SDALPN

Big agency. Agency is great, its the current office staff.

Uugghh. Nothing like a bad group of office staff to ruin things. Had a great set of staff for years. Here and there a bad apple, but they didn't last. Now we have the staff from ****. The shady stuff, favortism, game playing, etc are really frustrating. Trying to hang in there until things get better. But its awful. Lots of backstabbing. Nurses in the field are all talking about the office staff like never before. Parents keep complaining about scheduling issues, communication issues, etc. Any suggestions? Ways to handle it? Are there ways to speed up the turnover process?

I've seen this a few times. Same with the hard chair. I blame the agency. The agency needs to speak up. If all agencies did this, families would have nowhere to run and there would be less nurse turnover.

I think it depends on the school/teacher.

Weekends are typically hard to staff. Especially weekend nights. Being that we tell them when we work, most nurses don't want to work those shifts.

So does anyone have suggestions on ways to prevent the schedulers from manipulating?

I think that PDN is better for nurses with boundaries. I don't think it is a good fit for those that have trouble saying "no".

It sounds like you have experience to handle the case. Sounds like the pt will be fairly easy. But sounds like there is a reason the case is wide open. Typically agencies put new hires on the worst cases because that is all that is available. Nobody wants to work those cases so they get the new hires to do so before they find out. I would suggest floating to easier cases and work your way up to more complex. Floating will keep your skills up and you will experience the different dynamics of every case which will help you gain experience in PDN.

If you are a new nurse, PDN isn't for new nurses. You will be putting your license at risk. Some states require a minimum of a year of nursing experience. Agencies will overlook it, but if you get caught you could be charged with fraud. Sounds like a picky parent who only scratched the surface with complaints. If they talk bad about the current nurses, what do you think the parents will say about you? The parents who complain about interaction usually micromanage and insist on constant interaction. As far as the nursing side of things, you should be discussing your lack of skills with your supervisor. Your supervisor should be aware.

It's typical. It sets up nurses with boundaries for failure. The agencies only care about the money. So if the family is happy, the agency turns their heads. I've lost plenty of cases for keeping boundaries.

New grads don't belong in private duty. Ask your supervisor. Your supervisor should be aware of the areas that you need more training in.

If you are bored, it may not be the right job for you. There is downtime on most cases. Most of us bring stuff to do for those times. The nurses that complain of boredom never last in the job.

I have been in that situation. The agency doesn't care what is on paper. They will tell the families one thing in writing and do another. When this happened to me, I called the agency. They told me that if anything happens to the pt to the point I call 911, to let the police handle it then. You are putting yourself at risk by staying. The agency will only get away with what you allow them to get away with. You can also call CPS and the case manager. Let them know the mom threatened to change agencies because of it. That way they know she is manipulative as well. That statement will also make CPS and the case manager keep a close eye on things if they do change agencies.

Don't get in the middle of it. The nurse always gets thrown under the bus. Let the supervisor handle it. Keep doing your job. Your documentation covers you, so keep documenting as usual. You may lose the case, but at least you won't be burned. They will find a nurse that will do what the school wants (even though its wrong).

Give it time. If its not working for you after a couple of months, it may not be for you. Oh yeah, avoid caffeine so you can sleep when you get home. I'd have a soda when I got to work. After that, no caffeine so I'd sleep when I got home. Good luck!