"Take down" in LTC?????

[NurseyTee]

I reported a situation to the Unit Manager that another nurse did what she referred to as a "take down" on a LTC resident. I am new to LTC and had no clue what she was talking about when she told me she was going to do this to the resident. I pleaded with her to allow me to take the resident back to her room and allow me to give her the IM inj. of ativan to her while in bed and that I thought she would allow me to give it to her because she trusted me. But this nurse had a head full of steam and didn't even want to discuss it. So she tripped her and knocked her to the floor and shot her with the ativan through her clothing. I don't even know how she could accurately hit her landmarks with the res. clothing still on. The unit manae ger told me this was abuse and should have been reported immediately, which I didn't do because the nurse was training me at the time and when I questioned her on it she told me it was policy, so how was I to know differently? My gut bothered me about this incident until I finally went to the unit manager about it. The nurse had left employment at our facility by this time (2-3 weeks later) (She walked out one day because she was riffed about something.)

Anyweveray.. last week I come into work to see her name on the schedule again. I was completely SHOCKED!! I went to the unit manager and asked her why given what I had reported to her and she didn't have much to say other than she didn't have control over it. I asked her if she had told the DON about it and she didn't reply. I told her to nevermind then because i had emailed the Admin. and the DON and explained everything in grand detail. She was later called into the Admin's office and asked if this had been reported to her, she said she had no recollection of it, even though we had just discussed it again that very morning. (LIAR!) I gave the CNA's names that witnessed the act and they were interviewed too. At this point I don't know what to do. If she comes back after I've reported this, she is going to make my life a living hell for ratting her out. She was already bullyish with everyone on staff and would scream and yell at everyone, bossing people around and telling them she was the new ADON (She's an LPN) etc. No one knew officially what her title was, but she acted as though she was the boss, so most of us believed she was.

My dilemma is that I don't know now if I did the right thing. My admin. was great and nice to me. The DON was not so nice and treated me like a nuisance. As though I had broken some unwritten rule to never rat out another nurse. I play by the rules and I don't want to see elderly people abused. In the nurse's defense, the res. was combative and she did bite her. I don't have this reaction from the resident at all. All I typically have to do is talk nice to her and she will follow me anywhere. This nurse has had run-ins with other residents as well. To me she is a loose cannon just waiting to go off again.

Please give me your insight. I am so new to LTC I'm not sure what I did was right or wrong now. I don't think the DON even believes me since the Unit manager has denied the report. Now I look like the bad guy, even though I wasn't the one who did this. What is the Admin. staff's responsibility to do with this information once it has been confirmed by the other witnesses? I don't wish to ruin this nurse's life, I just don't want her to come back to work at this LTC facility. She is always making life a living hell for the rest of us, not to mention the resident's too. Someone please tell me what I did was right or wrong?

[NurseyTee]

I still don't know what is going on with the investigation. They did take her off the schedule. Hopefully, she won't be employed there at all. Do they report these things to the state? The other witnesses said the same thing I did, and supposedly when she was confronted she admitted it. What does the state do in these situations? :flamesonb

[NurseyTee]

i still haven't seen mention of how old this resident was or what her mental status is.

the reason that i ask is b/c not all ltc residents are elderly. we have one who is 28 yrs. old and psychotic. she is young and strong. if she becomes combative someday, a take-down such as you described might be necessary.

of course, even then, the nurse should have let you try it your way first.

if this is an elderly resident, you need to report this to the state now.

oh sorry i didn't answer... she's about 78 and suffers dementia.

[steelcityrn, RN]

By the sound of your story, it would seem this was not a new practice for this nurse. How about when she got mad at something one day at work and walked off her job? What a nut. I think she needs tested for drugs or alcohol abuse. If those check out, she needs some stress mng. OH, and the removal of her nursing license forever!

[newnurse51]

What this basically boils down to is what is administration going to do about it. It sounds like they are going to look the other way and hire this abusive nurse back. I hate the way administration works in most nursing homes. When you question their policies they peg you as a nuisance or a trouble maker. You were correct in reporting it - don't be surprised if nothing happens.

[GLORIAmunchkin72]

Seems to me she's the one who needs a shot in the behind!

I still don't know what is going on with the investigation. They did take her off the schedule. Hopefully, she won't be employed there at all. Do they report these things to the state? The other witnesses said the same thing I did, and supposedly when she was confronted she admitted it. What does the state do in these situations? :flamesonb

[NurseyTee]

I'm not sure what the administration is going to do. I know they've been told that if she does come back they will lose several nurses and several fantastic CNAs. And as I'm sure you know, good CNAs are hard to find. There is only one person in the whole establishment that likes her. She was very abusive to all of us employees too. I've already called another facility about transferring, just in case. One person in admin. has told me that he thinks she will not be returning. I hope he knows what he's talking about. I can't take the stress of her to work with, not to mention watching her be an abusive nut job to the residents. One night we had a hospice patient get up to get himself some juice and a snack, she went off on him like a firecracker. She screamed at him that he wasn't permitted to get his own snacks, that she would determine when and if he could have a snack. Since she's been gone, he comes and goes as he pleases and gets whatever he wants, whenever he wants it. Control freak. In my opinion she's going to hurt someone seriously one day, if the admin. doesn't report her to state.

Oh also one night we had another dementia res. that wouldn't go to sleep. He was really confused and kept taking off his colostomy bag and bringing it to me in his hands. He's such a sweet and gentle man and doesn't mean to be a bother to anyone. He had been given his prn ativan and it wasn't working, so Nurse Nazi got into the cart and started picking out meds from other res. medications; stuff to make him sleep. I remember she got atarax and phenergan tablets and I don't know what else but she made up a brew for him out of them and said "He'll sleep now". I was MORTIFIED!! I also reported this to admin. but there was no other witnesses to that other than me, so they said it was my word against hers. In my opnion she needs to be in jail. It was chemical assault. This is why I will never again work with this person. Not to mention all the horrible things she said and did to me personally too.

[firstaiddave907]

that was totaly wornge of her to do when i was a CNA at a nurseing home they never did that.

[veronica butterfly, ADN, RN]

You could call the county vulnerable adult department and report it. Also the state board of nursing. This nurse does not deserve to have a license. It sounds like she's got some major psychological problems, she is victimizing people who have no power, who are sick and relying on other people. It really is disgusting.

I think we too often get caught up in the politics of places, don't want to be the bad guy, make enemies at work, etc., etc. But plain and simple it is abuse and needs to be reported.

Best of luck to you, you have a huge heart and LTC's need people like you!!

[beautifulb]

Awful, awful, awful. How can this nurse do that? She is dangerous. If she came back (which she shouldn't) I would not work with her. If you have seen her do this malicious stuff then I am sure other people have too and it would be interesting to find out if she has other complaints against her.

Good luck with this situation. You are doing a great job in LTC and you are a great pt. advocate!

[Midwest4me]

"The unit manae ger told me this was abuse and should have been reported immediately, which I didn't do because the nurse was training me at the time and when I questioned her on it she told me it was policy, so how was I to know differently?"

It would be interesting for that nurse to show you WHERE in the policy manual it says to trip and knock down an agressive resident and give an injection blindly(i.e., through clothing)!!:angryfire This is unbelievable---how could she be allowed back after ANY allegations of abuse???? I agree that a police report and call/email to the State BON would be in order. I'm sorry that you had to be in such a situation.

[LPN1974, LPN]

It was chemical assault. This is why I will never again work with this person.

I think if I had been there, I would have told her if she made one move to give the gentleman what she had concocted I would be calling the police.

Does she not have any idea how dangerous it is what she did? Mixing up only God knows what kind of medicines and giving them to someone without an order??

Apparently not.

And I know you don't want to ever work with her again, and I'm not saying you should....but SOMEone is going to have to, if her license is not removed.

I feel for the next facility that gets her.

[Nascar nurse, ASN, RN]

"The unit manae ger told me this was abuse and should have been reported immediately, which I didn't do because the nurse was training me at the time and when I questioned her on it she told me it was policy, so how was I to know differently?"

It would be interesting for that nurse to show you WHERE in the policy manual it says to trip and knock down an agressive resident and give an injection blindly(i.e., through clothing)!!:angryfire This is unbelievable---how could she be allowed back after ANY allegations of abuse???? I agree that a police report and call/email to the State BON would be in order. I'm sorry that you had to be in such a situation.

Oops! I think maybe you (or maybe me) has misunderstood. I think the poster means the policy manual would state that abuse must be immediately reported, not that it is OK to trip and blindly inject someone. That is the policy in every building I have ever been in .. ie: everything stops and the accused is sent home until investigation is complete. We have also been known to fire those that cover up substantiated abuse even if they are not the abuser.