Phledd

I couldn't really guess what their reasoning was for sending him back so soon. Was this a one-time thing or a regular type of occurrence? Did the resident return with new cardiac orders? Maybe the doctor thought your SNF was capable of handling it? I just don't know.... I read a new LTC memoir this year that touched on this, but I don't think patient age was mentioned as a factor. The author attributed it more to healthcare workers (of all sorts) stigmatizing nursing home nurses. For example, sending patients to the ER just to get a problem resident out of their hair. Regarding age...I went through that with my (active, lively) grandmother, but it was only a one-time thing in one ER. She had a horrible cough that wouldn't go away and things took a scary turn one night. The doctor said, "Well, you've lived a good life, haven't you?"

No, that is not an unreasonable request. Seems odd that the manager wouldn't insist on that being honored. I wonder if it could be a communication problem. Do the 2nd & 3rd shift charge nurses know about it? Maybe you could speak with the director of nursing....if you haven't done so already. Explain how important it is to your mother and to your own peace of mind, and ask him/her to ensure that everyone is on board with it. Also, have a chit chat with the charge nurses. Then they can/should make sure the aides follow through with it. (Why would they prefer to change briefs in the recliner, rather than doing it with the residents standing up? Seems cumbersome.)

No, it doesn't make a difference. And, if you're hesitant to name actual races, you could simplify by calling them 5 Star-bellied Sneetches and 2 Plain-bellied Sneetches or whatever. :) Whether this was favoritism, bullying, or an oversight, I couldn't say. Depends on how they typically treat that overly bombarded nurse. Are the secretary and supervisor generally unfair to the other Plain-bellied Sneetch as well?

When I took the EMT-B course, my instructor slipped in "dumb nurse" stories fairly often. I couldn't slide far enough down in my chair.

Does the pharmacy have a record of who signed for receipt of the narcotics when they were delivered? Did they not get logged into the narc book/record?

Yep, most definitely. I remember when Carafate was all the rage. And Propulsid too, though that turned out to be a bad idea....eek.

Short of an uprising, probably not much.

My approach was different than those of some supervisors, but likely not right for everyone. I always tried to maintain a friendly, outgoing demeanor with CNAs. I worked as a CNA, myself, during nursing school and saw the effectiveness of that strategy, so I adopted it. You mentioned the CNA who wanted to apply the cream. I might have, for example, said something like, "You have no idea how much I appreciate your helpfulness. I wish everyone was that willing to help out, but I have a nurse friend who got burned for this exact same thing at another job, so I'm a stickler about doing my own creams. I have to follow the book or I'll be a nervous wreck." Then I'd thank him again. I also gave a lot of kudos each time CNAs went the extra mile or when they made it through a rough shift. When a shift went smoothly, I gave them credit. If I was swamped with extra nursing duties and couldn't find time to pee, let alone help them toilet residents, I apologized and let them know how rotten I felt about it--and they knew I meant it. I found that the majority of them wanted to please the "friendliest" nurses and hated displeasing them. They wanted to maintain that rapport because it made the workdays less stressful. Naturally, I did occasionally have someone try to take advantage of my kindness, but it rarely lasted long. I had no problem being assertive when that happened. If someone had ever falsely reported that I was a big meanie to work with, nobody would have believed them. I'm not sure how helpful this is. I just wanted to share what worked for me.

I left. After 23 years of working my tuckus off, I'm plum exhausted. I still miss nursing -- specifically, I miss what it used to be but not what it is now.