Mayday83

Hello all. I mostly lurk here, but have a concern I’m hoping someone could help with. I work in a post-acute SNF in their locked dementia unit. I’m one of the longest tenured nurses in the facility and work full time. We have another unit which had our first covid case. Since then it’s spread like wildfire - on that unit alone. Now many staff on that unit are getting sick or simply calling out. They’re floating staff all over like crazy. From non-covid units to the covid units then back again. I'm absolutely terrified of it coming to our dementia unit. Most of our patients are walkie-talkies, and it’s been impossible keeping them isolated. We had a few scares already, and people were walking from isolation rooms into clean rooms, out of clean rooms into isolation rooms. We hardly have time for anything except keeping them in their rooms. I don’t want to see any of our FT staff - aides or nurses - floated to the covid unit then back again, and risk bringing it back to our people where it’ll be nearly impossible to contain. I just don’t think k it’s a good idea taking FT staff from a “clean” unit to an infected unit then back again. Does my staff have a leg to stand on in refusing to float? Or no? Thanks in advance for any insight.

Hi everyone. I joined because I'm not sure where to turn at this point, and im hoping for some guidance. I work at a SNF as a charge nurse on a dementia unit. There is a CNA here who is the worst of the worst you can imagine (lazy, sleeps during her shift, hides in the bathroom for nearly an hour at least once or twice a shift, is rude to the patients, disappears off the unit repeatedly, you get the picture). There have been numerous complaints by alert and oriented patients about how rough she is. There have also been complaints made and statements written by staff who saw her "yell" at an incontinent resident and refuse to clean her. Again, nothing ever seems to happen. Staff members alike do not like her. There have been more incidents than I can count, but I don't know how or even if they all were documented with management. i was working the other day and heard a patient yelling for help. I came into the room to find he patient, who is on chair and bed alarms and one of our biggest fall risks, on the floor of her bathroom, sink running water (what our aides do to allow the water to warm up), and clean towels and brief on the sink. Clearly, someone had been preparing to do care, and she had clearly been on the toilet as evidenced by urine and TP in the toilet. I found this aide in the next room, with that door closed, giving care to another patient. I asked if she left this patient on the toilet. She said "yeah she said she wasn't done." I gathered myself and told her professionally, "ok, you NEVER leave alarmed residents alone on a toilet." Over the next hour or two, I started to gather my statements for the incident report and asked this CNA for her statement. She ignored me completely and refused. I got the supervisor, who she also ignored completely and refused to write a statement for. The next day, evidently she claimed she "heard another alarm" and left this patient on the toilet to go answer this other supposed alarm. She never told me this, and if that was the case and it was an honest mistake, why would you leave the alarmed resident on the toilet, go in another room and close the door, then refuse to write a statement? Long story short - I am obviously really upset. This problem with this aide has been getting worse and worse, and I am worried for my patients safety. I can't say for sure that it is neglect, because I don't know the intent? Apparently corporate was involved with the decision not to terminate her, and I can't undwrstand why she still has a job. I dont know if I should try and complain to corporate, or call the DOH and make a complaint? I'm so upset I can hardly work. I have to work with her again tonight and tomorrow and am dreading it. She knows she can do anything she wants and nothing ever seems to happen to her.