Seasoned Nurses....I need advice!

[Glycerine82, LPN]

I work 3-11 in a SNF and the majority of the time I am on the skilled long term unit with 60 patients, one other nurse and 5 CNAs.

I actually love what I do but I am growing very frusturated with administration and the lack of ..... well, basically the lack of giving a crap.

While we were getting ready for state one of the supervisors (who is the scheduler, btw....zero idea what our job entails) came up to "supervise" our dinner pass and made it a point to inform the nurses that we MUST assist with passing dinner and feeding and our med carts are to remain locked. She stated this was a reg, and non-negotable.

I get to work at 3pm and dinner begins at 5, I took her word for it since I know the state I live in is a bit quirky and I recently relocated.

The issue is that there are a TON of meds scheduled for 5pm, and stopping to pass dinner makes me late. The bigger issue is that many of these meds are diabetic meds, insulins, metformin, glipizide etc. I did a little research and found out it's NOT a reg or a law, I'm not sure why she thinks it is, but its not.

The next time she asked about if we were helping pass dinner I said that I needed to prioritize and that I do help IF I get my diabetics medicated, I also let her know that it's actually NOT a law that the carts need to be locked and that the only issue is giving meds when a pt. is eating, unless they are meds to be given with food. (Which many are)

So this came up again because I challenged her regarding my lack of clocking out, because I don't have time for a break most days. She brought up the dinner pass thing and told me that I argued with her before and I was wrong, it IS a law, as is mandatory clocking for dinner breaks. (I had argued that the law states I am to be offered a break - not that I take it) Mind you I don't take breaks because I don't have time - but other nurses clock out and keep working or just don't do their treatments, or maybe I"m terribly slow - but I really don't get one very often and I also don't want one because I don't want to leave the floor for 30 minutes with 1 nurse. Too many things could happen to these folks.... It just infuriates me that nothing ever changes, everyone just does what they are told and stays quiet - I don't want to be that person. How will anything ever get better?

This person is super close to the DON and administrator and I just don't really know how to handle it, the bottom line is I will NOT stop my med pass to pass dinner trays if my diabetics aren't medicated yet. One hall doesn't get dinner until 515 and the other at 530 so I really don't understand her issues, unless she just enjoys telling others how to do their jobs.

I'm not used to having to defend my job as a nurse, - I know what my priorities are and as important as getting dinner out on time is - it's NOT as important as medicating my pts.

Do I go to the DON? I just know she will have some type of comment about how we don't do our jobs right and that's why we can't get it done on time.....ugh, just writing this is making me want to quit, and that makes me want to cry because I love my colleagues and my pts.

Do I just ignore her and keep doing my job? I've been with this company for over a year now and for 2 years before that (with a 4 year break in between) as a CNA - I transferred to this facility from across the country in order to stay with the company and I really don't want to quit - although I'm sure I wouldn't have trouble finding another position.

[vanilla bean]

Do I just ignore her and keep doing my job?

That's my vote.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Your prioritizing diabetic care and meds is the right way to go. It will do no good to keep challenging this manager because she is not open to others' way of thinking and doing things, and nothing you say is going to change her mind. So keep doing what you're doing!

[RNperdiem, RN]

Smile, be agreeable to her face, then when she is gone, do it your way.