The nurses don't or won't pay attention to what I am telling them.This woman that I have been providing care for about a week, yesterday her stool was as black as midnight due to iron supplements. ( she is also showing many signs of iron overdose.) I am afraid that when I go back to work on Monday it will get worse if not corrected. What can I do as her caretaker? What are my responsibilities as a CNA other than reporting to the Nurse staff? I showed the nurse her stool and he said that it was fine and normal when it was anything but. Is there anything else that I am able to do?
I am not a medical professional and have never worked in a facility so I don’t know what the rules and/or regulations are where you work.
But from one human being to another, please show a sample to another nurse, the nurse manager or grab one of the doctors before something horrible happens to this person.
Bless you!
Black stool is also an indication of internal bleeding.
I would let the DON know that you have a concern about what you are seeing and ask how you deal with situations like this.
The 2 that have said it is normal could very well mean for that patient.
If you feel like she is suffering from medical malpractice it is your responsibility to report it to the authorities, you are a mandated reporter. Do not count on being anonymous.
Be sure and follow the protocols outlined in your contract.
You say this lady is showing 'many signs' of iron overdose. Such as?
Your responsibilities as a CNA are to document your interactions with this lady and to report any concerns. You have reported your concerns. Have you also documented your observations? And documented your reports? For example, in your client's daily records it will say something like "stool loose and black, reported to Nurse Smith."
Do you hand this lady her medications? If so, you also see what she has been prescribed. If you think there is a prescribing or a dispensing error, it is your responsibility to report that *before* you hand the medication to the lady and then to take instructions from your line manager. You MUST then follow the instructions. You do NOT second-guess them.
It is absolutely not your responsibility to diagnose her or to alter ("correct") her medications routine.
Suppose you had been looking after this lady five days running, and she always opens her bowels in the morning, and four days running her stool was that sort of slightly grainy at the edges black, and then on the fifth it was blacker, a different sort of black, kind of tarry-looking. You would then report that *change* in stool, describing as much detail as you can. But it is not for you to give your opinion about the possible cause of the change.
I sympathise with the frustration - because getting people to pay attention to a detail you've spotted can be like pulling teeth, I know - but I would have absolutely no sympathy with any tinkering with this lady's routine.
Plus, based only on what you've said so far, this is not a case for whistle-blowing. You would probably make a fool of yourself.
On a related note, please suggest or confirm the patient is on a stool softener as a side effect is constipation.
Thank you for noticing your patients deviation from normal stool color and reporting it to the nurse. Your opinions do count. Your actions prove you are indeed a caring caregiver.
You have reported it to a nurse. Your sister has confirmed the Nurse. Going over the Nurses head could find u with no job or ur life made hell at work. I would hope that labs were being done every so often to check the patients levels.
Good luck! Give yourself a chance to acclimate to the SNF and to the staff and I'm sure everything will work out fine.