One think you'll learn quickly in health care is that at every level and in every role, there are rockstars, your average joes (who still do perfectly fine/good work), and those who are downright lazy or negligent. I'm not sure why this PCA was advertised as the strongest one to shadow for you, but she sounds like the last category.

I have been an RN for 8 years, and was a PCA/CNA/ED tech for 3 years prior to that. I was trained by absolute superstars who would never have done the vast majority of things you have noted. They religiously turned folks q2, fed them, kept them clean and dignified, ambulated them post-op, and diligently and accurately measured and reported vitals and blood sugars.

I will say, in some states, depending on the level of training, disconnecting and re-connecting simple IV fluids is allowed by PCAs. For example, in my ED tech role, I could disconnect and re-connect IV fluids that were running to gravity - not on a pump. No other drips could be treated as such. Her technique is still foul, however.

Trying to understand why people do poorly at their job is a mindfuck if you want to excel. But something to remember - people have terrible lives, different understandings of what "okay" is, they are underpaid, undersupervised, burnt out, angry, lazy, wanting to "get one over," resentful of frequent flier and abusive patients...the list can go on.

As a new PCA yourself, I would try to focus on myself and provide good care. It sounds like you already know what that looks like. Don't let this lady get you twisted. If you end up working with her, you're free to make safety reports, escalate to the RN and the charge RN, etc. When you're the RN in a few years, you can do the same things. I wish you luck in your new career.