auntdd

First of all, I want to clarify that I have met the requirements of my states mandatory reporting laws. UPDATE: Since the time that this was originally posted: I found out that the "inaction" was due to an open investigation. (Which involves auditing months of notes). The situation has changed dramatically. (Sorry, divulging the details could identify the patient and violate HIPPA) Just know that the situation is improving and while that nurse is still employed........ we are all working under a microscope. To my absolute joy!..... I only wish the family or my company had taken me up on my offer to purchase a nanny cam

Nope. The family does not notice or seem to care that he has stayed up all nlght, except to gripe me out when the school complains about him falling asleep in class.

I have been working with a home health company for the last 8 years. At first I only worked a few days a week, and my "main gig" was nursing homes. After succumbing to a workplace bully, I left the nursing home, and began working full time in home health. I have had the same main clients for the last 8 years. I have worked with many families/clients over the years with this company, but I always worked at least a day or two with this one family. I loved my job so much, I swear I could have skipped the whole way. About 8 months ago we got two new nurses on this case. Granted we only see one another for a few minutes, but....things have gone so wrong. First all, this is a client who requires a physically fit caregiver. Very heavy lifting, and busy work. We got a male nurse, and the other nurse......a very frail woman pushing 70. Now Im not one to discriminate against the elderly..I've seen some little old lady nurses with brute strength and mad nursing skills.....this lady is NOT one of them. From the start I had suspicions. A client who NEVER sleeps through day shift...suddenly sleeps like the dead......but only on her shift...when the parent is not at home *which is often* A sweet genteel client...is aggressive and mean...but only following her shifts. I suspect drugging but w/o proof or logical argument.....I say nothing. Next I notice a pattern of unusual respiratory distress...but looking at records...only happens following her shift. I attempt to say something to her in friendly "hey did you notice" kinda way...then I find out she is very passive aggressive, and vindictive. Very next shift following her...patient starts howling with abdominal pain...soon.....we have projectile diarrhea...literally flooding the room. I find that a nearly new bottle of RX laxative was documented as "accidentally spilled" on her shift... I can do nothing but report the facts...not my suspicions. I tried talking to my supervisor because the patient who used to get excited and happy when I arrived started behaving aggressive toward me, when I asked what was the matter client tells me that whites are evil, and that this nurse told him that I kill people for fun...and that I want to hurt him. I confronted her about it, Politely...she said that if I say anything about it she will accuse me of being a racist and get me fired.......that is how she takes care of white trash like me." Thinking that 8 years with this company meant something, and maybe the fact that 8 years......working 48 hours a week with the same African American family counted as proof of my personality......I decided to call her bluff and ask my boss for help. I was told point blank....."we didn't need that kind of trouble" and "work it out". On top of it all? My boss calls her and repeats everything I talked to them about, now I am just being beaten down left and right. This family who once never had a unkind word is cussing me out.....they really seem to hate me. She spends her days here trashing me, the family repeats it all back to me....but let me know they take it as gospel. After 8 years.......I have truly built my life around this client/shift. My husband took a job that made sharing our one vehicle convenient...everything is situated around my job here. I can't just walk away. How can I defend myself? I'm so depressed and sad. I can honestly say I am miserable. Does anyone have advice?

You should try nursing homes that specialize in high skill patients. You need about a year of med-surg experience ....that will make you VALUABLE, DESIRABLE AND INDISPENSABLE to almost any facility...making jobs a dime a dozen for you. That being said...as a home heath nurse myself: *repeat after me* ...NEVER NEVER NEEEEEVER ....ever... do housework, personal favors, driving, NEVER offer money, gifts etc to the family. In most cases...this will get YOU in hot water. Not to mention it is VERY bad practice. Unfortunately it is a mistake many find out the hard way. Insurance companies, especially medicaid and other govt. insurance...can and WILL terminate private duty care benefits over the nurse doing these tasks. It also creates an unrealistic perception of your role. veteran Nurses in this field are quick to tell people...."I don't to windows". These people deal with all kinds of stress...and most is to do with the medical situation. It is also hard to have to give up privacy. That being said....this is a bad situation. Just because it is a client, and not your direct employer......does not mean that you are subject to abuse. You must report this to your company, and they must fix it.

I like student nurses to an extent. I love teaching and nursing is my passion...who doesn't like to show off what they love? I'm not wanting to come across as taking a swipe at you; however you come off as entitled and bratty. As a student there are a lot of things you really don't know. Trust me, we all remember being a student. One of the biggest reasons you will get banned from a patient room has nothing to do with the reasons you are given. I'm not going to tell a student "Hey you can't go here because I'm going to break about 5 rules and I know you are going to tattle." I'm going to give you a short excuse or no reason at all. We have rules for a reason, should we break them?....no. What the student doesn't realize is that nursing isn't black and white. You are not taking care of a hypothetical person in a text book. The patient in room 209 can't be cared for "by the book". "Mrs 209" is going to fall into incoherent screaming when you stand over her with the pill cup and recite the pill names (like you are supposed to) She also happens to have forgot her name was ever Mrs. Doe...but smiles when you call her "honey bear" You know her life depends on taking that blood pressure pill and she won't suffer today if you can get her to take her vicoden. So yes you're going to break a few rules just for Mrs. 209. You go sit on her bed (against the rules) when she mistakes you for her daughter that never visits you don't correct her (against the rules) and you cheer her on as she swallows pills based on what color they are. Another reason I may exclude a student from a room? You spent 20 minutes ranting about your kid was throwing up that morning, or your cold. I'm thinking of ten serious infections you're going to give my patients.....or the asthma attack your perfume will give patient x. I'm being polite when I give you an excuse. The best thing you can do as a student is to keep idle chatter to a minimum, do not chew gum, don't complain. Don't mention bad experiences with another nurse or facility, because I will think you are going to bad mouth me too. One particular example of a student who made me not want to work with students for a while: I was at a mental health facility (a prn job I held for many years) I had a long term patient who believed we poisoned the "pink pills", unfortunately that "pink pill" was the exact drug he needed to reduce hallucinations....which by the way made this poor man suffer in extreme fear. Do you like to watch people suffer? Yeah me neither. As the med nurse my only job is to get people to take their meds. So I "broke a rule" and agreed with the patients delusion. When the patient refused the "pink ones" because I poisoned it" I told the patient "I only poison you on Mondays remember? It's safe to take it today." Which the patient took the meds resulting in a day he didn't have to suffer. The student went to the head of the hospital (who did not directly know the patient by the way) and complained that I told a delusional man I poisoned his medication....technically true....it was not the whole story and I got wrote up.