I'm actually posting this on behalf of my girlfriend who is a aide who was newly off her probationary 90-day period. She had just come off a week of 12 hour shifts and had one final shift to finish off when she dozed off while watching a sleeping patient. Her performance evaluation which had just occured was exemplary and her manager had recommended her for a high tier raise and then this incident occured. She was written up and is worried that the HR will terminate her immediately. It sounds like the manager is willing to give her another chance but she is terrified that HR will just terminate her.
Will HR normally terminate on a first write up under these circumstances? Or will the managers input and her prior performance also be taken into account?
Thanks for all the insight everyone. It seems like she's in the clear for the moment but yeah she definately overdid it. She is one of the few aides there willing to pick up extra time so they had her scheduled for her 3 normal 12 hour shifts and on call for 4 more (and she was called in for all of them). She has a really hard time saying no being somewhat new and wanting to impress her manager. Hopefully this is a wake up call for her that she needs to say no sometimes.
While reading your posts, I am in agreement, you are being paid to be alert and watchful. However, lets take this to a more personal level. If you know you have a aide in a darkened room, with a pt softly snoring, it can get to you. Have you offered them coffee and breaks? I don't always get the chance, but usually try to make it a habit to offer coffee, and give them a phone number to call, not just the call light, to call if they need anything.
That's not to say I haven't walked a few people out for outright laying on the floor, and snoring. My favorite one was I was just praying, that's why my eyes where shut, and when I asked why you pray to the almighty in loud rhymtic snores, is it sort of a code between the two of you? she became a little indignant. I will give people a chance, let them know I see you drifting, and you need to shape up. Usually being caught, (I check often) gets them all militant you know Yes Mamam, Of course Mamme, Anything you want me to do Mamme? They do everything short of salute.
I don't tolerate flagerant sleeping, but we are human, and I know I would have trouble in some situations myself. I would love to have a shift just sitting and reading a book, but these same aides also get the really wild patients all by themselves for 8 hours at a crack too, and that I wouldn't like at all.
My favorite one was I was just praying, that's why my eyes where shut, and when I asked why you pray to the almighty in loud rhymtic snores, is it sort of a code between the two of you? Usually being caught, (I check often) gets them all militant you know Yes Mamam, Of course Mamme, Anything you want me to do Mamme? They do everything short of salute.
One kudo just wasn't good enough....Too funny. LOL !!
Okay,, would any of you tolerate any one who slept on the day shift??? I think not!! And the night person is getting paid more $ for the trouble of staying UP all night. It is a job for so many hrs.. you are expected to be awake and working to get paid for those hours/ Personally i would love a nap after lunch.
Maybe we can talk administration into giving every one a hr break during their shift to go rest those eyes. Oh yeah that's right most of us do not get time for the actual lunch break do we???
She was lucky to get away with it, but it is wrong, unethical and dangerous for patients.
Okay,, would any of you tolerate any one who slept on the day shift??? I think not!! And the night person is getting paid more $ for the trouble of staying UP all night. It is a job for so many hrs.. you are expected to be awake and working to get paid for those hours/ Personally i would love a nap after lunch.
Maybe we can talk administration into giving every one a hr break during their shift to go rest those eyes. Oh yeah that's right most of us do not get time for the actual lunch break do we???
She was lucky to get away with it, but it is wrong, unethical and dangerous for patients.
they just stated she had worked 3 12's and then got called in for 4 more 12's ..............i don't codone taking unsafe assignments but the lady was new and made a poor judgment in her ability to be safe.......the facility took advantage of her as well. that is NOT a safe situation by any account. cna's make an extra dollar an hour on the night at our shift.... were not talking 'big' money here
Personally, I dont know how anyone can sleep on a job. Your story is very sad, I am sorry about your BIL. Sadly , there are people without consciences, no guilt and should not even be in the medical field helping people. But, I guess the good have to tolerate the bad and do what they can to eliminate them so they dont do any more harm.
I find that a wee bit judgmental.
I don't think, in most cases, it has to do with "conscience" or "guilt", but sheer monotony of the job (especially sitting with a sleeping patient) on an overnight and sheer physical exhaustion.
If you find staff asleep and wake them up, they are mortified and upset (and embarrassed).
I have never seen it happen because someone was being a lazy and/or uncaring.
We need to support our coworkers, not beat them down.
I don't think, in most cases, it has to do with "conscience" or "guilt", but sheer monotony of the job (especially sitting with a sleeping patient) on an overnight and sheer physical exhaustion.
If you find staff asleep and wake them up, they are mortified and upset (and embarrassed).
I have never seen it happen because someone was being a lazy and/or uncaring.
We need to support our coworkers, not beat them down.
Under certain circumstances, I really would tend to agree with you.
I reread my post and my wording was probably a bit unclear.
My BIL was at home receiving hospice comfort care. We were +/-48 hrs to the end and it had been a grueling several days we had all just been through. Had been managing multiple problems and frequent dosing with meds. When hiring through agency, I had been clear what our needs were. We needed help with positioning/lifting etc and wanted someone to be our eyes and ears while we all tried to grab a bit of rest. I specifically wanted to be awakened for any changes or significant symptoms so I could assess. I wanted someone right there with him and able to assist him to sit up when feeling SOB and most of all I wanted someone right smack there in his line of vision whenever he opened his eyes.
Instead, this jewel was in the spare bed which was behind him, had her shoes off, blanket over her head, snoring.
No remorse when I woke her. She said, oh don't worry I'm a light sleeper, I'll hear him he tries to get up.
Believe it or not, I didn't send her packing. I needed help with the lifting and wanted my sister to be able to sleep. I sent the jewel to the living room where she slept and I stayed in room with BIL. I went and got her when I needed help.
The best was the next morning when my sister got up. She said, "let me get this straight...I'm paying this chick to sleep all night while you keep an eye on (husband) I said yep, I figured she could help me lift and position, but I didn't trust her watching (husband). Our family can find some humor in most situations and we still laugh about that one.
I worked at a facility where employees had to clock out if they left the property during break. A few of the night aides started sleeping in their cars, which were parked on the street, during their 30 minute break. As long as they were clocked out, and clocked back in on time, it wasn't a problem.
I once worked in a small ICU in England, only 7 beds, and the pts were all 1:1 as is the policy in England, so there were plenty of staff. We took turns every night to take long breaks and cover for each other. We would all haul a$$ to get everything done, all helping each other without being asked to get everything done so that each person could take a 15 min break to eat before midnight. At midnight half of us would go and sleep until 3am while the others would stay with the patients, and beds would be set up in the back. The unit was one large room so everyone was together with the pts. At 3am we would all switch over, and the others would sleep until 6am when once again we would all haul a$$ to help each other. It worked like clockwork everynight, and in the event that there was an emergency, one person would run to get the ones who were on break as they were very close by. I worked there for 3 years and there was never an issue. If things were happening we didn't tae breaks obviously, but if things were under control we made every effort to do so. We had a very happy working environment.
I once worked in a small ICU in England, only 7 beds, and the pts were all 1:1 as is the policy in England, so there were plenty of staff. We took turns every night to take long breaks and cover for each other. We would all haul a$$ to get everything done, all helping each other without being asked to get everything done so that each person could take a 15 min break to eat before midnight. At midnight half of us would go and sleep until 3am while the others would stay with the patients, and beds would be set up in the back. The unit was one large room so everyone was together with the pts. At 3am we would all switch over, and the others would sleep until 6am when once again we would all haul a$$ to help each other. It worked like clockwork everynight, and in the event that there was an emergency, one person would run to get the ones who were on break as they were very close by. I worked there for 3 years and there was never an issue. If things were happening we didn't tae breaks obviously, but if things were under control we made every effort to do so. We had a very happy working environment.
I understand the rationale but technically, what is described above is considered theft of time from the employer. Part and parcel of attentively watching a perfectly stable ICU patient usually involves hours of tedious monotony; that aspect comes with the bedside territory. But we have to remember that they're there in a telemetry setting for a reason. Whatever the clinical entity it was that caused them to be so closely monitored (at what is considered acceptable in your locality, as you stated 1:1 ratio); is not being adequately addressed. In effect, for six hours, the patient ratio is arguably only 1:2. The patient could rightly say that he was not provided the full attention of a nurse for the fully agreed upon terms of his admission. This would clearly impact on standards of care. Obviously one always argue that "all the work was done" and that "no patient ever suffered harm." However, that really isn't the point; the patients were denied the level of nursing attention promised by the set standards of the ICU setting.
IMHO, I doubt your employer would be very happy about this, or if a public watchdog ever got hold of such information.
As far as I'm concerned, night shift is being paid to be awake. Period. Yes, its hard on the body, etc, but that is why they get paid more.
If you can't stay awake for your entire shift, then maybe its time to move to days or evenings.
I once had a pt that we nicknames "Houdini" - no matter what type of restraint we used, he would get out of it and fall. Finally, we hired a sitter for the night shift. I was making my rounds and looked in his room. There he was, with the posey vest around his neck, and half under the table on this geri-chair. I called for help and we went rushing in, tripping over the sitter's legs - who was sound asleep in her chair next to bed. She didn't wake up until after 2 of us had freed the pt from his restraints, toiletted him and put him back to bed. Her excuse? He was sleeping and she was tired so of course she fell asleep. She was a "light sleeper" and she was sure should would have woken up before he harmed himself. Manager called the Agency and we never saw her again. I still shudder to think of what could have happened if I had rounded even 5 minutes later.
Well, yeah, curling up hiding in a patient's room is no good. But many of our techs are required to stay up all night, while most of the patients are sleeping peacefully and are medically stable...yet our facility policy states that the lounge tv must be off, lights off, NO books, no computers, no cellphones, no magazines, no newspaper, no card games. Sooo...what else are people supposed to do in the middle of the night besides nod off? Knit booties and blankies? (IMO they should be able to keep the tv picture on with no sound and read whatever they want)
swon1223
4 Posts
Thanks for all the insight everyone. It seems like she's in the clear for the moment but yeah she definately overdid it. She is one of the few aides there willing to pick up extra time so they had her scheduled for her 3 normal 12 hour shifts and on call for 4 more (and she was called in for all of them). She has a really hard time saying no being somewhat new and wanting to impress her manager. Hopefully this is a wake up call for her that she needs to say no sometimes.