The Ugly

Sometimes we see a CMA do things that are truly revolting. Some of these as a nurse must be reported to the supervisor or DON. These are things that cannot be tolerated and so egregious they must be stopped. Remember as a mandatory reporter, it is our (and your) duty - we are required by law - to report such hideous things. Besides, do we really want these people caring for our most vulnerable people? 

ANE - Anything that involves abuse, neglect or exploitation absolutely must be reported. 

Some examples we have seen out there. 

1.) Forcing a resident to take their meds, which included things like "you have to take your meds right now while I am here or else I'm not going to give them to you".  "I'm not going to let them take you to the toilet until you sit here and take all your pills." "You are not going to activities until you agree to take all of your meds." Please understand that all of these are examples of abuse and are not only wrong but they can result in legal action against you! Let's be clear, the CMA, the nurse nor anyone is the resident's 'boss', the LTC home is not a prison, it is their home, not yours, you work for them. Currently it costs an average of $11,000 a month to stay in a nursing home and the resident is an adult and even if they have dementia, or are not the most pleasant person, they are worthy of respect, kindness and professional care and that is all there is to it! 

2.) Hiding a med-error; this includes everything from giving a med that was discontinued, giving a medication at the wrong time, giving the wrong dose, form, or even giving a medication to the wrong person. Not only is this a serious sign of lacking personal responsibility but drugs cause actions in the body and a med error can cause a resident to suffer numerous issues some not so serious but some even deadly and it is not our call as CMAs to make the decision if a med error is serious or not, and it is certainly not fair to the resident. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, step up and take responsibility to protect the resident. 

3.) Forgetting or just not administering medications and charting it as the resident declined to take the medication. This is neglect and part of ANE and mandatory reporting is required for all healthcare professionals. Do not put yourself in this position to get in hot water. If you follow correct med pass policy this will not happen. Better to do it right a be a little late than risk a serious problem. 

4.) Talking to or about a resident or a resident's condition in front of others. This is a breach of confidentiality and not professional and not allowed. I overheard a CMA just recently assisting a resident to eat speaking to the nurse who was a good 15 feet away about a different resident's bowel movements and 'behaviors'. Would you want someone to do this to you? We tend to get so comfortable with talking about healthcare issues that we forget to be careful, but it is just plain wrong, please just do not do it.  

5.) Ignoring, discounting, being disrespectful to a resident that is aphasic (nonverbal) or is living with dementia. This is perhaps one of my pet peeves. Please understand that they are still a human being and capable of feeling pain and emotions, and deserve our attention in a kind an respectful way. They are no less of a human than anyone else. If you pay attention, you can observe their needs. A good CMA can spend a little time and decern if the person is in pain or has an unmet need.