Nurses digging in laundry barrells???

[catlynLPN]

Got a notice today from administration, that trash products are being placed in the laundry barrels before the barrels are pushed out to the laundry, at the end of each shift.

They are trying to make the nurses go dig thru that nasty laundry to search for trash products before the barrels are pushed outside to the laundry.

They're saying they're going to hold the nurses responsible for this.

If CNA's can't separate the laundry from the trash, then maybe they need to inservice the CNAs, but THIS nurse is not going digging thru laundry searching for trash, and then go back to administering medications.

As if I don't already have enough to do at that time of morning, with early AM meds, BS's, insulins, breathing treatments, and charting.

This is a LTC, but I bet I didn't have to tell you that.

Any comments??

[kat7ap]

Sorry that sounds like it really sucks.... BS like that is why I left LTC....

[bluegeegoo2, LPN]

And the laundry people can't do it as they're unloading barrels? I realize that no trash should end up in the laundry, but sheesh! We are always held responsible for what the aide do/don't do. I realize too, that it's part of the job to watch them, but are we supposed to sit on their shoulder like a parrot all day, squawking "do this!", or "don't do that!". As if there isn't enough to do...

[JeanineLPN1984]

Eew! I have been known to do it on a "few" occasions- lost glasses, teeth or a hearing aide, but daily no. Good Luck- it's not fun !

[squeakykitty]

When I was a CNA, I had to go digging in a barrel in the shower room. It was because the room smelled like a barnyard, and the smell was coming from the barrel. One of my co-workers had put a resident pants in there along with the BM.

I think that is one of the reasons that when signing out a barrel for the shower room, they wrote down shower room instead of their own name. After that, I even disguised my handwriting when signing out a barrel for the shower room.

[ohlpn]

i feel for ya! i finally got out of "nursing home" craziness because of this kind of "administrative" mandates thought up by pencil pushers. i'm now working prn in an asisisted living facility & having the time of my life! don't know what kind of advice to give in these situations....sometimes the idiots are running the show & there isn't an easy way out.

[catlynLPN]

Thanks for all the replies. I have to work there this weekend, 7p-7a, Sat. and Sun.

I'm going to tell the aides, when I get there, to make sure they separate the trash from the laundry.

I do not intend to dig thru that stuff. That's ridiculous.

If they want those barrels monitored, I can think of a better way to do it, thereby holding the aides responsible and not the nurses, without making the nurses dig thru it.

I'm not going to do it. I'll quit first.

[bluegeegoo2, LPN]

I don't blame you. We have to draw the line somewhere. Next thing you know they'll have us out sweeping the parking lot before end of shift! Like ohlpn said, it's the pencil-pushers who think up this crap. If "they" are so concerned about it, why don't "they" do it? We had a memo (I hate memos!) telling us that when our aides took out the trash, that they sould make sure ALL of the trash ends up in the receptacle, and not on the ground, or we'd ALL have to go clean it up. Sounds reasonable, except for the fact that we have a TINY little trash bin. I'm talking maybe 3ft high by 5ft long, and not very wide, either. At least 2 units use it to the tune of 90+ residents. It's only emptied 1x/day. Here's another question: Why is it that when the laundry/kitchen/maintenence/housekeeping staff complains about something, admin is all over it trying to make them happy, but when nurses complain about something, we are told to deal with it, in so many words? Or is it just my facility? I somehow doubt it. We seem to be at the bottom of the food chain, but are responsible for the most important thing in LTC, THE RESIDENTS. I'm still new at this nursing thing, but I guess I'll figure it out sooner or later.