Real day , Real work, Real Nurses

The work day for A Nurse in any field is not as the text book, Instructors teach you, or how the NCBON or State says it should be. Would be nice if it was as they say it should be, would be nice if they had to walk with you not a day, for ten min. But if they had to follow a nurse in a place for a week each one of them and see what it is really like. To remember sitting behind that desk saying it is this and it is that is so much easier than getting out there and doing it everyday and every shift. You go in as a nurse in a nursing home, set up your work station, then your cart, clean your cart off. Check dates on your meds, eye drops, insulin, etc. Wipe off bottles if needed on cart before starting. You take report, do a med count, and make sure your aides have all shown up understand where and what they are to do for the day. Then you hit the floor running, Take your vitals as you go along.Pass your meds of course using the rights of medication with each patient. Would be nice if every patient had a picture on MAR, or a band on arm or bed to ID them for staff that may not know them. Making sure as you go in and out of each room, that the patient has call light in reach. That they have of course truly swallowed all their pills. You do this with at least any where from 28 to 36 patients , you started at 7am and may finish by 1030am. Then you hurry to get your charting done, after you have cleaned cart again, stocked it, put juice up, put up apple sauce. Emptied trash etc. You sit down to start on charting, Here comes a family member why is mom not up I want her up everyday at or by 8am. You explain she has and needs to take turns with the patients in her set. That the Aides tried she refused at that moment. But of course by time the daughter gets there the patient is on a different page. Yes I wanted to get up they would not get me up. Daughter of course is going to believe her mother and not your staff or you. Again, you explain this is what was tried to be done, this is what she did refuse. As well it is someone else's turn to get up early in her place they got up the next person up that wanted to get up.So, by then it is like 1120am, you try again to get back on your charting. You get maybe one or two charts done. Some vitals put in the chart with a quick note for acute charting. Then, you get a page that all staff needs get patients to a activity. Aides are still bathing patients and getting them up some of them. So , you stop again go help take who wants to go, take who is up. Return to Nurses station and then it is 12pm it is time to start lunch med pass. You, wipe cart down, stock with juice, water etc. wash hands again as you do before you ever start passes. You head down the hall to do in a orderly fashion. As, you do someone usually comes in to take mom, dad , etc out you stop return cart to station write up meds for them to take them out with patient. Due to not knowing when Will be back , go ahead and give the lunch time meds to make sure patient gets them. They sign out and they leave. Head down hall again to resume pass, quickly , efficient , and accurate give the little meds need be, check sugar, give insulins, etc. Return to the nurses station clean carts again, empty trash, etc. Wash hands , resume charting start calling aides for intake and out put , document in chart as they put them down to be done by end shift. You check halls, rooms, for dishes , trays left, try to check and make sure patients are dry still, call lights in reach, beds are all made. What problem you run into as you see above how the time is for morning med pass. Is when you have a state survey person walk with you or they start where you were say 45 min. ago or even they start at the first few rooms you were in, and now you are at the end of pass. The survey person comes to you , wants you to come see what she has found. Now it is 3 and a half hours since you were at the room she is talking about. You lock your cart. Walk with her to see, A patient has wet and pooped on chucks and it has a light ring on outer pad. That aide in that set has 11 patients. You explain ok, when you were in there giving meds, patient did not smell or have odor of having wet or pooped. And you can't just go into every room pull back covers exposing privates to see if that is there. And by way it looked it had not been that long done. You go get that aide tell her to address this now. She is in middle of a bath. So you go ahead and you change clean dry patient. During this time the Survey person goes to the DON reports this. You get paged into office with the aide . To explain what and why this person found what they did. That you can not be there every where every min. Esp when there are those family members that want to come complain about everything all the time, everyday when they come in. They stay all day, they complain all day. Which pulls you away from your other patients, pulls you from doing a better job,they say this is how I want it not yes we understand this is how it really is. I have come to a point a scene a stage a film needs to be done or have a example of a day in the Nurse and the aides that the family has to come in eight hours or at least half of those they have to basically be by and watch, listen, see what you do as a team all day. That way they understand how it works, instead of just coming in demanding this is what , how i want it done every day. My mom got up everyday my dad got up everyday early for x amount of years. And, yes Understand but maybe they are tired, maybe it is called retired, maybe they don't want to do this everyday. When they go in they don't ask Hey mom/dad did you not want to get up early this morning? you decided to sleep in a little? No they yell out Why didn't you get up with they came into get you up, etc. So of course this way the person is going to say oh oh no one came in here no one asks me. And you see where rest goes. You know as a nurse you stay on one section , same aides you work together better as a team you learn one another. The families the patients get use to you they see how you work, they know how you do and want things. etc. But when they see switch up they feel not continual of care, they have to tell or ask these other staff members everyday the same things you and your girls already know and did. They complain to you when you rotate back of what they didnt do or how they did do it. They ask why , why do they keep moving you? You can only say go ask the DON. They patients do not like the idea they switch up staff. They like it that they are use to the same person. Look at it this was more people handling their meds, more people looking at them in the Bday suit. More people knowing their business. The others don't know the person routine, when they go to bathroom, etc. When they like to do certain things. So out of how many aides, how many nurses have to come through that hall and try to learn all of this plus all the halls they get shifted to. But you see almost every other hall in building has same nurse same aides but this hall can't why?? It use to? To cause problems upset staff, patients, what? Cause one state person said this on a morning you decided and knew the aide you put on that hall had never worked it before, and did not know the patients, usually worked only second. You have aides there that wanted to be in their set, offered you denied them. So you set yourself up to look bad and the whole staff knows it. But, you instruct the state don't talk to staff come to me only me, NO your nurse goes to that state person tells them what it is usually like when they are not there. Dont care whether they understand or care you told them. Amazes me some of the survey people never worked a nursing home setting but you are going to send them there to grade them????????? HOW, why can you do this. ???? Then in a doctor office you enter there and think this is safer, our license, etc. NO it is not, your license is not safe anywhere you work with patients and other nurses with moral, self esteem issues, and value issues. To be a nurse is rewarding, in every way. Everyday you go in and even if you only help one or two people or get someone to understand how important their health is and the changes needed. Or that a patient is so serious and has listened to what you had to say about stop smoking and the doc when he comes in that you give him your last pack of cigs and say" I quit here is my last pack I am done I will not smoke another after I hand you this." The doc locks them up in the storage room with the person name, date on it. To show that person say when they come back in like three months later see what you did, how far you have come. It is a wonderful sense of helping someone. To live longer, breather better, stop or halt heart disease, etc.  As being in a home helping someone care for their loved one, in a office, Nursing home, Hospital a nurse, a aide is never safe. You are always to blame, always your fault. Your DON, your administrator , and co workers will not defend you hardly ever. For fear of them same coming to them>  I use to hear of staff getting set up, many different ways, Never really believed it. Until the last few years, I saw it with my own eyes.Even though all the staff secretly did not believe this about this nurse. They knew it was a lie, but instead of them coming as one together and standing up for this nurse they stayed quiet. What happened to that RN, she got raked over the coals cost her over 20,000 , no job could be worked, temp license on hold. Ended up losing marriage, home she had worked so hard to pay for, remodel etc. Now over a year later cleared of the so called charges that were a joke to begin with, she has to work over a hour away from her home. She has tried to come closer to home to work to be closer to her kids, her home, etc. But, due to small town and people run their mouths she has had no such luck.So her rep is ruined now, it is shamed to be accused of things not true to have that mark on your record and the NCBON is not there for justice in general Plenty of nurses have been good, great nurses and lost their licenses due to people like this. Due to what? NCBON does not listen when you try to contact them ahead of time or do they? I know of another nurse worked with this one above, was friends with her she almost got drug in to this mess. Until one she got a lawyer, then she called the NCBON talked to someone told them what was going on, and started sending email to this person every day of events that happened. The place had one RN that was just mad at the world all the time. She only smiled or laughed when big heads were around. Other wise complained and no one ever did anything right. She had went behind a nurse put a band back on a patients arm due to she knew this nurse had just started a IV , and started ABT. She did this, then all of a sudden she is the one to find this??? What is funny after this nurse started the IV and the ABT going if a line if blocked it will alarm the IV pump with in seconds. That nurse had returned back to that hall to note this in the chart what she did , what needle used, where was started etc. And, the nurse on that hall had gone in during this time and gave other meds. So after nurse finished helping this nurse she returns to her hall. This is when this RN did her deed. Issue was pointed out after this RN tell family member a another min and her arm would have had to been amputated. She honestly told them this. The nurse her self goes to ck on patient after two hours of everyone else knowing but her. Then the nurse calls the doctor of patient gives situation, asks if that is true. The doctor laughs at it. The nurse calls the family tells what doc said, they are relieved of course but understand anyone can forget , but it was explained to them step by step and even that the nurse who started the IV had the same band used to put on arm on her med cart on her hall so how did this band get on the patients arm????They were concerned as well with this. They nurse told this to the DON as well of course the RN was her friend in work and out of work she claims to seperate the two , no , no she did not know how and it always showed this to all staff. We at different times had gone to the administrator to address this he and his wife were friends with the DON and the RN as well. So no help there at all. The nurse then takes her issues to the NCBON telling them what happened, then finds out mid day by the DON calling the nurse into her office and saying well the Admin wants to suspend you but I am working on talking to him so I wont know what is to be done til later today. I called the NCBON on my break told them this they disagreed and told me to go back in and tell them they needed to tell me something then right then. I did and she came back and said she kept me from getting suspended. Did not buy this at all. Felt again it coming to this same situation my RN friend went through,  So what do you do? You look for another job, start using your days off to interview. Then when you find something anything you put in a notice to quit asap. At Will state, and kept hearing over staffed anyway. So, you take new job, After you learn the ropes, the routine, then you start looking again. Some employers don't understand this and some do. Just depends on who that person is or if they have ever been treated like this on their way to the top. Whether or not they can see where you are coming from. Due to you don't figure it out until you are there a bit, that the doc you were hired for the DD, the supervisor, the other PA in the office and the support staff only nurses don't like him. Cause he is not all about numbers and money. Because he is a doctor that is for the patient, needs, wants, etc. He seems them as a person not a number, a dollar sign. So they try to use his new nurse to get to him. The new nurse they tell , to push him, tell him how he needs to be doing his job, his schedule. And, when this nurse sees what is going on , that basically they are trying to make him look bad to higher ups, and they interrupt this nurse from doing the job, that would show he is doing his job, that numbers are up. They tell this nurse, go through his labs, go through his referrals, etc. But when she would use the one day a week he was not there to do this the staff that would see half what her and her doctor saw. They would cry for help every time. So, that nurse would stop and help out knowing if she didn't or if she pointed out she was able to do twice their job all week alone they would find some fault or get her in trouble. She would tell the Doctor the next day why she was unable to do these things. He would ask why did their nurse not come to work , was the schedule that full. No take  a look he would look, he knew as well what and why. They eventually make changes to his schedule without tell him discussing it , and tell the staff you take any patient hat comes through that door to be seen and put on his schedule I don 't care how many he already has scheduled. You do what the DD tells you. What happenes you get your Butt chewed and asked who do you think you are, who told you , that you could do this. You tell him. He gets upset goes upstairs confronts that person DD. Puts his patients on schedule further behind due to this. Then the DD comes down when Doc is in a room and ask why did you tell him. I mean what in the world???????? You tell the DD why did you not tell him, or discuss with him first. Why do you put me in this to do the dirty deed and get yelled at and in trouble. What was the nurse suppose to say cause I felt like it, it is policy? No it is not in the policy book no where. No other provider in that building has to do this why just him,and the other providers get to say everyday no I will not see anyone else, no I am done for the day and this is excepted. But the DD and supervisor put a med tech with the nurse and doc so the doc does not have a excuse when his numbers are still low they say that he did not have enough help. The med tech they put with them spends half her day on the other side or in their offices telling them all that is said and done during the day or she is in the lab playing bejeweled games on lab persons computer. She is always sitting down when should be seeing patients eating her breakfast. She gossips and spreads lies and trouble. Never just checks in patients as she is told by the nurse so the nurse can get caught up on referrals, labs, or calls to get prior approvals for these patients meds or needed medical equipment. She the nurse goes to super due to being told in beginning if you have trouble with tech tell me, if she does not listen you do this. And then the tech comes back why did you do that, why did you not just tell me? I did did you listen , no you never do. They then have a problem arise a nurse b we will say is hired to work with the PA, after only a few days this PA accuses this nurse of lying not taking true vitals, granted this nurse has been nurse long time, has been checked off already on skills check. She is put through the humiliation of having to show she does know how to do a BP. She does it correctly in front of trainer nurse and the other nurse she trained with. The PA still keeps on and on always fussing about what she does and does not do. Simply put she told others she just did not like her. The nurse did not kiss her but or worship her like the other two lazy ones did. This nurse b gets put with the nurse and the male doctor to see if he has problems with her. Well as office gossip goes he had been told, warned of how she is and was. Not til the second day did the doctor see and the nurse that nurse b was on the defensive. She was smart mouth etc. But Nurse told doc this is why she is this way, she was not like that in orientation. Little distracting yes but not this. She seemed mad at everyone on defense with everyone. She was smart knew her job. But, They had told this nurse you watch her, you tell her yeah yeah you do a good job, compliment her. And you know the only reason they are saying this is to what??? I want to see if any one sees what the others did. They basically wanted this nurse to watch and report all the nurse b did all if she talked about them, the PA, the DD the staff on the other side. What did she say what did she mean.?What did you say, did you try to correct her, did you build her confidence? That is not my job the nurse tells them. Nurse was still in process of leaning the new job. Had not been in that office but a few weeks and did not learn much in orientation like she felt she should have. So this nurse feels uneasy and sees what is happening. They just wanted to have it documented for what ever reason another provider saying the same or close as the PA did. They had put nurse b down and picked so much, left empty vials in the fridge, would draw more or less vaccine and then blame nurse b when you know you will never get the say it says ten doses out of a vial you can expect at least one dose to be waste. They accused her of not knowing how much to draw up, or how to give. Then they corner her and say show me how you draw it up, show me how you give it. Nurse B did , and at that moment as needle comes out some squirts out of the plunger of the vial. She says see this is how it gets off count. It does happen sometimes. They did not want to hear that. They would do other underhanded things as well. take a lab or order from her box put in theirs then put back in hers and say she did not do it look how old it was. This was only a taste of what was done. Even though the nurse she orientated with and was put with told her what was going on, what they were looking for. And, to just try to do her job to her best, and ignore the rest. She was away from them at that point. She at this point thought maybe she was with the others in being against her. Even though she was only one to talk to nurse b. So, nurse stopped trying to help her at all. Next thing you know they fire her, and the supervisor tells her along with the DD that you are the reason she gets fired!!!!!!! This nurse b has no reason to lie to you, so when she tells you these Supervisor and Deputy director say this about you!! you the one they ask to do what??? When they put her with you?? And in the end you tried to help the nurse stay neutral and not do they dirty deed the higher ups tried to get you to do. You ultimately get the blame.Then this nurse tries to get you in trouble by texting you about someone you saw in office together as a patient but you knew this person long long before then you had worked with her before ever becoming a nurse, you had went to the same doctor somewhere else at that time. So you knew alot about her. This nurse b tries to get you to slip up by starting a text argument. You simply reply the person first name and could have been anyone , lots of folks have that name but you state again to this nurse b you knew her and she did go to that doc before cause you were both seen same day years years ago. This nurse b in turn goes to this person to try prove she is right even after she is fired and before and tells this patient this. What does it matter you tell nurse b? you were not a nurse then and has nothing to do with now. She states she is my neighbor now and I went had dinner with her and she said blah blah. So in turn after nurse b gets fired and told this that you did it to her. What does nurse b do, she gets her neighbor to come into your job speaks with the Deputy Director and you have no idea what is said or not said they never tell you nothing. Then day they set you up and fire you guess what you can only assume this BS is what is first listed on the paper from 12/2011 breech of patient hippa, what the? how the? is all you can say you were never given a copy of this until that day., you asked for a copy on 3/30/12 never got it asked the DD for it, never got it until the HR head and the main super were there then you get it. And of course no matter what you have to say or ask is going to matter cause you are no longer employed there. But in the mean time the other med tech and the other nurse got a nurse that was friends of their to join and they had who they had been trying to get hired since you walked through the door that person is all they talked about. So, they had her now the nurse b was gone and now you were to. Does it matter that you were only one who did job through , or that the patients loved you and told the doc never to get rid of you. Or that when they called or came to office needing something they ask for you? No this means nothing to the Upper desk what i call desk trolls!!! they like to play puppet masters of all in the office. Come down stir it up and run back to their offices. And, watch the fire works then it gives them something to do, something to feel needed and important.  When  you go into a job like this and you see how the powers that be are, and then you make the higher ups bosses aware and when you do you have the letter addressed to her as well as the president of the company to make sure they are aware of the games, wasted hours, etc. The things that are not getting done or addressed with patients like they should be. The discrimination against certain employees. But once you let her know she gets upset, No you are not to go to the president never ever I would be so mad so upset with you. You come to me first, you come to me always. Policy is that there is a open door policy there and you can go to the Pres. of company anytime. And honestly after you go to the two higher ups in your own office and they are the cause of these issues dont you think their super knows this? You hear from others there long time she is worse than they are. So , before you get a chance to do this guess what you out of there they get rid of you, due to you know what is going on, who does what etc.? You learn before you are even done that this new nurse that does not know you, nothing about you, has worked with you a whole one week makes smart remarks about you, your desk why do you have so many books, why do you have so many papers in files. Dang was all that there for the patients maybe????? What else are you going to give them as they go home to learn and read from??? Low social economic area and level people most have no internet to go search on. So again what do you do when you go into a job and find out this is how they are, and find out from all the other offices they have you are training at before going there that guess what they all say it is a snake pit, it is horrible, etc. Should you ignore it see for self, or Run like crazy looking for a new job elsewhere.?