The on coming nurse -a nurse whom I've never met comes into the patients room, and announces to the family and myself that she is from XYZ agency and that she works 24 hour shifts. The family is shocked are like "how is that even legal?" And she didn't say anything and I said " Um maybe she means 12 hr shifts (the scheduled shift)" She was like "oh I guess that's what I meant."
This nurse was supposed to replace me for one on one nursing. Things got weirder when she expressed that she didn't know what the pulse oximeter was. I showed it to her. This agency says they require 6 months experience.I'm seriously asking...do some schools not have these in clinicals?
Then I was trying to give report at the bedside on this patient (family had left the room). This had been a 13 hr shift for me at this point.I was giving it succinctly and SHE INTERUPPTED ME and said that she was going to put her stuff in the break room.....downstairs....across the building.AND that she needed to introduce herself to all staff on duty.
I was just shocked! She wandered off... and the family wanted my attention and I had other things to chart.
When she came back she began doing a full set of vitals and I thought okay,maybe things will be OK......then she yelled "I need someone to write these vitals down STAT!!!" On a peacefully sleeping elderly patient. Um remember them or write them down on a scrap piece of paper like everyone else?
Then she wanted to write her notes in military time, and asked me how to do it. I explained to her how to do it, but she still struggled with the 'math' of it.
Next she began asking me what descriptive words to use in an assessment. I'm not joking it was like she had never done even a basic assessment.She kept asking me what would I write.....we're talking LTC not an ICU.
There is more but I'll leave it here. Am I getting old and crochety or is this cause for concern. There was something 'off' about this person. I really want to say something to the agency but WHAT? I know how small nursing circles are and I don't want this to come back and bite me in the you know what.I just feel that the agency needs to know the situation, because like I said, there is more.
On the other hand, these types usually disappear or get fired quickly, should I say nothing and let things take their course?Mind my own business?
Well if you're new then you will have to be more professionally diplomatic, or diplomatically professional, IOW a prompt unbiased objective report. I'd rather just call my admin who knows me well and tell her she's off her nut and at minimum don't reassign her.
She could have been working at 2 agencies doing 24 hours of work straight (two 12's). We had a PCT doing that once, caught her sleeping in a patients room. After calling her agency they had no idea she was doing this back to back through a different agency, they fired her, not just for what happened at our facility, but because being double employed with another agency like that was against her job contract.
You need to let someone know. This nurse does not sound safe. I would let your employer know and they can contact her agency.
It's almost like the real nurse sent a twin in to work to cover for her. I really can't imagine anyone who's been through any nursing program doing ALL of these things. Your concerns are valid IMO. This nurse needs to think before acting/speaking.
Specializes in Medical Oncology, Alzheimer/dementia.
When I worked at the nursing home, we had a "do not call" list. It had the names of nurses/CNAs we did not want returning to our facility. We explained to our DON why and she trusted us (since we were the ones who had to work with them), and they did not come back to our facility. These people were legitimately unsafe workers.
Perhaps she wasn't a nurse at all, but was impersonating one! Did the "agency" fully vet her? There have been cases of indiviuals who steal someones nursing license number and make fake ID's to obtain gainful employment. This person either had some serious deficits, or wasn't a nurse at all. IMO
This was my initial thought as well! Is this woman even a nurse??? Throwing around words like stat to sound "medical" and not knowing that nurses can't work 24 hour shifts? Something is off!!
I'm thinking she wasn't joking when she said 24 hr shifts and she was on something. I know I've gone 24 hrs without sleeping before and I was confused, delirious and not making any sense by the time I went to bed.
I haven't been through any nursing program yet, I've just taken 500 (not really, seems like it) pre-reqs and worked as a CNA. Even I could have answered every one of these questions......
I mean, how possible is it that she got hired as a nurse but isn't a nurse at all? I'm curious to find out how her shift went......
klone, MSN, RN
14,857 Posts
Honestly, my knee-jerk reaction in reading the OP and your additional post is that this person is impersonating a nurse.