posted
I recently started a job at a skilled nursing facility. I was excited because the pay was well above what I know the rest of the places pay, and because I would be switching types of nursing to a skilled facility, which means I would get to use a lot of my skills that I didn't use working for hospice and mental health.
However, when I got there the staff was very negative. My first day there someone tried to bet me I wouldn't last 60 days because "none of the new nurses have". A co-worker I knew from school said she was leaving because of the high stress levels, and because she wasn't treated well.
One of the RN's, who run the place on weekends, threw me on the floor on my 3rd day of training, despite the fact that I had talked to the scheduler and she stated I was getting 3 more days of training.
I am new to this type of nursing, and was honest about that during my interview. I am not the brightest person in the world, but I am not stupid.
But I feel, after about 4 weeks, as if I am when I am there. I keep running into situations that were not covered in my limited orientation and training, and when I ask for help from the other staff I either get no response or I get told the wrong way to do things.
I recently had an infection control issue in a room, and had to move a resident for their own safety. I took a witness into the room, and she agreed to move. I asked the RN on duty with me if there was any paperwork I needed to fill out, and was told "do a nursing note and put it into the 24 hour log book". I asked again if there was anything else I needed to do, and got no answer.
Turns out I had a packet I was suppose to do, I had to notify the patients family, notify the Director of Nursing, and have the pt sign all worts of paperwork. Because I didn't do these things, I got a phone cal from the DON at 11 am today asking me to justify myself. I am working a double until 7 am today, and she woke me up early. Hours early.
I honestly don't know if this place is messed up, or if my expectations for training are too high. I had no idea there eve WAS a policy and procedures book, because I had asked where to find stuff like this out before and was told "just ask someone who has been here a while".
The DON wasn't mean, and she said I should have called her at home. Most DON get mad when you call them, so at least that is a good thing.
I really wonder if I should be in this type of nursing. Particularly at this facility. The DON seems to be trying to change things, but I really understand why this place has retention issues despite paying $7 more per hour than their competition.
I liked hospice, but I felt like a lot of my skills were going to seed. I liked mental health, but it is very nebulous....you never know if you are really helping anyone, and the same people keep coming back over and over again. I have learned a lot at this job, but the people there don't treat each other very well, and they treat new people like cannon fodder.
I JUST had a MD's office call me 2 days ago, about an application I turned in a month ago. I almost wish I had not told them I was employed.
Has anyone experienced this type of thing in their own career paths? Nursing or otherwise?
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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posted
Lack of documentation of P&P is chronic at my workplace (both in the local office and even more so in the larger organization). It's a huge problem, and can be very frustrating. (Even though I've been here for a while, so you'd think I'd know the ropes. Except things change without much notice all too often. And various people higher up frequently have contradictory expectations.)
The good news is that IF you can find someone with experience who is friendly, and you make it through the learning phase, you can help make things better in a small way. The bad news is that it will almost certainly be quite a battle.
At least your workplace pays well!
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Not for much longer. We had a state inspection, and had NO nursing tags at all......almost unheard of!
BUt when they did the recheck 90 days later for the minor stuff they DID find, they found a TON of paperwork errors.
If we fail the next recert, they close our doors. I don't think I will stick around to find out how it goes. I was already considering quitting when I made this thread, and after the meeting today, the "plan of action" they have to "fix" these issues, and the probable outcome, I think it is time to do something I have never done before.
I am seriously considering walking out today. As in never going back in, just calling and saying I quit.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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posted
I met up with a few friends I trust, and went over the situation with them. It boils down to this, really:
The DON said in her meeting that we should find someone we trust who knows what they are doing to mentor us. That we needed to trust them, and that they could help us learn how to do things.
I only trust 3 people there, and I don't usually work with any of them. There are people I trust to be good people, and to try as hard as I do, but one of them has only been a LPN for 3 months total, and the other one isn't any better than I am.
I don't feel I am giving good enough care to my patients, nor to I feel like they get good care around the clock. Not consistently. I don't think any of us on evenings are doing anything wrong deliberately, but we are overworked and simply don't have the time to do all the meds, treatments, and charting we need to do....not while also doing admissions, discharges, answering the phone and writing MD orders. We have no unit secretary, no desk nurse, and no treatment nurse for evenings, and the daytime wound nurse can't do all 115 patients himself.
I am going to call my DON, who I like, and do one of two things. I am either going to flat out quit, or ask to switch to nights. 11-7 sucks as a shift for me, but it would allow me to work with a nurse I trust somewhat, and would potentially give me a chance to learn the patients and the paperwork, and to work on my time management skills, which really are not sufficient at this point to work 3-11 effectively.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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