Issues...

miabia, BSN, RN · Jul 26, 2012

Just a friendly reminder that as a mandatory reporter you are required by law to report any unusual occurances to your supervisor. If you cannot get anywhere with the supervisor you follow the chain of command up to the administration. If they do nothing then you can call your ombudsman or the Department of Health and Human services.

AlexCNA · Jul 26, 2012

Fortunately last night was her last night (I'm so happy!) so I won't have to babysit her anymore. It's just frustrating to see things and nobody care. I just find myself disturbed by the lack of interest on the administrations part and their disregard for what I tell them as well as the disrespect they show me. I know that my knowledge of nursing practices is more limited than theirs, but I do know you don't double a persons medicines without a little thing called a doctors order. I'm really starting to think that the only way for things to improve is a really good look by a federal agency, but they cover their tracks really well. I can guarantee that there will be no record of what happened anywhere and it will be just my word. If our administrator, DON, and ADON spent half the effort they put into hiding things that they did into improving them we might not be the place that nobody wants to work. It has everything going for it except for them and a couple bad nurses and aides. I could fill this site with horror stories if I wasn't worried we'd all get publicly executed for it.

funtimes · Jul 26, 2012

Although I understand as a CNA its good to know what medications a patient is being given and even the dosage, I'm still sort of confused as to why you are taking it on yourself to "babysit" this RN so they dont make medication errors. Seems to me this is WAY outside the scope of practice of a CNA. You dont have the education or the training to properly judge if the RNs actions are appropriate.

KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN · Jul 26, 2012

Although I understand as a CNA its good to know what medications a patient is being given and even the dosage, I'm still sort of confused as to why you are taking it on yourself to "babysit" this RN so they dont make medication errors. Seems to me this is WAY outside the scope of practice of a CNA. You dont have the education or the training to properly judge if the RNs actions are appropriate.

I agree. Who knows what was stated on the MAR? Perhaps this was a stat order that she was instructed to give via the pt's doctor?

OCNRN63, RN · Jul 26, 2012

how do you know she made these med errors? did you hear her talking about it? if you witnessed it, why were you following her around on med pass instead of taking care of your patient assignment? she killed a patient? really?

AlexCNA · Jul 27, 2012

I know she made the error because the pt came to the nurses station for the medication. I was there doing my paperwork. I witnessed him ask for the med and her administer it.

She killed a pt at the hospital she worked at just before coming to the nursing home. Nobody will talk about what exactly happened, but a friend worked there and she told me she made some kind of "Grievous med error" which directly resulted in the death of a pt.

I'm aware that I've stepped outside the bounds of my job and training.

I checked the MAR and the pts chart. We had had no contact with the DR that night. I answer the phones. Also, I should mention that we work the 10p to 6A shift at a small LTC facility with only 30 pts. Doctors don't call us at night. Unless we call them we have no contact with them. Usually she is down in a pts room watching TV when she isn't charting or something. Also, just for clarity this is an LPN not an RN. I've been babysitting her for 6 years due to her incompetence. She comes to me when she has questions on procedure and what to do in an emergency situation (sudden death, falls, etc.). I've been forced to learn quite a bit of nursing practices as they relate to LTC care as well as a hefty dose of information on medications so that I will be aware of contraindications, allergies, side effects, etc. so that I can cope with all but the most extreme problems. She's even been known to call me at home to ask me questions when I'm not working if it's routine stuff.

When I work with any other nurse I don't babysit them. This is a special case. I am so excited to get a new nurse because it means I'll be able to pay less attention to her and more attention to the new NA that I'm supposed to be training. Tonight I'm supposed to re-orientate the new charge nurse (She's been a nurse for 30 years and I would trust her with the life of anyone I know. She just hasn't worked nights in LTC for a long time.) and then I can distance myself from the LVNs job and focus on mine.

KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN · Jul 27, 2012

I know she made the error because the pt came to the nurses station for the medication. I was there doing my paperwork. I witnessed him ask for the med and her administer it.
She killed a pt at the hospital she worked at just before coming to the nursing home. Nobody will talk about what exactly happened, but a friend worked there and she told me she made some kind of "Grievous med error" which directly resulted in the death of a pt.
I'm aware that I've stepped outside the bounds of my job and training.
I checked the MAR and the pts chart. We had had no contact with the DR that night. I answer the phones. Also, I should mention that we work the 10p to 6A shift at a small LTC facility with only 30 pts. Doctors don't call us at night. Unless we call them we have no contact with them. Usually she is down in a pts room watching TV when she isn't charting or something. Also, just for clarity this is an LPN not an RN. I've been babysitting her for 6 years due to her incompetence. She comes to me when she has questions on procedure and what to do in an emergency situation (sudden death, falls, etc.). I've been forced to learn quite a bit of nursing practices as they relate to LTC care as well as a hefty dose of information on medications so that I will be aware of contraindications, allergies, side effects, etc. so that I can cope with all but the most extreme problems. She's even been known to call me at home to ask me questions when I'm not working if it's routine stuff.
When I work with any other nurse I don't babysit them. This is a special case. I am so excited to get a new nurse because it means I'll be able to pay less attention to her and more attention to the new NA that I'm supposed to be training. Tonight I'm supposed to re-orientate the new charge nurse (She's been a nurse for 30 years and I would trust her with the life of anyone I know. She just hasn't worked nights in LTC for a long time.) and then I can distance myself from the LVNs job and focus on mine.

If you spend so much time "babysitting" her, how do you find time to fulfill your own job duties? And how is it possible that your "training" a charge nurse when you are a CNA?

Sorry, I'm not gonna believe that " grevious med error" rumor. That's hearsay. If she was so bad, why is she still practicing as a nurse? I'm sure somebody would have reported her to the BON by now.

funtimes · Jul 27, 2012

The fact still remains you seem to have appointed yourself to duties for which you are neither trained nor licensed for.

I'm no lawyer, but I would also be aware of spreading rumors about how this nurse "killed" a patient previously. If you are doing this to people who know the identity of the Nurse in question, this could be a serious case of defamation of character, or slander.

tomc5555 · Jul 27, 2012

I'm thinking this is not a factual post. None of it makes sense.

KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN · Jul 27, 2012

The fact still remains you seem to have appointed yourself to duties for which you are neither trained nor licensed for.
I'm no lawyer, but I would also be aware of spreading rumors about how this nurse "killed" a patient previously. If you are doing this to people who know the identity of the Nurse in question, this could be a serious case of defamation of character, or slander.

It sounds like to me that the OP feels that they know more than all of the nurses in that facility. Being a nurse is more than passing meds, and scribbling things in a pt's chart. If you feel that you can do so much better than the nurses at your facility OP, then by all means, I encourage you to go to school. But keep in mind what I said. That CNA class you take for 4-8 weeks is nothing like nursing school.

AlexCNA · Jul 27, 2012

This will be my final comment. You've proven to me that no group of nurses can get together and provide advice to someone in need. Thank you. You've shown me how easy it is for a persons claims to be dismissed and for that person to be judged so harshly by a group of people that have no first hand knowledge of the situation. I've responded to every comment with as much factual and detailed information as I can and for my effort I've been called stupid, egotistical and a liar. You've all been so busy questioning why I wasn't doing my job (which I was) and what business I have questioning a nurse (Because you know that being a nurse is one step above God) when she committed an error that you've failed to even respond to the fact that a NURSE committed an error. These things weren't important to you though because I'm 'just a CNA' that took a '4-6 week course' so I couldn't possibly have the intelligence to count to two and read an order that said one. This is how bad nurses keep their jobs and liscences. You've proven to me that every time someone says that nurses don't respect CNAs that they are, for the most part, correct.

Only one of you bothered to answer my original question. So thank you miabia for reminding me that the ombudsman might be the best person to talk to. I certainly haven't found anyone helpful here other than you.