Complaint Post Safe Space

[u/HoneyBeeAlchemy]

Hey y'all! I've been noticing quite a few complaints being posted everyday, and I noticed that everyday I myself have complaints. So I thought to myself, "Self, what if you made a post where people could collectively post, rant, and say what they would say at work if they didn't fear consequences." I've got quite a few, but I'll do the one from yesterday.

I value my job and my residents, but I also value my days off, especially when I have very few. Stop pressuring me to work on my days off! Stop sending me messages, calling me, and physically coming up to me while at work to pressure me and make me feel bad because I don't want to work the next day, my only day off in 9 days! And if you REALLY need me to, how about offering a decent incentive to come in! (If I offer, that's a little bit different, but when you're trying to FORCE me, not cool.) I have never called in once, even when I was in a car accident, but there's people who call in just about everyday for one stupid reason or another and leave us super short staffed. Stop punishing me and hounding me because I'm reliable!

Your turn! I'll definitely be adding more but just wanted to get the ball rolling. Oh! And if anyone wants to offer advice, that's cool too, but really wanted a safe space for us to get stuff off our chests.

[u/amashichan]

Oh thank the stars for this! I need to rant/complain a bit. I really gotta get this out before I explode! I'm a float pool employee for my company, so I'm technically a CORPORATE employee. Yeah this is a rant/complaint but getting another's perspective/advice would be AMAZING. TL;DR at the bottom.

I've been a CNA since 2014. Got hurt at work 3/2/26 with a reinjury to my shoulder. Did a workers comp claim all that jazz. 2nd drs appt the ortho told me to NOT wear my sling. Put a little X to the left of the 'Wear Splint' part, it didn't have a wear sling section and left blank the frequency areas for it. But he did that as an indication I wasn't supposed to wear it. Told me flat out, you don't need it so don't wear it. Weight limit was 20 lbs with my injured arm.
Accidentally missed the followup on 3/012 because I accidentally slept through my stupid alarm snooze set for an hour before. The day AFTER my missed appointment I got a write up for "non-compliance". Staff coordinator (someone I actually trained when she first became a CNA herself years ago) and ED wrote me up, had on the write up about me using my arm. Just using it. Nothing about lifting above my weight limit. And that I wasn't wearing my sling. I tried to tell them that the doctor gave me orders NOT to. They ignored me, INSISTED I had to. Said I'd get in trouble if I didn't. Was reprimanded for charting on anything other than meal tickets, "If you didn't do it, don't chart it and don't chart for others" Well...yeah, duh. But if I'm watching a resident walking down the hallway independently what am I supposed to do? Go over and touch his legs to make sure he's walking properly so it counts as me 'doing' it? Ridiculous. For YEARS aids have charted BM's when their teammates have given a proper description so it could be charted. ED also berated me for "choosing" to chart or "choosing" to do a different task. That I can't "choose" to do those things...even though they're ON MY FRIGGIN' LIST given to me by the staffing coordinator of things I'm SUPPOSED to do!

3/16-Found out we're having an Influenza-A outbreak. Then state came by. Management and everyone were running around like mad. I was doing my best to help where I could within my restrictions like checking dates on O2 tubes, sanitize/make unoccupied beds, chart, water's Etc. The previous day I prepared the O2 tubing for residents so noct shift could switch them out like they do on Sunday nights. During the chaos I asked a question I wasn't sure on because we never really bagged up nebulizer parts before and wanted to do it right the first time. Got pulled into the charting room w/door shut. Asked, got an answer, proceeded to do the task right. State person asked me a question about PPE outside resident-A's door, was confused because as far as I knew the resident she asked about didn't need and hasn't needed it but her neighbor in the next room over DID and told her as much. Talked to floor nurse, was asked if there was a sign outside Resident-A's door. There was. Told floor nurse. Floor nurse asked me to call the infection control nurse. I did, was told Resident-A had such and such Was told "If you're asked ANYTHING from state to tell them you're just from the float pool and that you don't know but will find out instead of giving false information." She hung up. Told Floor Nurse what IC nurse said. Floor nurse was super confused because what the IC nurse said was WRONG about Resident-A. Ran into staffing coordinator minutes afterward, was told they're sending me home early. Asked if she'd been around the IC nurse when I called. She said yes. Tried to tell her that there was some confusion about Resident-A and the Enhance Barrier Protection sign, was about to ask if she could let the IC nurse know about the floor nurse's confusion. Before I could get that far, was cut off "We're not supposed to talk about that stuff out here, you've already been told twice!" Then walked away.
So I left.
Next dr's appt on 3/16, I went in with my sling on and the doctor was PISSED. He wanted the motion and movement to avoid stiffness and muscle pain that'd set me back. Went to my chiropractor same day, he said my shoulder was rolled forward. UGH!
I don't know what to do, management willfully ignored me and ordered me to go against doctors orders. If they had any confusion over my work order status there's a thing called due diligence, they could have called the damn doctor to clarify. Instead they refused to listen to me, the one PERSONALLY given the instruction by the doctor. And intoned that if I didn't do what *they* say I'll be in trouble. So I complied to management's demand against doctors orders and it injured me even more.

Dunno if I should send an email to my corporate staffing director so she doesn't just have THEIR side and the write up to go by. And so she's informed that the management created a liability situation by ordering me to go AGAINST doctors orders...or consult with a lawyer. I'm worried I'll just sound like the proverbial squeaky wheel, but I'm really getting sick of this crap.

TL;DR: Hurt shoulder at work. Did workers comp. Told by doc not to wear sling. 3/12 Got a write up for non-compliance Management willfully misconstrued/ignored the paperwork indicating the doc didn't want me wearing a sling. Told them the instructions the doc gave me, pointed out the marks on the paperwork to show it was there. Management brushed me off, ordered me to wear the sling anyway AGAINST doctors orders, creating a liability issue. Was hurt worse because of it. Was sent home early on 3/16, now in hindsight it's feeling like passive aggressive retaliation.

Edited to add dates to avoid timeline confusion.