GeeKster

I'm sorry to come off as judgmental but I can't seem to help that because I care so much about the residents on my floor. I know how hard a CNA works (we were doing all the work and my best friend is a cna and she's always complaining about aches and pains). The one time where I could actually breathe was at the end of the day. I'm not judging how they are as a person; I am judging how they act at their job site. I just find it completely unprofessional. One lady, that I was trying to help feed kept looking up and whispering to me, "Why do they talk so loud? Who are they saying got shot?" I didn't know how to respond, because they already don't like the students so I chose to ignore it and point out the lovely scenery out the window. By "elder abuse" I was referring to incidents that I witnessed such as an LPN smearing potatoes all over a residents face and yelling at her to eat. Ok, I can understand smearing the potatoes on the residents lower lip to maybe stimulate her appetite, but there is no valid reason to smear it all over her face (no I am not exaggerating. How humiliating and degrading for that resident). Another student, who was there, pulled me aside and asked me, "Is that elder abuse? I can't believe she did that." We immediately told the charge nurse because the LPN was just too forceful and just so nasty in tone towards the resident. Well, the charge nurse just looked at me and said, "Ok," --pause-- and went back to her work. Another incident: A woman's call light kept going off and she needed help getting out of bed. She wasn't one of the residents that the students tended to but I HAD to answer the call lights because, again, no one else was. I ran to a CNA to ask for help because she needed to use the mechanical lift. The CNA rolled her eyes at me, walked in the room and said in a very nasty tone, "No! You are not getting up right now! You're going to have to wait because I don't have time to get you out of bed!" I tried to talk to the CNA to ask her if she can just show me where she keeps the lift and the way their hospital utilizes that lift (their lift is different than the one we were taught with at school). The CNA said, "I don't have time for that," and left and walk right over to the dining room and gabbed with her co-workers (she was still sitting there when I walk by an hour and a half later). I was truly appalled, but brushed it off because I don't want to be rude to anyone who works there. I'm trying to be the glue to the team here and they don't seem to want the students there but we are really lighting their workload. Honestly, we work; they talk. They should totally take advantage of us being there and maybe keep their workload light but not that light. One lady kept screaming for help for over 2 hours and every time I kept going to get into the room they would yell at me to not go in there. I just assumed this is a patient that just wants attention. When no one was around, I snuck in the room because I just NEEDED to know what was wrong. I just wanted this patient to feel better even if was just getting an ounce of attention. THE RESIDENTS ARM WAS STUCK BETWEEN THE BED AND THE SIDE RAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know I'm still learning, but how does one not go into a room when a resident is screaming for hours; not even a peek. Maybe, I am being too emotional which only sparks my natural instincts to judge. I'm not trying to maliciously judge others. I just think in the instances that I have experienced that the nursing team acted unprofessional and negligent. A classmate told me, "After so long in the nursing field, I think they just stopped caring." (referring to the nurses at that institution)

Currently, I am an LPN student doing my geriatric clinical rotation. Boy, oh boy, was the first day tough. I'm 21 years old with no previous medical experience. It was just a hectic day because I was so scared to hurt a resident. Now, I'm a couple weeks into my clinical, and I feel like an old pro. Now, there are things that I am witnessing in the nursing home that truly makes me just want to vomit (I'm referring to elder abuse). I have seen the CNA's, the LPN's, and even the charge Nurse treat the residents like complete crap. In one of the eating rooms, all the CNA's are talking loudly about who is in jail, who's baby daddy is doing what, and just laughing like hyenas while the residents are trying to enjoy a peaceful meal. Also, they sit around and just talk to each other about how annoying the students are and how they are always in the way. I'm curious how I'm in the way when they do nothing but sit and gab all day while I'm trying to be superwoman and answer the call lights (the nurses don't even acknowledge the call lights and they let residents scream for help all day long). I know this may not be everywhere, but this is what I am seeing at the nursing home where we have our clinicals. Our clinical instructors notice it too but she says there is nothing she can really do about it. My resident that I am assigned to, I adore her! I am so scared and terrified, that it keeps me up all night, that when I leave what is going to happen her. She is so kind to me and tells me that I am the nicest person she has ever met. At this very moment, I am worrying and just wanting to cry because I don't want anyone to be mean to her. People have told me that I'm way too emotional to be a nurse; can you actually be? Everyone keeps telling me to get out of it because I won't last and it will only hurt me in the long run. There is nothing I want to do more than Nursing. I actually only got into it for the money and a program was available (frankly, it was just convenient at that moment in time) but I am noticing that this is something I actually want to pursue and further my education in. I truly believe this is what I was meant to do it. Hey, we all have to go through trials and errors to find our purpose in life. So, from your experience, can one be too emotional for nursing?