ok, so I took a new job and after being employed for a little bit I found out the aides aren't even aides. My understanding is you have to be an aide to work as and represent your self as an aide. These "aides" who have been hired off the street with no experience are allowed to suction trachs, change trachs, do feedings through feeding tubes, change Mic-Key buttons, give breathing treatments....
A few are CNA's but most aren't. They claim because its a "home" and not a facility they can do this. My understanding is they don't fire anyone because they don't want to pay unemployment. The aides know this. They do the minimum and nothing more and they know they can get away with it. If one is to ask them to assist with something they say its not their patient or they're busy or whatever excuse they can think of. I guess they don't know the meaning of "aide/assistant"
I've had these "aides" ask me what O2 is, seen them (not on my shift, under my supervision) give albuterol treatments through a face mask to patients with trachs.... I walked in on an aide setting up a room and the trach patient was alarming for low sats (the reason I went to the room). Her back was turned and I asked why she didn't come get me and she replied "he wasn't gurgling so I didn't think it was a problem." This place doesn't train for anything. A CNA there actually got mad at me when I asked her to pull the rails up when she left the room because I found the rail down. She said "well I was coming right back". I replied to her that unless she has a hand on the patient that she needs to keep the rail up because the pt. is a falls risk and even has a sign saying pull rails up. She rolled her eyes and said I didn't know what I was talking about!!!
They wanted nurses to pre-chart, draw up all meds at once to be ready to give...I refused to do it that way.
I quit because I felt I was putting myself at a major risk. What can be done for the safety of the patients? If I report them I'm afraid of them retaliating. How can I protect myself? Thanks!
