Hygiene Queen

I was wondering about the lymph nodes, since you mentioned her surgery. That could be part of it. Trilafon can cause heart failure in older adults. I love these kind of discussions on AN!

I think he started treating you bad when he met someone else because you were of no use to him any longer. Not everyone does that, but some do. You won't expect it and it's shocking. I suspect you won't be the last person he does this to. I know my husband did that to me. He also had to justify what he did by making me out to be "bad". It was horrible. Listen, you'll look back and realize you're better off without him. He has no integrity. It's life that one decides to leave a relationship, but how one goes about it is telling. It's confusing to be treated so well one minute and like garbage the next. I know you'll find peace, it just takes time.

I was training a really stupid CNA. I'm not being mean. She was an idiot. Anyway, we were showering a very obese woman, "Mary", that had been messed up from steroids and had a severe chronic illness. Mary had had a pretty bad psychotic episode, was quiet, but was AOx3. I guess the aide didn't think Mary knew her head from her butt. The aide took one look at the patient after I had her undressed and said, "Wow! She's really FAT!!!" I was mortified. I looked at my patient and said, "Mary, I don't think this young lady knows you understand. You understood that, didn't you?" Mary replied, "Yes!" "How does that make you feel?" "Like ****". I rounded on the CNA and told she was thoughtless and rude. I kicked her out of the shower room. Mary had been a nurse herself. I told her, "I'm sorry. Do you know that girl wants to be a nurse?" Mary gave a flat chuckle and replied, "NO!" That was the most painful thing I ever heard someone say to a patient. I had a loooong talk with this gal. Had to tell her crap I shouldn't have to tell anybody, like "these are people that have feelings". She didn't get it. She was fired within three days of starting.

We've had plenty of threads where we have shared stupid things we've done or misunderstood or whatever. That's not the point of this thread though. Sure, it could be something lacking... or maybe the nurse was just having a ding-dong moment? Maybe that nurse is really an idiot? Could be any reason you want. That's still not the point of this thread. We've also had plenty of serious posts discussing the problems and challenges of training/education and supervision. Again, that's not the point of this thread. We're just amusing ourselves here.

OP states they are not worried about future employment: If OP gets fired, they may not be worried about their current employer because they have no intention of working there, but I wonder if OP has thought about what they would tell potential employers as far as why their previous job ended. What if the job interviews go nowhere? That happens a lot. OP may have burned a bridge with the employer most likely to hire them after graduation-- the employer they are already "in" with. Sure, it could all work out fine. Many nurses get fired for a myriad of reasons and get jobs elsewhere. Hopefully, for OP's sake it works out, but if they are going to fight getting pulled everywhere they work, they are going to have a rough time.

If your hospital has a policy that one can refuse a second pull, then there's your answer. Take the issue up with your manager. Every hospital has their own policies. There is no way for us to tell what your policy actually is. We don't know if you misunderstood what the policy actually is, what the stipulations are for refusal, if they were blatantly ignoring their own policy or what the deal even is. If, indeed, that is your hospital's policy, that is very unusual. Everyone I know has resisted a pull for one reason or another, but the bottom line is that if they are insistent that you WILL float, then you either sucked it up or dealt with the consequences.

That doesn't make it right... if that's true. Everybody looks up meds-- even doctors and pharmacists. Look up your meds. If you want to handle them, then do it responsibly. As for "working under" someone's license, the nurse is ultimately responsible in that any issues must be reported to them. They have to handle it. I sure as heck don't want to clean up somebody's mess because they screwed up meds. Have you looked through this? Licensing Standards for Medication Aides Handbook

I used to start my shift by looking over my assignment and prioritizing my duties. Some of this involved knowing the residents and how things will go with them and working around that. I also used to run my bootie off with tasks that did not directly involve residents (like making beds, taking out trash, etc.) so I had more time when it came to working hands-on with individual residents without rushing them. I learned to do those non-resident tasks very ridiculously fast but not sloppily. If residents are chatty or excessively demanding of time, you need to learn how to gracefully exit. Sometimes you have to be politely firm. It takes time to get your groove and experience will provide. Okay, ignore the way the message is delivered and think back on your work. Is there any truth in the negative comments? Be honest with yourself. If so, work to correct any deficiencies. Can you explain how this woman is bullying you? Also, I wouldn't go to the DON. You are an adult. Try to sort this out as an adult in a professional manner with the coworker. It's hard to say what you should do without context. Is she the one being negative about your work? Make sure your work is, indeed, good before you accuse anyone of bullying. Some people do not know how to handle themselves professionally. She may be one of those people and doesn't know the concept of "constructive criticism". On the other hand, some people (especially those with little power) love to feel powerful. Sometimes they do this by putting down others. They like to make you feel stupid because they want to feel smart. They're not necessarily "arrogant" but come across that way because they are actually insecure. Remain calm and don't let them see you sweat because they like that and feed off your discomfort. That aide is an absolute idiot. That is someone who cannot think in anything but black and white. There is no nuance. Ever. Common sense be damned. Yes. You're smarter than that aide by a long shot. There is no way you could justify passing trays over ignoring a call light wherein a resident may need help or leaving a resident on the toilet alone. When I was an aide, we were passing our dinner trays. I stopped passing trays to answer a call light that had been going off for too long. I walked in to find a resident slid out of her chair and choking on her seat belt. Anything can be happening and no one is going to die because a tray sat another five or ten minutes... but they might die if we are neglectful. Oh, she just didn't want to get stuck passing out the trays without help. You already know she's an idiot. I've changed my mind about saying she thinks in black and white. Sounds more like she's selective in what she says to you in terms of what works best for her! Change the word "arrogant" to "ignorant", "unprofessional" and "insecure". I've been down that road. I handled it by ignoring those types of CNAs and doubling down and making sure my work was flawless. I gave them zero room to complain. It ended up benefiting me and my residents. It took a little while, but I became an excellent aide and left those jerks in the dust. You keep putting the safety of your residents first! You may be slow for now, but you'll get it. Keep trudging along and good luck to you.

I am over there under another name and have noticed you there. I don't participate, I'm just interested in what people come up with. Unfortunately, there are some ridiculous hand-wringers, far-fetched theories and users that try to match the most unlikely missing people to does. It can make one roll their eyes. You are not like that, meanmaryjean, and I wish other posters were as level-headed. You do an excellent job explaining the medical aspects of cases to laypeople. I'm glad I finally feel able to compliment you on that.

You're missing the point. The point is that the policy was likely made due to unreliable aides in the past. If that was indeed the case, then those aides should have been fired. Not only that, but if the facility continues to deem their aides as so untrustworthy as they cannot be expected to do their jobs properly, they should be fired. If she trusts the BPs given to her and she wants to go against policy, that is on her. The state isn't going to know about something that is uniquely facility policy. This is unique and not anything mandated by the state. Not only that, but there is something called "the chain of command" that needs to be followed. Going to the state without following the chain of command is a low blow and may end poorly for you. If you feel something is unsafe then address it with a supervisor. Every facility is different, but where I have worked, the vital signs were taken by the techs and then the unit secretary (or whoever had time) placed them into the computer. This meant they were placed under the name of whoever put them into the computer-- not who actually took them. This is a common practice. However, if this is not acceptable in your facility, then so be it. Again, it's on her. Not you. Great! Now you don't have to worry about it anymore. It doesn't matter if she's bossy or unpleasant or whatever. If you have a concern and it bothers you so much, take it to management-- not the state. Don't blow this all out of proportion. I'm going to ask you, why is it that you want to "tell on" her so much? And before you toss that first stone, make sure your own work ethic is impeccable.

What a bunch of judgmental slop. You're not "worried", for Pete's sake. There's always a holier-than-thou student that like to pass off their announcement that they are superior to others by proclaiming to be "worried" for the *gasp!!!* safety of the patients. Why do you really care what other people do, OP? What's really bothering you besides... patient safety?

A geropsych unit mixed with anything else. Constant complaints from the middle-aged crowd there for things like depression. Yeah, depressed younger folks really want to endure Grandpa Smith drooling on his plate, constantly screaming and biting people, and Grandma Jones stealing their clothes because they think they're "shopping at Macy's" :/

I took care, my friend. I quit.

I don't remember if I told this one on AN or not, but I once had a nightmare that I was walking down the hallway at work and one of our little tiny old ladies was shuffling slightly behind me. Suddenly, the lights went out and it was pitch black. I could see absolutely nothing. I stopped and frantically attempted to find the little old lady because I didn't want her to get hurt. I could feel that I was touching her and then I realize she has the fingers on both of my hands in her mouth and she is biting down hard. And not only could I sense enormous pain, I could also sense that she was something much more malevolent. I can see nothing but black. Terrified and in pain, I manage to reach my thumbs out to gouge her eyes and make her let go of my fingers... but I could feel this little old lady, this evil thing did not have any eye sockets! It had no face at all but the teeth biting off my fingers! I woke up trying to scream. My husband was all concerned and stuff, but when I got to the part where an old lady monster with no eyes was biting my fingers off, he could not stop laughing. Thanks, Honey. One more: I had a dream I was walking down the hall (again!) and that my night was so stressful, I could feel my heart racing, then becoming very irregular and then beginning to stop. As my heart began to stop, I began to pass out and fall to the floor. As I was going down to the floor, I thought, "This is it" and I guess I died, because I woke up at that point.

I always loved telling my elderly patients to "walk this way" and then launching into a Groucho Marx walk down the hall. They loved it! Other than that, I loved loved loved washing them up and tucking them in.