We all have stupid rules to follow that were created by people who have never seen a real resident in their entire nursing careers (if they are even in nursing at all -- Helloooooooo, Mr. CEO!). Some of my favorites:
1. No chux if they wear a brief; only use chux if they are continent. We all know how leaky briefs can be. Thus every brief change turns into a full-blown bed-and-gown-change. This ****** off the residents, ****** us off (not to mention creates more work for us), and necessitates further linens for laundry to clean because their jobs are oh-so-hard (see #6 below). And what's the point of putting chux down in the first place if a person is fully continent? There's nothing for the chux to absorb; they are just hot, uncomfortable sheets of plastic that are rubbing on the residents' skin. All. Night. Long.
2. Only 3 chux can be stocked at a time for each resident. Of course, they're not the heavy duty chux, either. They're the cheap, thin ones that do little better than if I had coated the bed in a single layer of toilet paper. If the person is a leaky, heavy wetter, multiple chux must be put down each time. So I'm supposed to make a new trip to the supply room every time they wet because I wouldn't want to exceed having 3 in the room at any given time? And another thing, if they bought the good chux in the first place, they would SAVE money because we wouldn't have to an entire package for every drop of pee.
3. A CNA must be in the dining room at all times. We don't want residents to choke. Apparently our very presence magically prevents it, whether we are 10 inches or 10 yards away from the resident. Please disregard the fact that per facility policy, CNAs are not permitted to do the Heimlich or initiate CPR. So, in the case that a resident starts choking, this means we have to run around the facility like crazy looking for a nurse, any nurse, to come and save this poor person's life. And you KNOW how long it can take to find someone (and you know we're not allowed to have walkie-talkies or cell phones). Mrs. O'Reilly, I hope you can keep that french fry from further obstructing your airway just long enough for me to go find a buddy. Like they say, "Two's a party!"
4. No clothing protectors. "They're undignified." "They make the resident look/feel like a child." "How would you like to have a bib on?" They're only undignified if you make them undignified. If they are so worried about it, why did they purchase several hundred of them that have FLOWERS on them that look ridiculous on everyone, let alone a 250-pound man? And is it "less" undignified to be wheeled around with dried, crusty drool and smeared, pureed "chicken" (I'm not sure what type of "meat" dietary prepared today -- as far as I know, they all look and taste the same) all over your shirt and pants? Really?
5. No matter how long you have worked, you still only get a 30-minute lunch break. If you work 6 hours, you get 30 minutes. If you work 16 hours, you get 30 minutes. So if I work day shift and take my lunch at 11:00 am but then graciously agree to stay and work evening shift due to a call-in (because people are tired of being worked to death), according to management, I am just "out of luck?" I'll let my unconscious, emaciated figure do the explaining for this one.
6. Each type of linen must be bagged separately upon leaving the room. Sheets, pillow cases, etc., go in one bag. Washclothes and towels go in another. Clothes go in yet another. Non-compliance to result in write-ups. All this to "make things easier for laundry" because nursing is "always making extra work" for them. I know that each department thinks they have it worse than any of the others, but really??? I have been in laundry and seen them practically having parties that would rival Jersey Shore when nobody else is around. Yes, they do have it hard.
7. Drinks must be covered when taken from the kitchen; water pitchers do not. Let's ignore the fact that regular drinks have no more than 2" diameter exposed, while water pitchers have around 4". That's only a two-fold increase in the area available to be contaminated by numerous microorganisms freely floating through the air. Shouldn't it be the other way around (if at all?)? Are malaria-infested mosquitos really going to infect the watered-down fruit punch and multiply during the 30-foot walk from dietary to the table but decide NOT to do so if I carry an open water pitcher to a resident room?
3. a cna must be in the dining room at all times. we don't want residents to choke. apparently our very presence magically prevents it, whether we are 10 inches or 10 yards away from the resident. please disregard the fact that per facility policy, cnas are not permitted to do the heimlich or initiate cpr. so, in the case that a resident starts choking, this means we have to run around the facility like crazy looking for a nurse, any nurse, to come and save this poor person's life. and you know how long it can take to find someone (and you know we're not allowed to have walkie-talkies or cell phones). mrs. o'reilly, i hope you can keep that french fry from further obstructing your airway just long enough for me to go find a buddy. like they say, "two's a party!"
are you serious?
out of everything on this list, this bugs me the most.
why the h*** can't the cna do the heimlich or initiate cpr?
what the...?
i'm sorry.
yes, a lot of your rules do seem poorly thought out, but i think that is the most ridiculous and frightening.
I have never worked anyplace where CNAs were allowed to initiate CPR. And I have worked at six facilities. Yet, most of these places want the aides to be CPR certified. What's the point of requiring something if we're not allowed to use it?!
I have never worked anyplace where CNAs were allowed to initiate CPR. And I have worked at six facilities. Yet, most of these places want the aides to be CPR certified. What's the point of requiring something if we're not allowed to use it?!
I've never worked anywhere where a NA can't start CPR. What are you supposed to do if you find someone in a place with no nurse call? Run around finding a nurse?
I've never worked anywhere where a NA can't start CPR. What are you supposed to do if you find someone in a place with no nurse call? Run around finding a nurse?
To start off with..I currently work 2nd shift. Will be going to 3rd shift in two weeks.
Between 5 and 7 PM, we are not allowed to change briefs due to a concern regarding cross-contamination.
Earlier this week, we had a special inservice because residents complained about being told their briefs could not be instantly changed (due to whatever reason) and how this is considered abuse.
So should we be concerned about cross-contamination or being accused of abusing residents? I love it when you get to choose between the choices of crappy and crappier....
Your facility takes the stupid awards. Bunch of clowns
Omg! Best thread ever! Was just thinking about this.
At the last facility I worked at some of the rules were insane and contradictory.
If you were 1:1 armslength with a patient, that means you had to be arms length away from them at all times. If you were one of the people with a pager, you had to immediately answer a page (from one of clients in their rooms). The stupid part? You could be 1:1 with one patient, and also have the pager. ***** Either way, you were breaking a rule!
I've never worked anywhere where a NA can't start CPR. What are you supposed to do if you find someone in a place with no nurse call? Run around finding a nurse?
Yep. We have emergency lights by each bed and spread throughout the facility (in the shower rooms, dining room, playrooms etc), and when one is pulled, all nurses are to drop what they're doing and run. Once they get there, we are allowed to help with compressions/cpr, but we cannot initiate it.
I don't know why this is. Maybe because most of our residents are no codes, and since it's an LTC facility, we are not informed of their code status? Of our 80 residents (severely developmentally disabled kids and young adults), as I recall, only 25 or so are full codes.
I agree with Hygiene Queen, out of all the rules this one is stupid. I even think it is illegal, because if something were to happen to one of the residents and a family member knew that there was someone that could have helped them but did not, they open themselves up for a lawsuit.
Even bystanders can do CPR and the heimlich. If it was me that is one rule that I would not follow and they would just have to fire me.
Specializes in long term care, alzheimer's, ltc rehab.
if i were at that facility, i'd be telling the management "i'm sorry, but that rule is the most ignorant one i've ever heard of in my life, and how would you feel if a family member of yours died because someone was there but wasn't allowed to help them?"
So then if someone's grandma is choking on a piece of breakfast sausage and her chart reads DNR.......do we sit there and watch her turn blue and pass away ? Probably that's a stupid question, but oh well leave it to me to ask the stupid questions.
Hygiene Queen
2,232 Posts
are you serious?
out of everything on this list, this bugs me the most.
why the h*** can't the cna do the heimlich or initiate cpr?
what the...?
i'm sorry.
yes, a lot of your rules do seem poorly thought out, but i think that is the most ridiculous and frightening.
i'd be b****ing about that one.