CNA thinks she's a nurse.

[Sapphire Silk]

This is a combination Sighting COCW.

I had a conversation with one of my students about becoming a nurse leader last night. She works as a CNA on a med surg unit and has been hired to work there as an RN as soon as she passes Boards. She had some concerns about how she would work with her co-workers when she got her license, and we discussed how she's going to have to be willing to step on the toes of people who will continue to view her as an equal and use that to not have to do any work.

Then she mentioned something that blew my mind; her biggest fear is working with a CNA she knows falsifies her vital signs, and puts Foley catheters in patients when she's not certified to do that, and doesn't even use good sterile technique to begin with.

Note: In my state, CNAs can put in Foley's if they are a CNA 1+3 or a CNA 2. You have to take a state course to get 1+3 from DHHS, and CNA 2 from the Board of Nursing. The CNA in question is a CNA 1, the most basic level, usually an 8 week course.

I asked her if anyone has written incident reports on this or reported her to the manager, and she said yes, but the Manager refuses to fire her, and this CNA is blatant about continuing to do things she shouldn't be doing.

I urged her to call the hospitals 1 800 tip line and leave a tip. Administration won't take kindly to that because it puts their certifications at risk (they just had a JCAHO inspection over something and don't need another one so soon). If that doesn't work, I suggested she call the Board of Nursing since this CNA is practicing nursing without a license, and falsifying data to boot.

[Seshat]

Then she mentioned something that blew my mind; her biggest fear is working with a CNA she knows falsifies her vital signs, and puts Foley catheters in patients when she's not certified to do that, and doesn't even use good sterile technique to begin with.

She's going to get someone injured or killed doing that.

It's HARD to keep a hospital environment clean, even with everyone using good sterile technique. (Not that I need to tell you that, Sapphire!)
Falsifying the vitals is going to mean the doctors don't actually know what's been happening with the patient. Poor technique will eventually cause infection, and she's going to either injure someone with the Foley, or cause sepsis by introducing infection into the bladder.

[Amina516]

The tip line isn't a bad idea. Medicare is cracking down on nosocomial infections, and with this snowflake using poor technique and introducing the bacteria, her actions WILL ultimately affect their bottom line when Medicare refuses to reimburse for treating her urinary infection.

[Sapphire Silk]

Getting people to understand how important good technique is can be difficult. Some of the CNAs (in their defense) aren't being taught good technique to start with.

[Seshat]

<shakes her head sadly>

Sapphire, can I import you to Australia and you can be the nurse assigned to my case whenever I need nursing? No? Damn.

I know I'm saying what's obvious to all our medics: but good cleanliness and sterility techniques are all that keep our hospitals from being places people go to GET sick; rather than to heal.

[Sapphire Silk]

<shakes her head sadly>

Sapphire, can I import you to Australia and you can be the nurse assigned to my case whenever I need nursing? No? Damn.

I know I'm saying what's obvious to all our medics: but good cleanliness and sterility techniques are all that keep our hospitals from being places people go to GET sick; rather than to heal.

Sad to say, but hospitals are not safe places when it comes to infection control. There are too many resistant bugs out there that we have no antibiotics left to treat with, too many people not practicing good aeseptic technique, and too many people insisting on taking antibiotics for the common cold (a virus).

[crazylegs]

Sad to say, but hospitals are not safe places when it comes to infection control. There are too many resistant bugs out there that we have no antibiotics left to treat with, too many people not practicing good aeseptic technique, and too many people insisting on taking antibiotics for the common cold (a virus).

Add to that ill people visiting their iller (more ill?) relatives & friends who don't bother to wash their hands properly & you have the perfect storm.

[PandaHat]

Add to that ill people visiting their iller (more ill?) relatives & friends who don't bother to wash their hands properly & you have the perfect storm.

thread hijack - The medical school is forwarding a bajillion emails a day at the minute about which wards are closed due to norovirus. Fair enough and actually pretty important, but they also send the ones from hospitals that are in completely different towns and I'm pretty certain no medical student is working at!

Stop spamming my inbox!

/hijack

[Seshat]

There are too many resistant bugs out there that we have no antibiotics left to treat with

I'm scared of this.

I'm afraid that we're going to have to have palliative care centres for people dying of 'consumption' (tuberculosis) just like they did in the Victorian era.