Put in my 2 weeks notice today! (LONG)

[wishinguponastarLPN]

Over the past couple of months it seems like the facility I work for (an acute rehabilitation center) has gone down hill. The typical reasons such as low staffing rations, management that doesn't give a crap, terrible team work, zero accountability, ect, ect.

So I decided to look elsewhere and found a great place to work that I really feel is going to be a great fit for me. So I printed up my letter of resignation and went to work this morning with letter in hand. I was a little anxious and nervous but told myself I was doing the right thing.

After what happened to me this morning I knew I was right!

I got to work early this morning and noticed the 3rd shift aide hadn't yet gotten up any of the supervised feeders, had lights going off like crazy. I saw the aide and told her that I was going to need a good report because I have been off for a week and didn't know any of the patients on my team. Since I figured something was going on, I clocked in and started helping her. I got up and dressed one of the supervised feeds, took someone to the bathroom (who cussed me out for having to wait so long). After I was finished I started to look for the 3rd shift aide and soon realized she had left!

So I went to my manager and told her that the aide had left. Now please keep in mind that this is one of several issues that I have had with this aide. I have gone to my manager, written up incident report after incident report because of issues with this aide. For example, leaving patients in urine, leaving patients on bedpans, ect.

She didn't seemed concerned and just told me to get with my nurse. Well, that would normally work, however this morning my nurse was pulled from a different unit and knew these patients less than I did! My manager then didn't have anything else to say.

I lost it! At the nurses desk in front of everyone I just said "Is it not a big deal that I don't have report on any of my patients?!?" I then proceeded to say " This is ridiculous! When someone falls today dont' blame me because I have no clue how they transfer!!":mad:

THis of course got my managers attention, who then told me to write up an incident report and she would have the 3rd shift manager talk to her. I wrote up my final stupid incident report and laid it on my managers desk along with my letter of recognition. To me, this was the icing on the cake and a sign that it was time for me to get the heck outta there!

BTW ~ I then called the aide at home and had her give me report!

[nursel56]

Sorry for that experience -sounds awful . . .hoping others can chime in who have more experience with this than I do!

[KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN]

Is there a way that you could have asked other aides on the floor if they were familiar with these patients? Or even ask the patients themselves? I did three days of orientation at a facility on one particular floor, and then as soon as I finished orientation, I was sent to the rehab floor, where another aide who worked there full-time gave me a brief report on the patients, and the patients themselves told me about how I could assist them. Rehab isn't as difficult as the other parts of a nursing home due to the fact that many of those patients are AAOx3. I definitely understand your frustration with the night shift aide, but I'm just wondering if you could have gone to someone else to get the information you needed. Just my 2 cents.

[winniecooper]

I'm surprised she answered the phone when you called her.

[Poi Dog]

Best wishes to you! Are you excited to start your new job?

I think that a lot of us can relate to your work situation.

[yousoldtheworld]

Ugh, I can relate to this (working after people not doing what they're supposed to do).

What is confusing to me, is why didn't either the manager your nurse just give you a basic report when you told her that the other aide had left? I know you said your nurse was from another floor, but things like how they transfer, etc. should be documented for every patient. Even if the nurse doesn't know the patients, that information should be there. The manager should DEFINITELY have that information. It should be on the nurse's paperwork and report sheet. Makes no sense to me. Not only that, but in acute care around here, the aides generally get report from the previous shift nurses, NOT the aides. I wouldn't want to work on such a poorly run unit, anyway.

[wishinguponastarLPN]

Is there a way that you could have asked other aides on the floor if they were familiar with these patients? Or even ask the patients themselves? I did three days of orientation at a facility on one particular floor, and then as soon as I finished orientation, I was sent to the rehab floor, where another aide who worked there full-time gave me a brief report on the patients, and the patients themselves told me about how I could assist them. Rehab isn't as difficult as the other parts of a nursing home due to the fact that many of those patients are AAOx3. I definitely understand your frustration with the night shift aide, but I'm just wondering if you could have gone to someone else to get the information you needed. Just my 2 cents.

Normally I could have, however the other full time aide is out with a work related injury so the other aide on the floor was PRN. I could have gone into our computer system and looked up all 13 of my patients to see how they transfer, however if you are familiar with 1st shift there isn't a whole lot of time to do this. Plus at the current moment I was just so ticked off that this isn't something that crossed my mind. Also, there is a unit at my facility where all/most of the patients are A&O x 3, however the unit I work on is mostly Stroke patients, brain injury, spinal injury, ect. So no, most of these patients could not tell me how they transfer, nor would I want to go by what the patient tells me.

My manager is a waste of space and doesn't know a thing about these patients either. Plus she hadn't been there all weekend either.

I am really excited about my new job. I will have my LPN in a few months and my nursing instructor has told me what an excellent place it is to work. It is incredibly clean with no smells, and the patients are very well taken care of.

[KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN]

Normally I could have, however the other full time aide is out with a work related injury so the other aide on the floor was PRN. I could have gone into our computer system and looked up all 13 of my patients to see how they transfer, however if you are familiar with 1st shift there isn't a whole lot of time to do this. Plus at the current moment I was just so ticked off that this isn't something that crossed my mind. Also, there is a unit at my facility where all/most of the patients are A&O x 3, however the unit I work on is mostly Stroke patients, brain injury, spinal injury, ect. So no, most of these patients could not tell me how they transfer, nor would I want to go by what the patient tells me.

My manager is a waste of space and doesn't know a thing about these patients either. Plus she hadn't been there all weekend either.

I am really excited about my new job. I will have my LPN in a few months and my nursing instructor has told me what an excellent place it is to work. It is incredibly clean with no smells, and the patients are very well taken care of.

Okay I understand now. Ugh that does sound awful, and you're very justified in leaving that place. Good luck @ your new job;)