Here's a piece of news that may be a surprise for you. Your DON is responsible for the work that you do. Most long-term care facilities are tightly regulated, and, if the state or federal regulators come around and find you practicing incorrectly, she could lose her license, especially if the things you are doing put the resident at risk, or are in serious violation of the resident's right to privacy, dignity and respect. So she needs to know what you are doing, and if she doesn't agree with it, you need to change it. And you need to keep her informed about what's going on with the resident's so she doesn't discover something important when the inspectors from the health department come around. Her job is to ensure that the residents are receiving appropriate care and if she doesn't, she could lose her job and her license.

I am very much aware that My DON is in charge and that her license are at stake. I also make it a point to make sure she knows about everything that is going on at all times. My problem not with her watching or knowing what is going on. My problem comes when She tells the nurses they are doing something wrong, so they change it to the way she wants it done. The very next day she could get onto you for doing it that way and tell you to do it another way (generally it's the way you were doing it from the start). I very much respect the position of my DON. I guess you just need to know her. She is great outside of work, but at work she has these power trips. You have to turn everything around to make it seem like her idea if you want to get anything done. I'm not the only one that sees this as a problem it's with the whole staff. I will never be disrespectful to my DON or go against anything she says. That's why I posted here because I need someone to talk to about it. frustration release I guess. I would also like to make a point to say that I would never do anything to put my residents at risk. I am always willing and able to learn new things.

Decision time
I agree with you and that is why I only do travel nursing. If I was in that same position, I would quietly leave. Sounds like things are never going to change. The other reply person is either living in a fantasy world or management themselves. (Same thing - Ivory Tower Syndrome). The bottom line is you hate your situation and it's not going to change. There are plenty of jobs out there that open up everyday. If you don't like it do something about it (get out of your comfort zone) and leave or resign yourself to the fact that you will always have to put up with that idiot.

ACTUALLY, I've spent the past 3 months working as a Unit Manager in a long-term care facility, and have had the eye-opening experience of surviving two BAD surveys (one by the state, the other by the FEDs). Trust me, the types of things you here from the surveyors about the things that are going on out on the units can make you very untrusting of your staff. I've got over 20 years of experience working as a floor nurse, so I'm not living on fantasy island. The hard, cold truth is that there is plenty of nurses out their who don't understand the impact of what they do.

My guess is that this particular supervisor believes that she must control everything on the floors (bad management style), but my first reaction to the original poster is that she doesn't come across as someone with a lot of confidence or expertise. She's communicating with her supervisor in a manner that makes her suspicious.

Personally, I would try to meet privately with this DON and discuss my concerns with her. Whining on this board doesn't solve the problem. Becoming a travel nurse also doesn't solve the problem, because you find good and bad managers everywhere. You have to learn how to deal with every type of individual, even if they are your supervisor.

I am very confident in the work I do. Suspicious? Not hardly. I am very open an honest with my supervisor. I also get along great with my administrator and every other staff member. I am also quite aware of what surveyors are looking for . During inspections there has never been a problem with The nursing issues. The majority of any write-ups we ever get is paper work that is not completed on the management level. As far as whining I don't believe that discussing issues with others as a way to vent is whining. You seem like a very bitter person and I think this forum hit home for you in some way. You can be a boss and get your message across without being controlling and try to run everyone else down to build yourself up.

I am very confident in the work I do. Suspicious? Not hardly. I am very open an honest with my supervisor. I also get along great with my administrator and every other staff member. I am also quite aware of what surveyors are looking for . During inspections there has never been a problem with The nursing issues. The majority of any write-ups we ever get is paper work that is not completed on the management level. As far as whining I don't believe that discussing issues with others as a way to vent is whining. You seem like a very bitter person and I think this forum hit home for you in some way. You can be a boss and get your message across without being controlling and try to run everyone else down to build yourself up.[/quote]

I agree with you. I understand what you are trying to say. I think the other responding poster is reading alot into your post that isn't there. You stated the problem and asked for some advice to it.
What I'm wondering is, does your facility have policies and procedures on how to do the treatments in question?
Get your facility's p/p book and see what it says next time she switches instructions on you, to see what it says.
Or if she instructs you to do something a certain way, ask her to give you written instructions. That might stop some of this bait and switch stuff she's doing to you.

Agreed. Policies and proceedures usually have to be backed up by research or changed in committee. Maybe if she keeps changing the policies and proceedures manual everyone else will realize who is having the problem. Try to have her write down the changes, even if it is by email. Suggest unit meetings so her inconsistancies will be exposed.

I also agree that by going by the Policies/Procedures manual for your facility, you can't go wrong....if you do it "by the book'.

If your DON confronts you with it again, show her the P/P book and tell her you are doing it according to policy.

If you and your colleagues are all having difficulties with her, perhaps you could all gather together and have a conference with her and the administrator. Usually the administrator will back up the DON, however, if the entire staff bands together, the admin is not going to want to lose everyone. Just explain the situation and your concerns.

This is really all that you can do, except for leaving. If the job becomes so stressful and unbearable bc of this DON, leaving would be the best choice....but dont leave before you have exhausted other avenues..

I have been on both sides of situations like this in LTC...both as charge nurse and as DON.

good luck
LisaRN