Need advice...

[amorecondannato]

Hey ya'll. I need some advice...

I work in a hospital-based nursing home in Southeast Georgia. I was so excited the day I got my CNA certification and was able to enter the health field, because I've ALWAYS wanted to be a nurse. I swear, this facility has run me so far away from it screaming that it's pathetic. I have finally steeled myself not to let others bring me down, and continue going for nursing...even though I'm sure my college is going to shoot me for changing my major one more time.

Anyway, the facility I work at operates on the buddy system big time. The CNA manager and the ''team leader'' on 3-11 is friends, and Lord it shows. I'm NOT attacking the ''team leader'' personally, but she's been an aide for years and never went to school...she was grandfathered in when the GA Health Partnership mandated that all aides had to be certified. She has no education, she can't spell...but I digress. This is the problem.

I worked 3-11, then was moved (without asking me...) to 11-7. I've put it for full time THREE times, and yet...about seven peoples been hired above me for full time. That doesn't sting as much as this team-leader nonsense does. She thinks she owns the place. She'll pop open someone's chart in a minute. She talks to us like we're dogs, she mysteriously vanishes to the parking lot for hours on end, she calls our manager and tattles on us ''so-in-so's wearing green socks...''...it's pathetic. I think due to her lack of education, she uses her friendship with the manager as a shield.

She has a personal vendetta against two persons at the facility, me and someone else. I am very good friends with her niece, and she's confirmed this for me. Tonight, for instance...I was ten minutes late. I am not habitually late. The reason infact, that I was late tonight was I was giving another CNA her anatomy and physiology books and flashcards back. I walked with her to her car and put them in, then went and clocked in.

I figured that'd be the much more honest thing to do then to clock in THEN go to the parking lot. Anywoo, she was having a bleeping hissy fit.

she was telling the nurses what the manager said ''SOON AS THEY HIT THE FLOOR, WRITE THEM UP AND PUT IT IN HER BOX'' ...Now, as a ''team leader'' her position is supposed to be to stay if someone calls in, but tonight is the FIRST TIME since I've been there that she's stayed. And I KNOW it was only because I was late. But why was she telling the charge nurses what to do? After she left, (I love this) AFTER she left, the charge nurses were all big and bad...saying they wasn't going to write anybody up.

Why couldn't they tell her to stuff it when she was flouncing around? And another thing, on 11-7 EVERYBODY just about comes in late. We have a pastor who regularly shows up at midnight, two people who have second jobs who show up around midnight...and the ''team-leader'' NEVER stays until they get there. When the LPN's start writing this particular woman up, THEY get in trouble. I don't want to give information away about where I work, bu there was a big howdy do before and our CEO got fired for ''misappropriating'' money...and the ''team-leader'' lied for her. It was a domino effect once she left, and our DON got put back in the careplan office, and the same manager I'm talking about now was put back on the floor with a cart. When the CEO blackmailed (lol) her way back, the DON was replaced with the old DON and the manager was put back in charge of the CNA's...and the ''team leader'' returned. All this of course happened before I was ever hired, but I figured I'd give some backstory.

I wrote an anonymous letter to our ADON (the only one I think with gonads enough to do something) tonight because frankly, I'm tired of it. It seems like you hit a brick wall, so I'm taking it higher. I am upset as so many things, like...when people won't come in when they're called, it's okay...but if I'M called and can't come in (on a day off - keep in mind I'm a student) I'm put on the poop list for the next month and MIGHT be scheduled two days a week. So what do I do? Wait it out, cause a ruckus? Take it to the DON and CEO? When does it stop being an annoyance and start being discrimination? The only thought in the back of my mind is how wonderful it will be one day when I'm an RN working down in the hospital...then they'll have to see that they didn't impede my progress in ''making it''.

[CandAmommy]

I'm not sure exactly where you are from, but couldn't you report her tothe BON? If you know for sure she isn't certified? Again, I'm not familiar with all laws and what they vary by state, I know you can work w/out certification for a period of time, but than have to get it. I really hope something works out!

[amorecondannato]

She's certified now but when she started working there, she wasn't. She's out of a group of about five people that've been there since BEFORE Georgia made you become certified, she was grandfathered in.

[zacsmimi]

Im so sorry you are experiencing all this. I really think that you are going to face more trouble until you take this straight to management... you cannot focus on the "problem" child. They will figure that out for themselves. You need to focus on specifics - lack of professionalism when you were late, concern at coworkers "absence". If you direct this at her, and how lousy SHE is it will all splash back on you. This has to be about how it affects patient care, communication on the unit, etc. By getting into the drama (talking to the neice, etc etc) you lower yourself to her level and greatly decrease your credibility with management. Anon letters almost NEVER stay anon and further more, look bad. Take a deep breath and see if there is another unit you might be happier on? You arent going to get her out = and she makes life miserable for you. So move on...