Ok I need to vent. I have worked in this LTC for 4 yrs, 3 as an aide, 1 as an LPN. Since I have worked there, there have been 2 CNA's, one on day shift, one on evening shift. They both are verbally and at times physically abusive to the res. they both defy authority, if u ask them to do something they don't agree with.. as simple as laying a res. down or taking a set of vitals they flip and refuse and on top of that they think ...actually they do run those shifts (i'm 11-7) Well occassionaly i work those shifts and have a horrible time getting them to do anything.. I worked with them both when i was an aide and i have heard one of them tell res. " you need to die" "we're poisoning you" "shut up" they both refuse to care for some res. and family members have actually kicked these two out of several res. rooms and these two aides are not allowed to go back in there! well I have personally reported the two of them SEVERAL times, talked to the DON, did no good, talked to the administrator, did no good, called state.. nothing got done cuz of course they arent gonna act like that in front of state.. I am at my whits end.. there are tons of other stuff going on where i work.. tx not getting done, meds not ordered.. some res going 2 to 3 days without meds because they werent ordered.. narcs missing and it keeps getting worse.. is it like this everywhere? Or does this place need to be shut down? I am honestly afraid for my license at times.. any input/advice?
I would just add call the attorney general's office....they can't ignore this.
Also, Yes, I have stayed places because I felt so bad
about the residents...but that is no answer and only
prolongs getting attention to the problem.....and also makes yourself emotionally unhealthy dealing with this day in and day out. I have had patients beg me
to stay....you have to do what is best for your own health....no one will take care of you if you are not well mentally and/or physcially.
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
Don't despair. Like I said earlier, even though it seems that the state isn't doing anything during their visits or responding to patient complaints--they are keeping score and documenting the number and nature of the calls they are receiving. They have to have written documentation and proof of things before they can take definitive action. So, if you are calling them with a complaint and have no proof to back it up there is really nothing they can do. If a patient becomes injured (such as a broken hip from a fall, or bruises from manhandling) I'm sure they'll be there within hours to investigate because there is physical proof. That is why I suggested that when you come across an incident you write it up as objectively as you can. It's great if it involves medications because you can Xerox med sheets, count the numbers of pills in the patient's bin and document any statements from the patient or the patient's roommate (don't forget them, they see a lot!). Like I mentioned in my PM, our pharmacy came in and counted every pill in the medicine cart before and after the nurse suspected of not giving medications worked on her shift and the pharmacy documentation of this is the proof the state board of nursing needed to discipline her. Xerox's of the medication sheets showing the blood sugar results she had documented on patients records were compared to a list of the blood sugar results that were stored in the glucometer. Again, it was the pharmacy who compiled the list of dates and times of blood sugar results stored in the glucometer which was presented as proof toward showing the nurse was falsifying patient records.
I wouldn't keep complaining to the administrator too much. Let him know that you will be looking for incidents to document and that you would expect them to take some kind of action when you do that. These things tend to move along slower than we would like. If administration is doing their job right, the employee in question just kind of disappears from the facility. But, I've got to tell you. . .because of confidentiality you are not going to get feedback as to what kind of discipline is being dealt out to another employee. Also, once an employee is reported and is disciplined be prepared for them to lash out at you if they are still employed at the facility because they will be angry.
It sounds like the administrator may be sympathetic to your complaints. Is it possible that they may be having problems with the DON? You may not know that (confidentiality, again). Administration is not going to let staff know that they are unsatisfied with one of their executives because it creates all kinds of problems. If that may be the case, I'd document incidents (always keep copies!) on memos and I would kind of check to see if the administrator is aware of them (in a very tactful way, of course). It may be that they are looking for a reason to give this DON the boot but need proof before they terminate her so they don't get into any legal hassles if she comes back at them for unlawful termination.
Welcome to the wonderful world of administration! When I became a head nurse I did more documentation on staff related incidents than I ever did with any incident reports involving patients. It's what kind of made the job suck.
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
It dawned on me that if the adminstration where you work needs proof to backup a DONs termination what they would need is one big incident where sometime terrible happens to a patient. If the file of the employees involved in such an incident turns out to have a bunch of documentation on bad things that they've done in the past (write-ups by other employees) and adminstration can show that the DON has done nothing to "fix" the problem with these employees, she's out the door. This is why I say keep copies of every memo you write. Put as much specific information into a memo as you can. If you read them a year later, you'll be surprised at how much you've forgotten about an incident. If you discover that the DON just threw your write-ups away, you have copies of them to show administration.
Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.
In Massachusetts, any one can call and make a complaint to the DPH. They don't ask for proof...they come to the facility and investigate it. Imagine how surprising it can be to be paged to the lobby because the DPH is in on a complaint and no one has complained......
wow thanks for all the advice, i am definately going to start keeping copies of my write ups and documenting things much closer and being more observant. i really am attached to this facility and i want to see it improve to where it was when i first started there, i love the residents and some of the employees there and i would hate to leave there and always wonder if i could have done more. again thanks for all the input.. more is definately appreciated
Ok I need to vent. I have worked in this LTC for 4 yrs, 3 as an aide, 1 as an LPN. Since I have worked there, there have been 2 CNA's, one on day shift, one on evening shift. They both are verbally and at times physically abusive to the res. they both defy authority, if u ask them to do something they don't agree with.. as simple as laying a res. down or taking a set of vitals they flip and refuse and on top of that they think ...actually they do run those shifts (i'm 11-7) Well occassionaly i work those shifts and have a horrible time getting them to do anything.. I worked with them both when i was an aide and i have heard one of them tell res. " you need to die" "we're poisoning you" "shut up" they both refuse to care for some res. and family members have actually kicked these two out of several res. rooms and these two aides are not allowed to go back in there! well I have personally reported the two of them SEVERAL times, talked to the DON, did no good, talked to the administrator, did no good, called state.. nothing got done cuz of course they arent gonna act like that in front of state.. I am at my whits end.. there are tons of other stuff going on where i work.. tx not getting done, meds not ordered.. some res going 2 to 3 days without meds because they werent ordered.. narcs missing and it keeps getting worse.. is it like this everywhere? Or does this place need to be shut down? I am honestly afraid for my license at times.. any input/advice?
Wow, Sounds like where I work. We have a QMA that thinks she runs the place and if you do not do things her way then she will mess with your schedule which we only get two days before the new one starts. They fired two CNAs for verbal abuse but kept the nurse that was involved, who is now the bully of our place. She is loud and obnoxious. The other nurses begged her to call for pain medication for a resident and she refused and said he was not in pain. They just fired a QMA for giving injections, but we have one QMA who gives them and charts and they look the other way, cause she is friends with Our QMA that is medical records. We have gone to the administrator and it does us no good. This in group that follows our bully around really makes life miserable for us. State has been calld, but of course they find no basis at the time. I stay on my unit and mind my own business and try to stay away from them all and do my job. Hoping to get out of there after I get my BSN. Good luck. It is very frustrating at times.
April if this is still a problem you need to get out, or keep blowing the whistle-- if there are any family memebers who will come forward and file official complaints- encourage them to do so- give them the State number to call-- our elders deserve respect- not abuse-
all homes are not like this-- I work in a very top notch home we are Edenized- we have only top staff--
Keep being an advocate- bring in cameras- tape recorders and by all means write the staff up for insubordination- a paper trail goes a long way!
your licence is in jeporady
QUOTE=aprilleverett]Ok I need to vent. I have worked in this LTC for 4 yrs, 3 as an aide, 1 as an LPN. Since I have worked there, there have been 2 CNA's, one on day shift, one on evening shift. They both are verbally and at times physically abusive to the res. they both defy authority, if u ask them to do something they don't agree with.. as simple as laying a res. down or taking a set of vitals they flip and refuse and on top of that they think ...actually they do run those shifts (i'm 11-7) Well occassionaly i work those shifts and have a horrible time getting them to do anything.. I worked with them both when i was an aide and i have heard one of them tell res. " you need to die" "we're poisoning you" "shut up" they both refuse to care for some res. and family members have actually kicked these two out of several res. rooms and these two aides are not allowed to go back in there! well I have personally reported the two of them SEVERAL times, talked to the DON, did no good, talked to the administrator, did no good, called state.. nothing got done cuz of course they arent gonna act like that in front of state.. I am at my whits end.. there are tons of other stuff going on where i work.. tx not getting done, meds not ordered.. some res going 2 to 3 days without meds because they werent ordered.. narcs missing and it keeps getting worse.. is it like this everywhere? Or does this place need to be shut down? I am honestly afraid for my license at times.. any input/advice?
While your dedication to your residents is commendable, I would get out of there like a rabbit to his hole. If all of the discussion with the DON and Administrator, documentation, and family complaints have done nothing to promote lasting change, then get out. You are going to take a fall for being a supervisor to one of these abusive aides and the facility will be glad to see you in this pickle because they will no longer have to listen to your complaints. Make like a race car and speed yourself away from this mess quickly.
ok i need to vent. i have worked in this ltc for 4 yrs, 3 as an aide, 1 as an lpn. since i have worked there, there have been 2 cna's, one on day shift, one on evening shift. they both are verbally and at times physically abusive to the res. they both defy authority, if u ask them to do something they don't agree with.. as simple as laying a res. down or taking a set of vitals they flip and refuse and on top of that they think ...actually they do run those shifts (i'm 11-7) well occassionaly i work those shifts and have a horrible time getting them to do anything.. i worked with them both when i was an aide and i have heard one of them tell res. " you need to die" "we're poisoning you" "shut up" they both refuse to care for some res. and family members have actually kicked these two out of several res. rooms and these two aides are not allowed to go back in there! well i have personally reported the two of them several times, talked to the don, did no good, talked to the administrator, did no good, called state.. nothing got done cuz of course they arent gonna act like that in front of state.. i am at my whits end.. there are tons of other stuff going on where i work.. tx not getting done, meds not ordered.. some res going 2 to 3 days without meds because they werent ordered.. narcs missing and it keeps getting worse.. is it like this everywhere? or does this place need to be shut down? i am honestly afraid for my license at times.. any input/advice?
do you work where i work? i have had the same problems, and nothing is ever done about it.......just cover you butt with documentation....i have even gotten to the point if the stna i request him/her to do something (within their job description) and they refuse, i clock them out and tell them to go home.......and i have had them refuse, and i have told them that i will call the police and have them removed off the premises, which has happened 3 times......and they still have a job.......very sad indeed. when tx.s do not get done......especially if it has been 3-days of more, and some of these drsg's should be changed daily......i save the drgs with the date on them and place them on a sheet of paper and throw them in the don's box........this i do on a weekly basis.........it still continues. it is a shame.:angryfire
bargainhound, RN
536 Posts
I would just add call the attorney general's office....they can't ignore this.
Also, Yes, I have stayed places because I felt so bad
about the residents...but that is no answer and only
prolongs getting attention to the problem.....and also makes yourself emotionally unhealthy dealing with this day in and day out. I have had patients beg me
to stay....you have to do what is best for your own health....no one will take care of you if you are not well mentally and/or physcially.
Advocate for them, but leave for your own health.