The Human Tornado

Here's a story for you all. I'm sitting in the conference room, finishing up an admit pack and writing a care note on the two patients that I saw today. (I'm PRN.) This is a fairly new agency, with new paperwork, but we've all been inserviced on it and, frankly, I don't think it's all that much for an OASIS start of care. As I'm gathering, making copies, etc., in comes another nurse I'll call Tornado. First thing she growls is, "Is she here?" meaning the DoN. I say, "Ummmm . . . no." Now I've only met Tornado once in an inservice/staff meeting on how to fill out this paperwork, but can't say I was impressed with her attitude at that time.

Once she discovers that the DoN is not in the house, she begins a tirade about "nasty grams" regarding her paperwork not being completed properly, needing to fill out the rest of the information, complaining loudly that it's just too much bullsh!t, it's all the DoN's fault, it doesn't have to be this difficult, on and on and on, ad nauseum. The problem stemmed from this nurse admitting two patients, a couple who live together, and she had indicated the same visit time for both (say 1200-1400). When I pointed out that technically the time had to be split between them, she went ballistic on *me* for having the audacity to speak against her. There was another problem where she didn't "code" medications on the intake form, indicating whether they were new, changed, long-standing, etc. As I'm looking at the med sheet she filled out, I also make the mistake of telling her that they can't be in "nurse speak" but must be in plain English since they are left in the home for the patient's referral. You'd have though that I'd called her mama a floozy.

I quickly gathered my things, finished up what I needed to do, and promptly left. But not before I'd mentioned something to the receptionist about how I'd never take the case manager position that had been casually offered to me for not wanting to deal with people like that. Like an idiot, I later said that I would do it part time. Where's that fish-smacking smilie when you need it?