AuntieNursey

No, your mother is not going to "snap out of it", it's dementia and it's probably been going on for quite a while, which you would have noticed it you had actually visited her at home instead of calling 3 times a year. And no, I have no idea why she would select her best friend/neighbor as her DPOA-maybe see above statement about your involvement in her life. And no, I don't think I can talk her out of her choice, even if I wanted to. I actually had a conversation like that with a resident's daughter, while she snapped her gum and answered her cell phone.

Yes, by a "manager" whom I had found doctoring charts and billing for supplies not used and caught having an affair with another nurse. Thought it would take care of all his problems. But the BON in my state investigated and found no wrong doing on my part. The accusation triggered a unit/facility audit and all sorts of things came to light. Karma is a harsh mistress if you don't treat her right. WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE. I actually stopped working LTC, which I love and am very good at, because I was so burnt. Better after that those who started the mess were caught and paid for their nastiness, but it was an ordeal for my family.

I have just quit a job related to the same type of BS. Short-staffing (perpetual), no or negative response from management, lousy raises, and no quality assurance or employee evauation process (the "joy" of working for a small, privately owned facility). It's almost enough to make me want out of the profession. I was going for my RN on line, had even paid for the classes I need upfront, but I am very discouraged and am ready to go to asking "you want paper or plastic". And the kicker, when I spoke with the administrator about my concerns about staffing and how I believed it was unsafe for all concerned, he started yelling that I was the only one who had an issue with the staffing levels (untrue) and told me "you're fired" (thinks he's the Donald). Well, I had already passed in my resignation, gave him a month's notice and this happened 2 weeks into the month. Looking back over my "career" at this facility, I realized he had fired, or let go, all but one of the staff members who had given their notice, before the end of the time they had allotted. So, the power trip is his problem, not mine. But it's still a massive blow. I've only been fired from one job in my life and I was 20 and a bit of a party girl. So, thanks for listening/reading and I'll probably be over it by the end of the week. I hope. I don't think it deserves any more of my thoughts and energy.

And we SO need to stop judging each other, and those who work in other environments and eating our young. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL NURSE! Regardless of where she works and what she does, she does it because it's a part of who she is. There are some careers that get under your skin (cops, firefighters, nurses, teachers) and are a part of what makes you who you are. We should be celebrating, not judging each other for perceived "attitude" issues. Please :redpinkhe

We laugh so we CAN be concerned and compassionalte instead of telling people to take their self-induced psychotic/physical issues back into the community where they will do the most harm. We laugh because we care about our patients and want to do the best we can for them, for poor pay, no or little recognition, many complaints about things we have no control over and enough abuse in a week to last a lifetime. And we vent here so we can continue to do the outstanding and, in soem cases, miraculous things we do with a smile, empathy and heartfelt concern. So, as an outsider, you can take it ot leave it, but we do a great job with a public that has minimal respect for the garbage we have to put up with. So there....

:lol2: We all have those days.

Can I help you pack anything? Need a w/c to get you out of the building? Here let me push, can I call you a cab?

Not only abandonment, but lord knows what could have been living on the bed. She didn't know what the room mate had, the possibilities are endless. To put a baby on a dirty bed is inexcusable. The "shudder" factor is off the scale, yeech. Drop a dime on that girl and get some one to pay attention to that baby since mom seems lost in a fog.

YOU stated that upper management has spoken to her, does your workplace have a policy about wearing scents? Don't laugh, I worked with children with D.D. as well as physical and emotional disabilities for years and the workplace had a written policy forbidding perfumes becasue it was so detrimental to some of the kids, especially those with autism and other olfactory-sensitive conditions. And as a fellow sensitive sufferer, I empathize with the caullousness and lack of empathy this woman is showing. And to say that the "scent is who she is", you can only feel sorry for someone who is so wrapped up in herself and what she wants that she can't see the negative effect she has on those around her, including (and this is the biggy) HER PATIENTS. You may want to talk to the HR department about the negative effects of perfume on the patients and document if a patient complains. ANd remember those with the same issues are behind you.

My daughter is currently studying abroad in France and because of that, I have my cell phone on and on my person 24/7. My husband and I both work 3rd shift and neither of us are near a phone consistantly and I feel that I need to insure that I can be reached in case of an emergency. But, I do not answer it in a resident's room, although I have looked at the face to check a number when I feel it vibtate (it's always on silent mode when I 'm at work) but do not answer it at that moment. I will go back to leaving it in my purse when she gets back in May, but until then, I feel like I ned to be connected.

The visuals are bad enough, but the audio is always what gets me, and if it's alcohol related, the smell. Gets me every time

me,too. i did ok, not grat mind you, but ok with my offspring and, very surprising, my husband. most of the time, except that guiness :cheers: spout, that was just nasty. he was very grateful i still loved him after that...right down my back. that was just a whole lotta bad.

I think its unreasonale to expect nurses, or any medical staff really or any human for that matter, to work rotating schedules. There have been many studies that reinforce how physically disruptive it is to switch from days to evenings to nights. A note to administrators/H.R.; Pick a shift and allow your staff to keep a steady schedule, rotate holidays, senority is all well and good for pay, but everyone would like at least one holiday a year with their family. You worked christmas last year? You work thanksgiving this year and get christmas off. The flip side of the entitled generation is "old school" nurses (and I have worked with a few) who know it all, don't need your help/advice/suggustions and do everything the way they always have and that's the way its going to be. Period. And becasue thet are long time employees, administration doesn't want to hear about it, even when it comes to standard precautions. Cut you off before you can finish a sentance. Very hard to deal with, you do your job as best you can but I feel like I spend a fair amount of tiem comforting residents who feel a little shell shocked after receiving care from these ki9nds of nurses - don't ask the resident ?'s, do care with minimal conversation and basically treat them like a side of beef. probably time to move on a I get no response or get blown off, when i mention these issues. Kinda sad:o

[Valerie Salva;2614551]If a facility has good working conditions, pays well, treats me with respect, provides the resources needed to do a good job, has mgmt that rewards good employees and gets rid of problem employees, and does not expect me to attend meetings during the day when I've worked all noc, I'll work all nocs/holidays/weekends Let me know if you find such a place. I've worked 3rds for the better part of 30 years and have actually been written up for not attending staff meetings at 2 or 3 in the afternoon after working the night before and due back at 10pm. But don't get me started on the 3rd shift issues...how we don't do anything, sleep (I wish!), don't have alot of patient care (yeah, right) and how useless it is to try and explain to the day/evening staff that the sweet old people they deal with during the day are not the same screaming, fearful people we deal with at 2am. And administrations that have never worked a 3rd shift and (god forbid) actually shown up to see what we do and what goes on over night. And statistically, most of our residents die on the overnight shift. Don't get me wrong, I love nights, I have time for my residents, most of the tiem and I enjoy the fact that most of the big ra-ra's are home in bed, but you wnato to compalin about the shift, come in and see, you don't even have to work the whole shift, just observe. I can guarentee it will be an eye opener. Thanks for reading :redpinkhe

vomiting. I'm hoping I'll get over it. I actually reflexively gag when I hear the noises. I feel your pain. This one took me lierally years to get past. A patient/resident would throw up, I would usually gag uncontrollably or actually vomit a little or spit up into the trash, then clean it all up, still gagging. Slowly (way slowly it seemed) it did abate and I can handle most of it at this point, except for liquor vomit - always smells so spoiled and seems to trigger some primevil spot in the "lizard brain" and I just can't help myself. Sputum is also a biggie, trach suctioning is also a bit gag inducing