working with an incompetent nurse.. need advice!

Published

I am a Certified Nursing Assistant and am having a serious moral dillema over a nurse I work with. I am conflicted on whether or not to report or...or who to report her to. A few months back one of the aides told me that one of the residents blood sugar completely bottomed out like he was unconsious and when she went to get this certain "nurse" all she did was give her a cup of orange juice and told her to make him drink this and she would be right back. Luckily this aide was going through nursing school and knew what to do to make his blood sugar go back up. The nurse didn't return to even check on the resident until many minutes later. Then recently two other aides had a more traumatic expirience. We had a resident who was in his 40's with congestive heart failure he was limited to 1200 cc or whatever of fluid per day and was also a bad diabetic. well his blood sugar fell into the 40's and he was coming in and out of consiousness. the certain nurse in question told the aides to make him drink glass after glass of orange juice, cranberry juice, and apple juice to try and bring his blood sugar back up. Doing what they were told the aides made him drink many large cups of these juices. This is all while the nurse told them to sit with this man until he got better. She also made them spoon feed him large amounts of apple sauce to try and get his sugar back up. This man is a full code and one of the aides told the nurse why don't we send him out and the nurse simply replied he will be fine, and she also said We will just wait till the next shift nurse comes to deal with it!!! Then this man started vommitting stuff that looked like coffee grounds and started having horrible diarreha. The nurse thought nothing of it and said next shift could deal with it. Right when the next shift nurse got there this man died even after CPR. I was not there but I can't help but feel this is a truly wrongful death. I don't know what to do.. I feel like I need to just quit my job if I have to work with this nurse who I believe knows not what she is doing!!! Please.. from everything I told you does this sound wrongful.. couldn't making a man with CHF chug many glasses of fluids be bad? I mean I am not a nurse but I think something she did contributed to his death.. I know he was in poor health, but I think incompetance played a huge role.. This is bugging me to a point of were I can't stop thinking about it.. This man was young.. Please give me much needed advice.. Thank You

Up Vote Up Vote ×

We were not there. Suggest you go to the supervisor who is above this nurse and have a discussion about this.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
i am a certified nursing assistant and am having a serious moral dillema over a nurse i work with. i am conflicted on whether or not to report or...or who to report her to...... i was not there but i can't help but feel this is a truly wrongful death. i don't know what to do.. ... this is bugging me to a point of were i can't stop thinking about it.. this man was young.. please give me much needed advice.. thank you

i understand your concerns but how can you report something if you were not there???? it is not your responsibility to report rumors and gossip. it is the responsibility of those who witnessed the events to report the events including the nurse. talk to them about reporting the events then, let it go.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Let me get this straight:

Both of these incidents is second hand info you were given by other aides? And YOU, yourself, did not witness either event?

Unless, you were the aide in BOTH situations, you have no bases to report anything. You can not go to the manager with "hearsay and gossip". I understand you are upset about a pt passing away, but before you go reporting someone, you need to have all your FACTS straight.

Just my opinion.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I wouldn't report something I didn't actually see and wasn't involved with. You have no way of knowing what really happened and what was said and done. Tell the people involved to speak to her superior and urge them to report what transpired.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Had to edit this post because I totally missed the first part of your post....... if you yourself were not there to witness all of this, it wouldn't be wise to go to your supervisor with "he-said/she-said" stories. Speak with the person(s) who witnessed the event(s) and encourage them to do the reporting.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I assume that you work in a nursing home. Well, so do I...

Let me start off by mentioning that there are many wonderful, competent, and dedicated nurses who work in nursing homes and other LTCFs. These people ensure that nothing short of good care is delivered to the residents.

However, I have noticed a trend over the years based on the nursing homes where I have been employed. These facilities are perfect places for incompetent employees (nurses, aides, etc.) to hide out and fly under the radar for several reasons. First of all, many LTCFs tend to be short-staffed, so management will often hire anyone to fill the staffing void without paying attention to the quality of the care being provided. Second of all, many of the residents cannot or will not speak out against the incompetent caregiver, so the cycle continues. Lastly, management frequently turns the other way when allegations of incompetence arise because they simply do not want to lose an otherwise loyal worker who shows up for every shift.

While it is the moral thing to report your observations, I wouldn't be shocked if no further action was taken. I call it the "circle of uncaring." In addition, I'd tread carefully about issues that you did not actually observe.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I would like to add I would report this nurse in a heartbeat if *I* was the one who witnessed such things.

But if I wasnt there and only got the story after it's been going around for a minute and is probably chopped all up in bits and pieces by the time it got to me is another story altogether.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I agree with what you are all saying about me personally not reporting the situation but I was called right after the situation happened by that aide and she was torn up... I am trying to get the aide to report it I was just trying to get others opinions especially from other nurses about what you thought..

Up Vote Up Vote ×

there are so many inconsistencies in your post, that it is obvious you don't have your info straight.

if you want, you can discuss w/a charge nurse, unit manager or nurse mgr...

but my gut is telling me there is much more to the stories than you're aware of, and that you just don't understand.

it sounds like you may have some personal issues with this nurse?

whatever you decide to do, please do so with integrity.

i'd hate to see a person's livelihood destroyed by rumors and other falsehoods.

leslie

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I agree with what you are all saying about me personally not reporting the situation but I was called right after the situation happened by that aide and she was torn up... I am trying to get the aide to report it I was just trying to get others opinions especially from other nurses about what you thought..

It would be best to try to get the aides who actually witnessed the incidents to report it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

If you insist on being the bearer of bad news, you will be putting yourself in the line of fire. Report what you witness. Tell others to report what they witness. Get involved where you don't have a clear duty and you will bring about consequences that you do not want or need. You have no idea whether or where or how much that was told to you is not valid. People have been known to make things up on purpose and sometimes the facts get lost in translation no matter what the intentions of the reporter are. Be responsible only for your own actions, to include what you see and hear. Only what you see and hear.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion