Really?!? That's what you think is important?

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

So I'm doing an interim gig at a facility in my state. The building is owned by a company from another state. The facility is in a huge mess...assessments not done, nurses not being held accountable, a mean nasty administrator...the list goes on.

We have a 'corporate nurse' who sends emails on a regular basis and freaks out because of something happening in a different state. She doesn't have a license in the state my building is in and has a very peculiar set of priorities. For example, we have more than half the residents on some psychoactive medication. I have no nurse managers, no ADON, and no SDC. I told her the quarterly assessments weren't done. The administrator gives me a nurse for 3 hours a day for 3 days. Then they pull her to 'clean the treatment carts' because that's what they think the DPH is going to look at. It's not. They are going to wonder why people on multiple psychotropics have no assessments done.

Then the administrator, whose license IS in the same state as the facility, starts yelling about flu vaccines...why weren't they done? Hmmmm....you were here, I wasn't. Corporate is trying to tell me we don't need consent for a flu vaccine. I know all y'all are from different states, but don't y'all need a consent before you stick someone with a needle full of something that has side effects?

The latest freak out is about the Prevnar 13 vaccination for pneumonia (against pneumonia would be more correct). Ladies, we don't have enough staff to safely do the day to day things and you want me to run around and inject people with a pneumo vac? If I told them how much it cost, I'm sure they'd change their view.

Sorry...this is really nothing but a rant. I'm sure no one has any answers and we're all probably in the same boat.

[ShaneTeam]

Hi Cape,

Sorry to hear you are going through that. Yes, you DO need consents for the immunization, even though in our state, admin can kick the resident out if they (or DPOA) don't sign the consent. Also, at this point, it is a little too late for Flu vaccines to be given. As far as the nurse, I would pull her back to the assessments, and tactfully let the administrator know that he put you in charge of nursing, and to please let you do your job. Sometimes, boundaries have to be made.

I hope it gets better for you.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

I'll be out of here at the end of the month. Not soon enough

[ShaneTeam]

Umm CCM?

I just happened to be looking through your profile, and noticed some alphabet behind your name that made me think of a hat I have had in my closet for years.

Does this look familiar?

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

lol... I have two baseball caps....one is a YANKEES hat, the other one says "It's all about the attitude"

[LTCRN4LIFE]

You can see how they created their own demise. Yes, I bet they have no idea how much Prevnar 13 is or you wouldn't be doing it! No consents for flu shots! OMG! Enjoy your interim position...I was going to do that for a while for the very same reason you are doing it....however I have decided that though I love SNF nursing...it may be time to get out.... I am taking a DNS position in another specialty.

[LTCRN4LIFE]

LOVE NADONA!

[noc4senuf]

I worked Interim for a travel company for 2-3 years. they had a corporation that kept requesting me, so I moved to their buildings only in multiple states. The corporate had about 200 buildings and were rated with only 1 and 2 stars. Many, many problems. Always the lowest paid in the area. The DON answered to a regional corporate nurse, who answered to another corporate nurse up the ladder and so on. Constant turnover in all buildings of the management positions, low moral of the staff. we always took the most acute of residents and weren't allowed to turn down any admits. Surveyors came for annual surveys right about the time I entered. I had 6 in just a little over a year. One of the buildings I was in a couple of years ago was closed by CMS last fall. Another building I used to go to meetings at was also closed about the same time. Why doesn't some gov't office take these buildings away from this company?? I feel your pain and wish you luck.

[Adele_Michal7, ASN, RN]

Omgoodness. Where I work, we DEFINITELY need a consent form for an influenza vaccine. Not to mention an MD order and VS monitoring for 72 hours afterward.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

We don't do that silly q shift vs any more...that's from the days of old when the flu vaccine was a live vaccine.