they started threatening with law-suits and caused a great nurse to get suspended for 3 days by screamming at the DON that the nurse mistreated and neglicted her Mom. The mistreatment/neglict was not dropping everything to run to hand Mom the remote sitting on the table 3 inches from her hand, family member was sitting next to Mom and could have handed her the remote w/o and trouble. Sometimes the family members have bigger problems than the patient. We see alot of that, they don't care that there are 39 other people on that unit, most of them in worse shape than thier Mom. Oh, the joys of LTC Nursing! :banghead:

[bethin]

After much consideration (as in 3 years) I finally decided I want a job that if someone demeans me I can politely tell them to make sure the door doesn't hit 'em where the good Lord split 'em.

What I despise about healthcare is that 99% of my time is spent placating families and 1% is spent actually providing healthcare.

[leslie :-D]

hmmmm....

using the same washcloth?

dang, even w/the shabbiest cna's i've seen, i haven't seen this...yet.

that would be downright scary.

but changing bed linens q 12h?

if a pt has uncontrollable vomiting or incontinence, i could see where frequent changing is a given.

but if pts are getting changed q4h or a/o, linens shouldn't be getting soiled.

sometimes all is needed is a fresh draw/transfer sheet...or even pillowcases will suffice.

but expecting a bid linen change just for the sake of what he got at home, humbug!

the nurse needs to step up to the plate and do some limit setting...

it just should have never gotten to this point.

and if this cna has such a golden reputation, that damn it, stand up for her...until she's proven otherwise.

just as w/good nurses who get shafted, so do good cna's.

and boy, does it burn my britches.

again, shame on whoever didn't intervene in a timely manner...or didn't intervene at all.

leslie

[Ms Kylee]

In my facility, bed linens are changed every Monday and Thursday or as needed. Just because Mom had fresh sheets every night before she went to bed at home doesn't mean she's getting them in the hospital. We're far too busy to change a clean bed. However, if the sheets are dirty or wet, then they get changed.

I'm just wondering if this CNA did use a clean washcloth, but the family started something just to have something to pick at.

Which brings me to another question.... what the heck were family members doing in the room when Mom was getting a bath? I shoo them out with a very polite "I'm going to give her her bath. Would you please step out in the hall to give us some privacy please?" Only one time did this not work. And it was a disaster. Daughter hovered and was in my way the whole time.

Sad that this CNA is so good and no one would stand up for her. Sadder still that she's probably going to get fired. And all to placate some jerks who just want to cause trouble.

No wonder so many people are leaving healthcare.

[Annony RN]

Think the're just PO'd that Mom has a room mate in the first place? Maybe they think enough "events" like this will earn them a private without the premium?

I still say even if she did that, being called "trash" is abusive and inappropriate. Public anything is inappropriate. "I'd like to speak to the manager, where is her office?" "I'm concerned about something I saw Mom's aide do. Can we talk about that? Can you call her in here?" No, he wanted to humilate her and humilate the entire facility and staff.

Also, IF the aide did that- why? Flagrant disregard for rules? Too busy and cuttin corners? Maybe she needs further education on why a shared washcloth is a big no-no. Maybe some cause and effect explanations on the type of bugs LTC residents may have and the susceptibility of residents. I'm "picturing" that IF she shared a washcloth, maybe it was just a face wipe, etc to each? No, that's not OK but maybe she just wasn't thinking clearly. After all mommies wipe three faces in a row, right? Just a dumb reflex?

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

see...when you get out of control families like that, that is when you beat them to the punch and call the state or ombudsman first! Wow...that irritates them even more.

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

Yep, our facility looks after us. They realize that the staff are what make the hospital work and go to some pretty extraordinary lengths to protect us.

And heck, we're not even a union shop!

If your facility doesn't have a waiting list of people wanting to work there, then they must be the best-kept secret on the West Coast.

Those are the kind of leaders I'd walk barefoot over hot coals for.

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

Substandard care is NEVER acceptable and I do believe if she is guilty of providing such care then she should be counseled and disciplined. Maybe she deserves a write up or retraining. Maybe suspension or probation. Maybe she's innocent. I don't know that we will ever know. But fired for it? Flame on, but I don't think so.

Much less, screamed at in the hallways. Not much short of being caught with her hands around the resident's neck deserves that.

[diveRN]

If your facility doesn't have a waiting list of people wanting to work there, then they must be the best-kept secret on the West Coast.

Those are the kind of leaders I'd walk barefoot over hot coals for.

Administration and managers aren't without fault ... they have their quirky policies like anywhere, but overall, it's a great non profit place to work. Pay is very competitive, turnover is pretty low, employee morale is fairly high, and they give back to us where ever they can.

Yet they remain short staffed in a lot of areas.

[november17, ASN, RN]

I love it when families are in complete denial of the client's condition but yet seem to think we don't have a clue how to care for their loved one that they just dropped off at respite care because they can't take it anymore.

Or even better, there are the odd people that take care of their elderly mother/grandmother at home and then sit there nitpicking and questioning every thing you do with their loved one.

Almost inevitably, at least one of the diagnoses will be dehydration...I just go, "hmmm" to myself and let if fly....whatever. Let them think they're just the greatest caretakers in the world. They're probably busy spending the social security checks or planning how they're going to spend the money the inherit while the family member they are taking care of is probably sitting around the house dehydrated all the time. Go ahead and question everything I do; and yet not even have the slightest concept of basic human needs. If they're neglected on such a basic need, you have to wonder on how many levels their needs go unfulfilled.

Then of course you're stuck with some patient that is on the call light all the time because they crave the attention they get.

It sucked the first dawned on me, because after that it is hard not to notice those kind of situations.

Then you've got the other type of family that crusades to the rescue when their loved one gets sick. I won't go into that though. You all know the type.

Not all families are like that, but some are.

[Nurse_Hagatha]

Then you've got the other type of family that crusades to the rescue when their loved one gets sick. I won't go into that though. You all know the type.

Yes, we just had a child of a pt., who NEVER comes to see dear old dad on his numerous admissions, show up and throw a hissy fit to see dad covered in bed sores (received at a SNF where, again, child never goes to see dad) and starts yelling at staff about the poor tx dad is getting and that we are starving dad to death. The pt. was just made a DNR and comfort care, because he is SUFFERING and needs to die and be at rest, but no, let's keep your dad going and suffering and prolong his misery so you can go back home and not see him for another 6 mos, but feel like you did your job. So now the poor pt. is back on tube feedings and continues to be absolutely miserable. It infuriates me.

[Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN]

I remember I took care of an elderly lady who had been taken care of at home and she was visually emaciated and had bilateral hip wounds needing VAC systems and a small stage 2 sacral wound. The family refused to let her go on PEG feeding so they tried forcing her to eat which ended up in her aspirating since she failed swallow evals left and right.

Long story short she was sent HOME in a CAR... I had the lovely experience of putting this woman in a car. she could not bend her legs so she had to lie down flat on the back seat.

And Social Worker told them that they should consider putting her in a NSG Home and family refused when they found out her SS check would go to the NSG to pay for expenses and stay.