J2016

Didn't realize there was an MA forum. Thank you

I'm a Medical Assistant who started my job about a month ago. I'm going back to school for nursing, and when I was doing my MA clinicals I was working at an Assisted Living Community also, I decided to not pursue employment as an MA solely because I loved my work. I was asked to be a Med tech/shift leader on my third day. I was constantly praised for great work and always picking up extra shifts. Sure, I wasn't perfect, but I did get great compliments from my coworkers and the management. Then it all started going wrong. There was a lot of... dirty moves played by the management. It started to rear its ugly head, and I started to realize that corporate didn't care about us. We were just helping some CEO on the East coast buy a third vacation home. I couldn't stand it. So I left on great terms and pursued employment as an MA. Boy. The management is ever so fabulous. I can tell I work at a non-profit! But there's a catch. I feel like I'm getting it, but I'm constantly so worried that I'm not good enough. I don't know if it's my work location or not. I got moved for a week with another doctor because I came off a little too strong and I had to have "the talk" which was horrifying in itself... I was just frustrated, but I know there's no excuse for it. It wasn't that big of a deal, and now that I'm back in my primary location it's going a lot better. But I just feel like there's a dark cloud hovering behind me constantly. I don't know. I know it's only been a month. It's terrifying, because the management is incredible and the corporation is fantastic, but I just don't know about the work. Compared to being really good at a job with management I couldn't stand... I don't know what's worse. I'm starting to think I'm in over my head and I should have never left working long term care.

One time I said hi to a resident, she motioned for me to come to her and she pointed at a cup and asked me "IS IT OK FOR ME TO BE DRINKING THIS HOLY WATER?" but it was milk. One time I waked through the door and a resident was in her wheelchair next to it and was like "There you are!! We're sitting with the poultry!" One resident told me she just saw a zeppelin outside, and the last time she saw one it blew up and everyone died. One was pointing at another resident who was sitting watching tv, I went up to her and asked her what's up and she said "He just ordered a new couch, cause he's always sittin on that one"

I come in to start report and the first thing they say is "The ambulance had to come 4 times today!!" (Not as intense as some of your stories, but as the shift leader of a ~45 bed ALF/MC it's not good either 😉)

Lol I had a certain facial expression for the first half of that paragraph Yes he does, but they live about an hour and a half away (he had to come all the way here because there was only one LTC facility in the county he lived in) so they don't visit too often.

Although personally I wouldn't dye my hair, I admire people who go crazy and have fun with their hair. I work with someone who is close to retirement, and since they didn't have the "cool colors" back in her day, she died her hair purple! To be honest, by the time the newest generations are in charge, companies will have done away with hair color rules (and tattoo rules)

We have a resident with (very) advanced Frontal Lobe dementia. He's always smiling and laughing, but he only speaks with the same phrases ("yeah I think so", "what're you doin that for?"). The biggest issue is his wandering and constant yelling out. I work with a 40 year veteran of this field and she hasn't ever seen anything like it. Yelling out at least once every few minutes during waking hours (and at least 10 times while he's sleeping at night). He is also excessively wandering throughout the day. We will catch him trying to go into someone's room, wheel him back to nearby the nurses desk and leave for 3 minutes (say go to the laundry room, etc) and come back and he's gone again. Throughout the day. We've tried giving him things like a baby doll and he just says no and drops it on the floor and wanders off again. With things like this, I know we are supposed to keep it moving and not worry about symptoms of dementia, but it is getting out of hand as he is keeping residents awake during the night, his yelling is very disruptive to residents AND family during the day, not to mention how angry the wandering makes a lot of residents. We have tried communication with his MD but all he responded with was "behavior likely due to dementia" (.........). I guess what I'm saying is, has anyone had experience with F.L. Dementia and have any ideas on how to address?

Thank you! I have medscape on my phone that I use to look up for medications when I do have time (because you are correct, we don't have a lot of time) but it doesn't give me a whole lot. I'll have to try Epocrates. I'll have more time tonight on Noc shift ☺️

Ignore that I ever posted this topic, please. I asked a question and got an answer I needed.

That's what happens when you get 3 days of training to pass meds to 50 people. I took pharmacology, but it was for typical meds prescribed in a clinic. It'll be another 2 years before I take pharmacology for the RN. So I'll just have to look them up tonight when I get to work because I don't remember what they're called.

That's just how my OCD works. Something like this that doesn't make sense makes me think way too hard. 3 months into this job and a year and 5 months into working in this field and this is the most bizarre thing I've dealt with. Don't worry about me overthinking. As for what the drops are for, I'll check when I get to work at 11 tonight. As for our facilities policy, I will have to check with our CEO if the aide can give them, or if the techs must.

Yes, I am aware that I am reading way to much into this. That's just how my mind works. I can deal with falls, blood, 911 calls and hospital transfers, and deaths. I wouldn't have stayed in Assisted Living this long if I couldn't, and I would just be using my Medical Assistant degree. It's just this situation is running through my mind because it's just plain bizarre. Yes, when it comes down to it it's her right to refuse and get another worker to give them. Still, the AL unit worker is by themselves at night to make sure 22 people are ready for bed without worrying about meds.

I've always had some sort of inclination to medicine since my mothers meningioma removal in 2005. I've played back and forth between many different healthcare related careers, including clinical lab science, coding and billing, and even did something as crazy as get my degree as a Certified Medical Assistant. Now that I've been working in Assisted Living and Memory Care I know that I need to be a nurse, and that is now where I am headed ☺️

Hello everyone! Always wanted to post but never had anything to say until today. A little about me: I just graduated as a Certified Medical Assistant, but after working in Assisted Living facilities for the last year and a half I have decided to stay with my current job and continue with my degree in Registered Nursing. In assisted living we have "med techs" that pass pills and handle medications such as eye drops, as well as doing the 24 hour reports. Yesterday was my last training as a Med Tech after being just normal Direct Care Staff at this facility for ~3 months. During my 3 days of med tech training, I've had ONE resident give me issues that I wouldn't normally expect. This resident, ALTHOUGH she has in the past been confused about where she is, I would say is of mostly sound mind. She's ok with me giving her HS pills, but refuses to let me give her eye drops. She always has the excuse that she "always" waits until she's in bed to get them, but I've asked the other med techs and they said she's never said that to them. Basically, every other med tech walks into the room with the bottle and she immediately takes her glasses off. This has kept me up all night trying to figure out why she would refuse me giving her eye drops. Being a male that works in healthcare, I know and understand that some women residents want a woman to assist them with toileting and bathing. She is one of those people, but has gotten used to me and allows me to toilet her. It's just that she's refusing.... Eye drops!!!! It's not that I feel like a failure or feel depressed about this. It's just that it's so bizarre. We have a memory care unit and I get told "eat ****" and get swung at/screamed at/scratched nearly every day. It's just this ONE resident, on the regular assisted living unit, that is giving me issues. I guess my question is, how do I just "make this happen"? I've been considering just telling her "[other med tech] and [other med tech] give you your drops at this time every day. They keep your eyes healthy!" And just telling her that my shift ends soon so if she doesn't take them she has to wait until tommorow night to get them. Even on memory care I've never had a resident go to bed without their meds (there's been a couple refusals, but they took them later on without issue). I've just been having the aides on the floor give them to her, which she allows and I WOULD be ok with doing this forever. The thing is, it just takes time out of my shift when I have a TON of HS pills and inhalers and eye drops to be passing on both units. Every minute counts. Any suggestions??