here's the situation. at change of shift a few days ago, four nurses were sitting at the nurses desk, reporting off. seven aids were mingling with each other waiting for assignments, report, etc, down their respective halls. down comes one hall and when she turned the corner, right in front of our desk, out whips her flip cell phone in broad view and she continued to talk all the way down to the end of her hall (the unit she was one). i work ltc. i tried, quietly to say something as she walked by, but she ignored me. i called the supervisor on the other unit, and just told her what i had saw, and asked if she could tell her to please not pull out your phone and start talking while walking down the hall. no big deal to have cell phone on your person where we work, but it is to just whip it out and start talking.
anyhoo, the person was asked as above, and came out fuming. starting calling me every name in the book, literally. (gay b****, kiss a**, i don't give a s*** what her title is, she can't say nothin to me, cause my name is (blank) and i can do whatever i want.) she has bashed me to three different sets of people, who (one group anyway) went and reported her to upper management as violently describing "what she was going to do to me the next time she saw me", which by the way, happens today at 3pm.
i didn't even find out about all the namecalling (and i mean, very colorful namecalling, etc) until late in my shift last night, and admin only knew about the one group she spoke to, who reported her.
anyway. big sigh. i am just tired of dealing with people who willfully disregard any rule or regulation with blatant disregard, and then who verbally threaten and intimidate. it was really not a big deal what was said to her. just the rule: don't talk on the cellphone on working hours. oh, but i forgot, my title doesn't mean anything, and who am i to tell HER what to do. :angryfire
i just wanted to let this out, it has caused me a sleepless, fretful night knowing i have to see her today.
well, i have talked to administrator, the DON, and the director of the unit this aide works on. all they say is "it's being investigated". meanwhile, she continues to work any shift she pleases, and is allowed to pretty much do whatever she da** well wants to do. i am pretty sick of the way the whole situation is being handled, and am tired of nursing in general. i am tired of being treated like a second class citizen, and not being believed in anything i have to say. it's like they don't care about me at all. they certainly don't care about the workplace being a productive environment. they certainly don't care about nurses being threatened and to "watch out when they leave at night". i mentioned workplace violence, they tell me i'm overreacting. yeah, well, they didn't hear all the nasty things, and all the threats she threw my way either.
i'm hanging at the end of my rope here. i betcha if this aide talked to the administrator this way her butt would have been kicked out the door in a millisecond. but who cares about a stupid nurse, right?
i just want to SCREAM.
Hey....do you work where I do?
No, seriously...YOU hang in there. YOU deserve better.
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
Here are a few things that will help explain to you what is going on--not that it's going to make it easier for you, but sometimes understanding the what and why of things helps. The powers that be, despite what everyone thinks, cannot necessarily just fire someone. There are powerful governmental agencies that they have to deal with if the employee decides to file a complaint or file for benefits. The owners of LTC facilities are quite intimately acquainted with these very powerful offices. In order to fire an employee they have to have a adequate paper trail of red tape that includes write ups, disciplinary actions, proof of the employee having knowledge of the facility rules and policies and that attempts were made to rehabilitate their faulty actions and behavior. Whew! What a mouthful. That's probably more than this kid can say! Anyway, that's most likely what they mean when they say they are investigating. Without all that various paperwork to back up their claim of her bad behavior and/or incompetence before they bounce her out the door, they run the risk of having to pay out even larger amounts of money to the state for unemployment benefits that end up getting paid to this person as unemployment compensation for being fired without cause (as determined by unemployment and based on facility documentation). Once the state unemployment people have burned an employer, a facility tends to be very careful not to make the same mistake a second time because it hits them in the pocketbook. When someone collects unemployment benefits a facility actually gets billed by the unemployment office and ultimately ends up paying out to the state as much as if they had just kept the employee on and paid them a wage and gotten some work out of them. Screwy, isn't it? But, money talks.
What we as charge nurses in LTC can do to help the process along is to document as much as we can. Anything the administrators of your LTC can get in writing, even if it's on a scrap of a napkin is helpful. So, when you inadvertently heard her in the breakroom talking about how the nurses were "going to get it one of these days out in the parking lot" what you should do is write it down, mention her tone of voice as she was saying this, sign it, put it in a sealed envelope and give it to the DON. Always go up your chain of command when writing things up. The coworker who saw her driving around the parking lot looking as if she were studying the cars and specifically stopping behind yours should be asked to write this down, sign it and give it to the DON. The administration, if they are truly investigating, are pretty much doing the same thing. They are questioning people to find out what they have heard or observed this aide say or do and then asking them to write it down for them. However, if people refuse to do that, then you are all stuck. And, anyway, it is now old information and they have to ferret out the gossip from the people who actually heard or observed things first hand. Pretty soon they lose interest, especially when other problems come along that they need to attend to. This is why it is you guys who are down in the trenches with these people who have to help get them out the door. When we got a rotten apple like this, I spent an inordinate amount of my time writing them up on nicely typed memos, keeping copies for myself, but nonetheless doing my part of the rule enforcement and disciplinary process as best I could. That, unfortunately, is part of being a charge nurse that is not the most fun part. There were times when I got impatient and would go to the DON and wave my arms and rant about one particular rotten apple that was still around. What I learned over time though was that these things move more slowly than I would like (we nurses like things done yesterday, don't you know?) and for confidentiality reasons the bosses are not going to put us in the loop as to where the rotten apple stands in the way of heading toward the door. For one thing, we have the tendency to blab what we know. But, dog gone it, these kind of people cause such havoc that anything about them is the news of the facility and it is human nature to want to know what it going on. However, loose lips sink ships.
I think that another part of what has happened here is that things have gotten talked up to a state of panic. It is very likely that this young lady has gotten wind of your fright. Remember, this is most likely a street person who is very well schooled in the art of intimidation and manipulation. That is how street people move along in their world. She is playing games with you. She is using her knowledge of your fear to jack it up a few more notches. She is sitting back snearing at you and anyone else who she thinks is standing in her way, dear. You need to excuse yourself from the game, at least in her eyes.
I'm telling you to be the smarter one. You're the one who went to college. You're the one who studied psychology, behavior and leadership. Somewhere in all those classes you did come across the answers you need to deal with this problem, it's just that nursing schools don't focus on these kinds of situations because they are not patient oriented. However, believe me. As an RN, and particularly when you are in a nursing home, you are more involved in the supervision of the care givers and that includes dealing with their misbehavior. My long experience with this has taught me that first of all, you have to stop telling everyone your fears and concerns about this young lady. This is for a number of reasons. Most importantly, when she doesn't see that her little games are bothering you then they don't take on as much importance to her. Her goal is to get attention and be noticed. Being noticed by you and others who are in authority is a big feather in her cap as bizarre as that sounds. But, remember, this is an uneducated street person you are dealing with. Also, when someone gets corrected or disciplined for doing something wrong, it really is supposed to be kept confidential. If the wrong doer wants to broadcast it, fine. But, it looks bad when the supervisor does the broadcasting. It destroys ones image as being fair, authoritative, and in charge. It puts them on the same level as the wrong doer. You need every ounce of legitimate power you can muster to go toe to toe with these kinds of employees.
Is what I'm saying, giving you any insight and help at all? It comes from many years of experience of working with problems like this and learning through trial and error. I started working as a nurses aide while in nursing school and observed aides doing some really bad things. I promised myself that I was going to make a difference when I became an RN. It took awhile because I just didn't have the skills at first, but I learned them along the way. Enough so that I can say that any nurse who can work LTC and handle employees like your "cell phone CNA" are truly supernurses who can be managers anywhere. LTC is a management nightmare for most nurses. However, it is also one of the best training grounds for management and supervision. So, you have the choice to stand idly by or to get pro-active and take part in getting something done about this CNA. Pick up a pencil and start writing today! The worm turns too. Some of these CNAs are starting to show up in the acute hospitals. They are able to fool inexperienced interviewers and get hired. Some hospital managers don't know how to deal with them either. These aides run the RN staff down with their lousy attitudes and crappy work habits. Normally, you don't see RNs treating other RNs this way, so it's a real eye-opener for the hospital managers.
I was diagnosed with diabetes and metabolic syndrome two years ago. I have been on metformin since then. At first it was making me very sick. It was because I was also suffering from a huge case of gastritis (believe it or not, being hard nosed does get to me through my GI system). The doctor tells me the metformin helps to reduce my appetite (which it did within a week) and he added Wellbutrin with it to help it along. Do yourself a favor and try to eat more fresh fruits, vegetables and meats and stay away from the processed foods. I was told to use the Zone diet food lists as a guideline of what was acceptable to eat. I'm not saying I stick to it, but I've really cut out anything made with white flour and try to stay away from any food that had something done to it on a string of machines with preservatives added. Ice cream is my undoing. Even a small amount of it makes my blood sugar soar and stay high for a long period of time. I also read Diabetes for Dummies and took a 30 hour continuing education course on diabetes which was real eye-opening. If you decrease the amount of high carbohydrate foods you put into your system, you will help your pancreas out tremendously. My doc had a number of people who lost weight and went down to their normal weight when taking metformin due to the appetite suppression effect. Their diabetes went away with the weight loss.
Now, go ahead and scream like you mentioned in your last post. Just don't let this aide hear you. Hang in there. This is all going to make you a better nurse. I promise.
Here is the sad part. If you had done this, you would have been immediately fired. Administration knows you would have just gone away. You wouldn't have filed for unemployment, filed a lawsuit etc.........
It is about time we as nurses band together and come as a group to support each other.
I agree. That's not appropriate in ANY setting. Work, or otherwise, imho. But especially in a long term CARE facility. Hmmm me wonders how much care this person truly provides? With that kind of attitude I'd bet the paycheck that there have been a few patients that have been on the receiving end of that kind of wrath, overt or covert.
And rpv_rn has excellent advice. I'd say document document document. In fact, you might even consider getting yourself one of those digital voice recorders and when she starts to go off, hit "record" and document it verbatim.
Protect yourself, and protect your patients. This is not a good thing at all. I can understand someone getting upset, and I could understand her saying "that's not for you to tell me. who made you boss of the world?". But this is wayyyyyy over the line.
Careful with the recording. Here in Florida, it's against the law to record anyone like that.
I'm sure your documentation will suffice. And good luck.
Specializes in rehab; med/surg; l&d; peds/home care.
thanks to all of you for your wonderful posts.
yes, i document everything. i learned early on that this saves me in more ways than can be imagined. i document a lot of things at work that i think will come back to haunt me. and i document things that might not. i have some very very detailed notes from 5 years ago when i started working at this place.
to clear some things up, i was not the one who spread that i "wrote her up". i told the supervisor what i saw, and just wanted to let this aide know that cell phone use is against the rules. it was simply a verbal: "it was witnessed you had your cell phone out, you know it's not what we're supposed to do. ok? so please just put it away while you're working, and use it while on your break." that's it. the girl flipped. i am not one to write everyone up for petty things. most of my aides respect me, i respect them, and we work wonderfully.
also, no one, except administrator and DON, and my room mate knows she intimidates me. i hide it when i work. i take care of my rehab patients as best as i can. it's this girl going around and telling everyone how racist i am, and how she's gonna "give it to me" in the parking lot, that i "better watch my back", and that i'm a racist, lesbian, albino, stupid (ad nauseum).
my other problem is that i have a host of medical problems, for which i take intermittent fmla, and i miss a lot of work. if i quit (which i do want to), i will be risking health insurance and my job d/t my absences. kwim?
oh, and i'm not a RN. i'm an LPN, who is now just the CPNE and NCLEX away from being an RN.
i have given my admin copies of my documentation, and i have also had others who have heard her comment about me, etc to write statements. it's not all coming from me. the original girls who turned her in worked with her that night and were scared for me, so they filed a letter.
i am very burnt out, and only working part time anyway, but i am just tired. is everyplace in nursing like this? did i waste my time goingon for my RN? the aides are allowed to run that building and i hate it. please tell me that some of you nurses out there do love your jobs. i feel at this point like i have nothing to aim for anymore.
i hope i cleared up some of everyone's questions. i certainly love hearing all your replies and points of view. it makes me feel like someone cares, althogh i wish i my administration cared about us nurses.
if you have any more worew of wisdom, please pass them my way
rehab, sounds like you need to talk to someone other than just the DON and administration. I think you might want to think about some personal counseling. Either this situation has REALLY got you down or there are some other deeper issues - maybe a little of both. You sound so upset and depressed. You need a different job in a different setting. Check with some other places and find out how their insurance works and when the sign up dates are. When I started working at the hospital from LTC, I only had a 2 week lapse in which I wasn't covered with insurance. There are other options out there. I really feel like you need some counseling here. You sound so overwhelmed. Will be thinking of you and keeping you in my prayers. Hugs, Hugs, Hugs....
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
Wow! If this girl has been carrying on her vendetta against you for more than a month then I think you need to go up a notch and take your case to the next administrator up the line from your DON. You could also threaten to report what is going on to the state department of health or whatever state agency licenses and does the inspections of your facility. They will investigate every claim. Make sure you have copies of all your written documentation to show them. Their interest would most likely be the safety of the patients and the staff since this aide sounds like she might possibly turn violent.
There was one time when I went to one of my DONs complaining about another RN who was consistently not giving medications and making up blood sugars. I first caught it when two bottles of liquid medication for a tube fed patient weren't opened after my two days off work. One patient asked me why I was the only one who ever stuck her finger to check her blood sugar. What? The DON just didn't seem to be doing anything about my complaints and all the memos I was writing up on this. After a month of noticing things like this and documenting it I'd had enough and told the DON I was going to call the state board of nursing on this nurse and show them the proof I had. (Let me explain that prior to this job I had worked as a head nurse in an acute hospital and I understood how the disciplinary process and firing worked.) I was called a day later and told a plan was in place to catch her in the act and I was not to say a word to anyone else at the facility. They did it too. They had the pharmacy service come in and do a total count of every single pill in the med cart she had charge of before her shift. They also checked the glucometer memory. After her shift, the pharmacy did another count and I guess they were all astonished at what they found she wasn't giving to the patients. Well, I'd been telling them for a month! They also caught the falsified blood sugars on 7, count 'em, 7 patients. The DON still didn't fire her! Can you believe that! All was solved however. This RN was so miffed that she quit since she felt no one trusted her anymore. The DON, however, in her stupidity told this RN that I had been the one writing her up all the time. Before leaving this RN made sure she made a few threats that would get back to me. Nothing ever happened though. I think she probably ended up having bigger problems with her nursing license than she could ever inflict on me bodily. My only regret is that I didn't carry through on my threat to report her to the state board. Nothing more was said about this, as it shouldn't since this RN's confidentiality must be respected, but I do think the pharmacy had a duty to report their findings to the board of nursing after going through all the trouble they did to audit the med cart and glucometer. At least, I hope so because this nurse has no business having a license. It's people like her that give LTC a bad rap. It's more exciting to hear about people like her rather than the stories of those of us who are working our butts off and doing things by the book.
Sigh! The work is hard enough without having it complicated by aides and other nurses who come from the dregs of society and bring their crap along with them for us to deal with as well. And, it doesn't help when colleagues are afraid to call attention to someone's bad behavior because they don't want to offend them.
Specializes in rehab; med/surg; l&d; peds/home care.
well, the results are in.
the girl got off with a written discipline, with the next write-up being termination. she said she was very sorry, that she "didn't mean to say those things". rigggghhhhht.
to thumperRN, you're right. i am depressed. i am seeing a counselor, but no meds/therapy or anything seems to help. i am in a lot of pain from my back, i am not a surgical candidate at this time, and i can't take pain meds because i have to work. i have three herniated discs, neuropathy in my legs. i have a lot of emotional issues due to being divorced from an abusive husband, being abused as a child, and now having to raise two children on my own. i have lupus, metabolic syndrome, asthma, and liver problems. i have a lot of emotional and physical baggage. enough of my pity party.
i reported this aide to the appropriate board for cna's here. i also called the police, but they admitted there isn't a whole lot they can do.
so, i have taken a leave of absence. i told the administrator and DON that i would come back when i felt able to. i don't know where my bills will get paid from, but at this point, i don't care. i will spend my leave looking for another job. i didn't want to tell them that, but they already begged me not to take leave, and they sense i believe that i am going to quit. i told them i can't work in such a toxic environment.
so thanks to all of you for hanging in there with me, your thoughts, prayers, etc. i really, truly, appreciate it. i get more support from you than i do from my employer of five years.
rehab nurse...Ya know we would have all liked to have seen this girl fired.....but there was action taken against her. I would look at this as a victory...you can bet your boots she is furious, regardless of how she appears. It pretty much comes down to who has the staying power, because I will believe she will cause problems again. I am so sorry you are having all the medical & emotional problems. It seems like when you are down everything goes wrong, but you took a stand & now you have the upper hand.Did you like your job before all of this happened? If the answer is yes then I would not quit.....you have mgmnt's attention, & it appears that they want you to stay (bargining power). I would very calmly, & clearly tell them what I expected in work enviroment to stay. You might also suggest new policies & procedures to deal with these problems in the future, as well as training for CNA's in these areas ( stop problems before they start). You can look at the glass as half empty or half full. I believe yours is half full....you are educated, intelligent, have two children, you have gotten yourself & children out of an abusive relationship, seeing a counselor, & have taken a stand against violence directed toward you. The storm will stop, and the sun will shine. I wish you the best of luck & will keep you in my prayers.
the girl got off with a written discipline, with the next write-up being termination. she said she was very sorry, that she "didn't mean to say those things". rigggghhhhht.
I hope you will consider returning to work.
This is sending the message that "she won"....don't let her.
If they gave her written discipline, they are following appropriate channels. They may be counting on YOU to be back at work to see how she relates to you and if the written warning was effective - if you are not there, her behavior may continue, and this aide may be feeling like she has the upper hand here......
I would hate to get the ball rolling like this and then be out of the game, so to speak.
Specializes in LTC, HOSPICE, HOME, PAIN MANAGEMENT, ETC.
rehab nurse...Ya know we would have all liked to have seen this girl fired.....but there was action taken against her. I would look at this as a victory...you can bet your boots she is furious, regardless of how she appears. It pretty much comes down to who has the staying power, because I will believe she will cause problems again. I am so sorry you are having all the medical & emotional problems. It seems like when you are down everything goes wrong, but you took a stand & now you have the upper hand.Did you like your job before all of this happened? If the answer is yes then I would not quit.....you have mgmnt's attention, & it appears that they want you to stay (bargining power). I would very calmly, & clearly tell them what I expected in work enviroment to stay. You might also suggest new policies & procedures to deal with these problems in the future, as well as training for CNA's in these areas ( stop problems before they start). You can look at the glass as half empty or half full. I believe yours is half full....you are educated, intelligent, have two children, you have gotten yourself & children out of an abusive relationship, seeing a counselor, & have taken a stand against violence directed toward you. The storm will stop, and the sun will shine. I wish you the best of luck & will keep you in my prayers.
I have been following this thread with great interest. I, too have dealt with more than my share of abusive CNA'S especially in LTC settings. The problem I've found and been told is that CNA's are the "most important " part of a LTC team, since they do so much of the actual physical care. A former DON (of mine) actually told me this...so they tend to overlook a lot of what goes on. I've seen it all to the point of residents being treated like a major annoyance and handled rudely and roughly. It made me sick!
I've also had to stop more than 1 CNA from using cell phones WHILE PROVIDING ACTUAL HANDS ON CARE TO A/O RESIDENTS USING AN EARPIECE TO KEEP HANDS FREE!
The CNA'S ruled the floor and got away with it! Lazy, hiding, leaving floor or facility with telling me. I've seen it all! Not to mention the way I've seen residents treated!
As I was following this thread, I couldn't help but admire the way you handled this situation and the excellent feedback you've rec'd. What compelled me to post is hearing all that you're going through and the courage you've shown in sticking to your guns and not backing down.
:flowersfo :yelclap: :bowingpur :thankya:
Another poster made mention of the fact that we nurses :
QUOTE- It is about time we as nurses band together and come as a group to support each other.
I couldn't agree more! We'd be such a strong voice. I also hope you'll return to work and see this through. IF THAT IS IN YOUR BEST INTEREST, OF COURSE. You need to take care of yourself. I'm proud of you and you inspire me to be more of a voice for our patients. I pride myself on being a patient advocate, but I think I could have done so much more!
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:bowingpur :thankya:
jschut, BSN, RN
2,743 Posts
Hey....do you work where I do?
No, seriously...YOU hang in there. YOU deserve better.
I'm praying for you.
{{{HUGS}}}