New Nurse Horror Stories

[Baking Nurse]

I am wondering if any new nurses have had horror stories on a new job. I worked one 8 hour shift at a nursing home, It was horrible. I called the DON the next day and said I worked my first shift the night before and it would be my last. I then called the companies compliance hotline and the state.

Here are just a few things my "trainer did or told me"

1) If we don't have a med for the patient we just initial we gave it because we don't want the state to know we don't have it.

2) A patients 5 pm meds and 9 pm meds were given at 11 pm

3)Meds from the day shift were not charted as given and I was told the day nurse would get caught up with her charting the next day:down:

4) If you realize later you forgot to give a med - just chart as refused :argue:

5) A patient fell and they put him back into bed and said he did it all the time so they don't do any reports.

6) Gloves not worn to do accu check or give insulin - and don't wash your hands too much because they will become chapped. Hand sanitizer not available for use:smackingf

7) Several times - if a patients med was not available, the took another patients med to give. She also broke a postassium 20 mEq with her hands that was one patients to give to another patient that was ordered 10 mEq.:grn:

8) One patient was not to receive a dose of meds that day but was to get it the next day. The next days dose was already marked as given. I was told the nurse that gave that dose would see it the next day and skip it.:angryfire

9) Patient ordered Vit D 1000 IU and Vit D2 50000 IU. In the drawer was Vit S 1000 IU and Vit D 1.25 mg. I was told the Vit D 1.25 mg rounded to Vit D2 and since it was in the patients drawer it was his and thats what we give.

I was then told that this was real world nursing and I better get used to it (I was actually told to take off my rose colored sunglasses). I went home and threw up. I pray I hear about a hospital job I interviewed for last week!!! I will never do their type of nursing.

[Merlyn]

Do you see Oscar coming down reality street. What you describe is nursing - Not Nursing school stuff - but real nursing. The best you can do while your a new nurse is keep them alive. As you get in the swing of things you may be able to change things. I remember my first days in LTC. Disaster. I was given the same advise that I am giving you. After three years I was able to help the direct staff. rounds were done every two hours. With the staff even me doing a every 15 minute walk through.I retrained the staff little be little until Patient were not only left alive but happy. What new nurses don't want to hear is that it will take time. The staff that you described has probably been doing this kind of care since Moses was in tennis shoes. You are not going to change it over night. I sorry to say this but the days of "I love you- You love me are over. You don't quite because you have a bad day. You keep on Keeping on. And you learn Such is the life you chose.

[Salisburysteak, BSN, RN]

I have worked in LTC facilities and the med pass is incredibly stressful and confusing at times. Luckily, where I worked our pharmacy was pretty good about scheduling meds at appropraite times. All our daily meds were at 9AM no matter what unless specified on the order. The BID meds were given at 9am and 5pm and TID at 9am, 1pm, 5pm and QID 9am, 1pm. 5pm, 9pm unless specified for another time. If we had a q8h med we were to specify on the order what time to give it. Sometimes the pharmacy would mess up the times. We just wrote a clarification order to set it right for next month.

I have also seen other nurses actually change the MAR with the times they wanted to give the meds without an order. Big NO NO! This usually happened at the beginning of the month when the MARs were new. I have done turn over and it can be a pain to search for an order that was never written. Very frustrating because the nurses should no better.

I can see "bundling" some meds together like a colace or Senna Kot unless it is contraindicated, but I never felt comfortable doing that. That is just me.

Where the OP worked sounded horrible. I probably would have ran out mid shift if that was me! Borrowing meds is wrong and that shows they are not being given correctly. That is why they are running out particually if they are on Medicaid or Medicare part A. Where I worked at if you were short a med you better find a way to get it and give it like going to the E-box or calling the back up pharmacy.

Facilities like that give the good ones a bad name!

[jennilynn]

I am a somewhat new nurse (1 year) I just started at a new hospital this week and I am terrified of what I've seen by my preceptor. I have worked at a larger, more technologically advanced, very regimented hospital for the past year and am still there PRN. Anyways, my new job still does paper charting, paper MARs, which I am totally find with.

What I'm not ok with is the RN that precepted me Monday.

1) Leaving a c diff room without washing after she was all up in this Pts business.

2) charting assessments without assessing because she "had these people for the past two days"

3) having someone with a k+ of 2.7 at 0800 and not giving the KCL until noonish

4) charting and scanning 10 am meds but not actually administering until noon

5) sliding scale coverage at 1800, an hour after the pt had eaten.

These are just a few examples.

I go back tonight with a different preceptor, so I am hoping it was the nurse and not the facility that I shod worry about.

I am pretty confident in my skills, just want to be trained the right way on p & p, charting etc

[Jc1982]

I just wanted to update. I know they fired 3 nurses and gave one a 3 day suspension. The State did go in and investigate. I do not know the results yet. I was offered a position with Hospice, which is what I wanted to do all along but thought I would need a years experience as posted. They decided I was worth training the right way. I love the people I work with and the environment. If you are placed in a position you are not comfortable, remember you worked very hard for that license and don't jeopardize it. Also remember that each and every patient deserves to get the best care possible.

Couldn't have said this any better myself!

[OnlybyHisgraceRN, ASN, RN]

Yup, sounds like most LTCF I've worked in. I loved the residents but hated to see the care provided.

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

i am wondering if any new nurses have had horror stories on a new job. i worked one 8 hour shift at a nursing home, it was horrible. i called the don the next day and said i worked my first shift the night before and it would be my last. i then called the companies compliance hotline and the state.

here are just a few things my "trainer did or told me"

1) if we don't have a med for the patient we just initial we gave it because we don't want the state to know we don't have it.

2) a patients 5 pm meds and 9 pm meds were given at 11 pm

3)meds from the day shift were not charted as given and i was told the day nurse would get caught up with her charting the next day:down:

4) if you realize later you forgot to give a med - just chart as refused :argue:

5) a patient fell and they put him back into bed and said he did it all the time so they don't do any reports.

6) gloves not worn to do accu check or give insulin - and don't wash your hands too much because they will become chapped. hand sanitizer not available for use:smackingf

7) several times - if a patients med was not available, the took another patients med to give. she also broke a postassium 20 meq with her hands that was one patients to give to another patient that was ordered 10 meq.:grn:

8) one patient was not to receive a dose of meds that day but was to get it the next day. the next days dose was already marked as given. i was told the nurse that gave that dose would see it the next day and skip it.:angryfire

9) patient ordered vit d 1000 iu and vit d2 50000 iu. in the drawer was vit s 1000 iu and vit d 1.25 mg. i was told the vit d 1.25 mg rounded to vit d2 and since it was in the patients drawer it was his and thats what we give.

i was then told that this was real world nursing and i better get used to it (i was actually told to take off my rose colored sunglasses). i went home and threw up. i pray i hear about a hospital job i interviewed for last week!!! i will never do their type of nursing.

needless to say, i immediately cringe :uhoh21: after reading number 1. out of the 9 samples you offer in your post, therefore, i wish you the very best and i shall keep you in my prayers in order for you to get out of that poor excuse for nursing home environment. however, my heart goes out to those patients that are left behind with no other resources, it's just a blatantly shame.