I reported her

Some who read my "chili" thread know the problems I've been having with one of the nursing assistants on the ward I work on. Actually, it's a problem that all of the nurses are having with the same person.

Last evening I talked to one of the charge nurses on the ward and she was aghast at what I told her. She knew there were problems with that person, but not to the degree that I was telling her, especially instances that put patient's at risk (IE: taking a patient by wheelchair instead of by bed as instructed, and talking to doctors to get orders etc).

I told her that I am so frustrated by what's been going on that I've been actually thinking about leaving the ward to go somewhere else because I can't work in an environment where the nursing assistant is allowed to get away with bossing around the nurses and telling me how to do my job and completely disregarding what I say.

I told her that I was reluctant to put it all down in writing because I've only technically been on the ward "officially" since December, and unofficially since September and I don't want to make waves. But she encouraged me to write down the specific instances that I mentioned and give it to the manager and that she would also talk to the manager on Friday about arranging a meeting with just the nurses to discuss the situation.

I promised myself I would give it 6 months, and if things don't change, I have already decided that come Spring I'm looking for a position on another ward and will let the manager know the reason for my leaving is because of that girl who keeps crossing the line of her job description.

From what the charge nurse said this is an ongoing problem and the manager has had several talks with her about what she does, but nothing ever changes. So we'll see what happens if we can get a meeting with the nurses and pull together as a team to come up with a solution.

It makes you wonder if she's a relative of some higher-up at the hospital or something.

Good for you for speaking up! That's the only way to bring about change in these types of situations, you have to expose these kinds of people and speak up when no one else will! Certainly she is going to be watched more carefully, you might have just saved lives by speaking up.

I agree that it's probably a good thing to have reported her. Maybe she thinks she can do what she wants because no one will come forward the way you have. Kind of like guys at clubs getting touchy feely because they think girls are too polite to make a scene over it. Anyway, the patient's care and comfort is supposed to come first and that bit about the wheelchair would make me, as a patient, really upset.

If the laws in Canada are like they are here, it is extremely difficult to fire somebody. The only way to accomplish that is by documentation. You did the right thing. I read your prior post, and I wouldn't have hesitated for a second before reporting her.

Not that this changes anything, you still did right by reporting her, but wasn't she transferring to another unit?

I know it is hard to report someone, But you did the right thing. She is endangering patients. good for you

Good work, Linda! You did the right thing, not only for yourself and the rest of the staff, but also -- especially! -- for the patients.

That was a good move you made there Linda, let us know if anything happens with her...we hope there are some improvements for you

Originally Posted by clixpix

but wasn't she transferring to another unit?

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She was going to. She accepted the position on Wednesday last week and on Friday changed her mind and declined it. The nurses and other Nursing Assistants predicted that she would change her mind because "she couldn't get away with bossing people around there like she can on our ward." And that is so totally true.

I was at a union meeting this evening and talked to the President about the situation. She said that I should have done up an "occurance report" based on that situation with the wheelchair vs. bed. And that in the future if after she's been talked to by the manager she continues to do this "stuff", if I see her talking to doctors and soliciting orders that I should document it and give a copy of it to my manager, and CC it to both the union and the Nursing College. The union will then get in touch with her union president. Her talking to doctors and soliciting orders is beyond her scope as a nursing assistant and she's basically trying to practice nursing without a license which is against the law.