Want to hear your pet peeves in LTC nursing

[mondkmondk]

Right now I'm having an issue with the night shift LPN. She is always crabby when she comes in and criticizes almost everything I do or say to her. Supposedly she has a bad home life, but she shouldn't take it out on me. Sunday evening when I worked, I was really busy...and when she came in, she jumped my case about all the changeover paperwork not being done. Every other facility I've ever worked in, this was night shift's job. I apologized to her and offered to stay over and help her with changeover. Her response? "I don't need your help; the only thing I need you to do is stay the hell out of my way!"

I'm seriously considering filing a grievance against her. I asked my preceptor yesterday when I happened to see her which shift is supposed to do changeover and she said nights. So this night shift nurse is really chapping my hide!!!

I'm sure I'll think of other pet peeves too....what are some of yours?

Blessings, Michelle

[calliesue]

Family members who come into the break room on one of the days I am actually trying to take a lunch and say. " I am sorry to bother you, but mom needs..." Never something important.

Supervisors who do the same thing, and management that still takes out your 30minutes no matter how many times you get interrupted.

[bebe2010]

1) nurse/cna to pt ratio never enough cna to do baths and watch the floor at the same time while the only nurse is passing meds, fsbs, insulin shots, tube feeding etc...

2) paperwork for everything

3) lazy cna's "thats not my job or my hall so i dont have to do it"

4) if they need to be tolieted take them

5) lazy cna's who put 3 briefs one one resident so they dont have to change them til shift change

6) med cart not stocked, having to leave in middle of med pass to find 20 different pt medications

:mad::mad:

[rn_nxt_dr]

Med carts not being stocked up? Hmmmm, and finding out that by the time you get to a patient, some supplies are missing?

Would you run on near empty tank for a journey or gas up before you leave despite the fact that other nurses before your shift didn't stock up?

Isn't there a policy for this too? Or people just won't comply? Is this a reportable issue to a supervisor because frankly, it is common sense that if you used up the supplies, replenish what you've used.

[rnto?]

I'm a charge nurse, so I get to see both sides, I think.

Nurses who won't take initiative or think for themselves: Mr. Jones has a blood pressure of 200/130 with the digital cuff. So check it manually and assess before coming to me-because I will tell you to go further assess your patient!

Management plays favorites SOO obnoxiously. I forgot to do a separate wound sheet upon admission for a pressure ulcer, even though I documented it on the admission wound sheet, applied the appropriate dressing and even started a preventative protocol and got the appropriate physician orders, and stayed an hour late after my shift because it was a bad day and the admission came at the end of my shift. I got told I was lazy by the DON. When I was charge I told a nurse to please complete the discharge documentation-calling prescriptions into pharmacy, discharge note in the chart, and he completely ignored me-DON laughed when I told her.

Family members wanting things when you're counting narcs, then NOT LEAVING when you tell them you'll be there in a second, you're counting narcotics, and standing 2 inches from the narcs.

Family members who want everything done for 98 year old grandma with metastatic lung ca-yes, we want a feeding tube, we don't want her to starve to death. yes, we want iv fluids, we don't want her to get dehydrated. Can't you do something else for her? Her stage 4 pressure ulcer is so painful. I read on the internet she needs more protein.

Family members who don't want you to give pain medication to dying 98 year old grandma who hasn't recognized anyone in months and thinks her late husband is in the room with her and is in tears from pain, because they want her to be lucid when she goes.

Family members who say, "I don't want to bother that male nurse because he looks so busy, but can YOU tell me..." I don't look busy? Or it's OK because I'm a female nurse? (honest to goodness, this has happened to me more than twice).

"that nurse who came into my room and cleaned the floors..."

[rnto?]

Oh, and night turn nurses who don't call the physician for severe respiratory distress in a full code patient, because it was "too early" and "daylight could do it".

[StNeotser, ASN, RN]

Med carts not being stocked up? Hmmmm, and finding out that by the time you get to a patient, some supplies are missing?

Would you run on near empty tank for a journey or gas up before you leave despite the fact that other nurses before your shift didn't stock up?

Isn't there a policy for this too? Or people just won't comply? Is this a reportable issue to a supervisor because frankly, it is common sense that if you used up the supplies, replenish what you've used.

Sure it's common sense. It's just at the two minutes per hour per patient ratio going in LTC, there probably isn't enough time. Really.

[pca_85]

It is very hard to do one's job when constantly running out of supplies and told to make do.

[Forever Sunshine, ASN, RN]

After having my first night from hell...

1. Meds not in the cart.

2. Interruptions from patients and visitors during medpass.(Theres a big sign on the side of the cart that says "DO NOT DISTURB NURSE DURING MED PASS" (nobody pays any mind to it so it does no good.)

3. Patients yelling at me about their pills they were supposed to get during day shift(time takes off while this is happening)

4. Not getting a minute to pee, or even take a sip of water because meds are late late late and I cannot waste a second.

5. Being asked for things that the CNA can do. I'd love to help them out but the CNA cannot do my job. which must get done.

6. The g-tube syringe and container not in the patients room(well.. where the hell could it have gone???)

7. Finishing the 4:30 medpass, then going on to 6:30 and then starting 8:30/HS for 50 patients and being asked by the supervisor why it is taking me the whole shift to do meds(see other thread)

8. Meds not the in the cart!

[Finallydidit]

Doing incident reports for incidents that didn't happen on my watch.. Prior shift should have seen that scratch or bruise but failed to report it.. Uggggggggg..

[Forever Sunshine, ASN, RN]

Doing incident reports for incidents that didn't happen on my watch.. Prior shift should have seen that scratch or bruise but failed to report it.. Uggggggggg..

I had to do two of them on my last shift for something that happened on a totally different unit than I was on and the other one happened the next day. I was like uhhhhh I didnt do it?? lol .....Another nurse told me what to put down because I was just thrown off as to why they would have me do one.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

I hate tracking down incidents. As the manager I have to do the investigation. I have taken to ding them for anything that happens on any unit when I am supervising the facility because it is just so much easier to do it when it happened and the witnesses are there! And I detest coming in on Monday to three incidents with nothing documented.

[JenniferSews]

That "lunch" is deducted from your pay, although I have yet to take a lunch or see anyone else take one either. :/