Fyles

Yes, I know how subpoenas work. I've decided I'm staying far away from all this. Not talking to anyone, about anything, without an attorney present.

Thanks for your input. I'm not employed at the nursing home anymore that he's interested in, but have decided to remain uninvolved!

So, while was at work today, a private investigator showed up at my house wanting to visit with me. My husband answered the door, and said this man would like me to contact him and left his business card for me. I have looked him up online - he's legit. Apparently he spoke with my husband a bit about what's going on: he's working on an abuse/ neglect case for the family of a nursing home resident that was there 2 years ago. He wanted to show me a picture and ask if I remembered the person. He said that they "went downhill quick" once admitted there. He also told my hubby that the family "wants the corporation, not the employees". They're trying to find out just who "corporate" is. This is a first for me. I only worked there 2 nights a week. Does anyone else have experience with this situation? I need some input here, as to what to do. I'd like to email him and ask who the resident was... I'd like to know what's going on. But on the other hand, I don't want to get pulled in as a witness or get involved. Advice, please?

Since when do Licensed Practical Nurses not count as being a "real nurse"? All these news articles we're reading lately - even this one concerning safer staffing regulations- they never refer to LPNS.....it's always Registered Nurses. I've been an LPN for numerous years now, and in my time I've known other LPNS that literally ran circles around the RNs they worked with. Just because there are different nursing credentials that follow your name doesn't necessarily make you a "better nurse". Most RNs I've worked with have been excellent nurses, however there have been several that I've no idea how they passed their boards. I've had to teach RNs how to insert/remove Foley caths, how to do trach care, even how to correctly remove sutures....because during our work shifts, THEY came to me asking "can you do this for me?" When I asked them why, they claimed they didn't know how. So, each one teach one. But I'm not the one making $25+ an hour. If we need better nursing care at the bedside, we need to make sure our RNs are as knowledgeable on direct patient care as they are about paperwork/charting. Safe staffing is an issue across our nation, and one that could be greatly eased by staffing with Licensed Practical Nurses. There are many, many of us out here that would greatly love working in a hospital again....instead of being stuck working long term care....because our hospitals now say they "only hire Registered Nurses". There is not a shortage of nurses where I come from; there's a shortage of jobs in healthcare now that will actually hire LPNs instead of RNs. And that's a sad fact. We're all praying that this bill passes, and hopefully other states - including mine - will follow suit.

My documentation is still in her chart, including my I&A note and follow up hot rack charting I dI'd. Her xray was clear, I worked last night and confirmed that. Still, no one has contacted me to alert me to these changes. The new report was signed off by a different nurse, and will not be signed by me. But I have printed off a copy of the new report, and have saved my text messages in case they should be needed for any reason in the future.

And that's exactly how I charted...resident was unable to state what happened. What upset me was that "they" charted there was slight bruising, but actually her ankle and foot had dark purple bruising all around the ankle, down the outer side of her foot, and even across the top of her foot. The nurse who signed off on this new and improved I&A want even working the night the incident report (mine) was made. They changed it to how THEY wanted it the next day, and dogs not even tell me about it. I only discovered the changes because I went back to the report to check over what I had charted. Even my electronic signature is GONE. I was telling another nurse about this, that I worked with tonight, and she said they were able to change it because it wasn't "locked". But we're always told NOT too lock them, because others, such as care planning, etc, have to be able to go in and fill out their section. I'm relatively new to E charting, and this is only the 2nd I&A I've done at this facility. But this had definitely left a bad taste in my mouth.

Yes, or is electronic charting. And yes, I think it's pretty shady, toor. They didn't even inform me that it was done...just did it workout telling me. I intend on along my DON about it Monday morning.

I've been a nurse for 15 years, and was always instructed...from day one...chart what you KNOW. So, here's my sitution: I work in long term care, nursing home, and was working the other night from 7p -7a. Got called to a residents room when the CNAS were undressing a lady for bed and discovered swelling and dark purple bruising to her right ankle/side and top of her foot. The lady is wc bound, does not walk. She had been sitting in her wc, by her bed, since I came on the hall at the start of my shift. I did the routine actions for the situation...assessed for injury, called doc, family, etc. and started my documentation, including the Incident and accident report. I filled out all areas of the report the best I could, but the one thing that bothered me was that I could not identify exactly how the injury occured, as I did not witness what happened...much less, when it happened. Obvious swelling and bruising to that extent made me to think that whatever happened must have happened a day, possibly two, before. My best guess would be perhaps she turned her ankle. But she doesn't walk. I was always taught you NEVER "guess or assume" what happened. So I documented that the resident was found with the injury. I did not state a cause or what happened, because it was unknown to me. So, the next day I get a text from my DON, stating that there's not enough information in the I&A, and that she needed GOOD witness statements saying what "possibly" happened. I informed her that the resident was found with the injury, and that I did not witness the injury, so I couldn't state what happened. It was unknown to me. So I went in to work last night, and after my routine charting was completed, I decided to re-read the information I had put in the I&A from the previous day. To my surprise, my charting/documentation had completely disappeared...and in its place was someone else's documentation of what happened. And it told a completely different story. They claimed the "slight bruising" was possibly caused by hitting her ankle on her wc. And that after investigating, she was no longer able to transfer properly, so they changed her to a full body lift. Granted, it all sounded much better than what I had documented, but it was not MY documentation. Another nurse completely deleted everything I had charted and put in her own words, and she wasn't working the night the injury was found. The only thing remaining from my documentation about the event is the I&A note that I had to do while filling out the report. The original report was electronically signed by me, that night. The new one had no signatures. Yet. Where did my documentation go? My question is, how do I handle this situation? I'm waiting for them to tell me that I have to sign off on the I&A report...but I will refuse to do that, because it isn't MY documentation any more. And no one asked me or told me that they were going to add/delete my charting from the report. To me, this is highly unethical. I've only been working here a couple of months, but I'm seriously reconsidering my place of employment at this point. I'd gladly welcome and appreciate your thoughts on this situation...