Is it like this everywhere?

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jun 10, 2005

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

i'm originally from cleveland, parma and north royalton, specifically. i don't want to know where you're working, but i had to laugh a little :chuckle as i was reading your post. i've had to clock cnas out and threaten to call the police if they didn't leave. i usually made it a priority to specifically look for things to write up these troublemaker cnas for. i showered the don with memos documenting the antics of these idiots. it's not hard to do because these goof ups are usually doing all kinds of things wrong. they function under the misguided illusion that they are smarter than we charge nurses. i spent a lot of time in the hallways rather than at the nursing station when i could and you'd be surprised at the stuff you hear these dummies telling patients. the look on their faces when i caught them red-handed getting nasty with a patient was most satisfying, i must say (although not for the patients). most of the time they got fed up with me watching their every move and either got themselves moved to another wing of the facility or they quit. either way, they were no longer my problem anymore. this is what i like to call self-help when you have a don who is about as much help as a rock. :rotfl:

aprilleverett · Jun 10, 2005

Well just an update.. I had a 2 1/2 hr discussion with our administrator the other day and she has promised me that things are going to change.. there is one nurse who is the one who never does txs, orders meds, takes of orders, blah blah blah.. well she is on 30 day probation, if she does anything wrong these days she is gone.. the aides i have been having problems with are also on probation.. the administrator said give her 3 wks and i'll be surprised at the turn around. we are supposed to be having a charge nurse meeting this monday and all these issues are supposed to be brought out in the open. I have heard her say all these things before. But i hope she really does something this time, i told her i will give her the 3 weeks.. partially because 2 of those weeks i am on vacation and if the stuff doesn't change i'm gone.. i already have jobs lined up if i need to leave. I don't know how you all believe out there.. but if u believe in prayer please do so for this place.. like many of you have said the elderly.. in fact a dog does not deserve to be treated the way the res. at this facility are treated at times and i'm tired of seeing it.. it's heart breaking and very frustrating :angryfire

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jun 10, 2005

Whatever you decide to do; whatever the DON ends up doing. . .this, I'm sure, has been an eye-opening and very informative job for you, hasn't it? Getting rid of deadwood in a workplace is a slow process, but each employee has rights that must be preserved. If these kinds of things happen again you'll have a better orificenal of experience to draw from in dealing with it. I'm glad to hear that the DON is doing something and that she let you know that. Now, don't gossip with other employees about what you know. Just smile inwardly, go on vacation, and, hopefully, things will be changed when you come back. One of the hardest things about working with people is learning to deal with all the problems that come about with them from time to time. It is as mentally draining as doing CPR is physically tiring.

aprilleverett · Jun 10, 2005

Hey guys... another update.. the administrator called me today.. thanked me for bringing all this to her attention.. begged me to stay, offered me an evening position (i work nights right now) cuz she said i am a strong nurse and she believes i can help straighten things out on evenings.. she also informed me that she has suspended 3 aides and one nurse for things going on.. i'm so glad to see they are doing something.. like i said i dont know how u all believe.. but PRAISE GOD! I have really been praying about this stuff and hoping against all hopes that something would get done.. and it is!

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jun 11, 2005

That's great! I'm glad to hear that things are getting taken care of.

MacNurse · Jun 11, 2005

Glad to hear your persistance and prayers paid off!! The world needs more nurses like you that are dedicated to their patients.

kadokin, ASN, RN · Jun 17, 2005

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.

What is a QMA and why shouldn't she be giving injections?

nurse1986 · Jun 19, 2005

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?

First off if you care about the resident and your are a good nurse , then you need to put all this in writting and give a copy to your DON. Then you need to start writting the aides up. Remember it takes 3 write up before you can fire someone . Make sure you have thr PROOF and doc it in writting with date and time so you can refer to it . if this does not do any good then call your state board of nursing and the ombudsman .do you work for a company or a private nursing home ??? If it is a company then go over the DON's head. She needs to be out of there if she is going to let that stuff go on .

And you MUST think about yourself if you allow this to go on and you are on duty then you can also be charged with neglect. SO YOU HAVE TO STAND UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT .

Good luck from a 20 year experience nurse in Ohio

nursejennie76 · Jun 19, 2005

Get out of there now I mean don't go back ever, you are putting yourself at great risk. Even though you are disgusted by the place as long as you stay people would consider you as a participant in the crappy care these poor people are getting. This is exactly why I vowed to never work in LTC, or put my family in a facility. Jen