NOC shift CNAs

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · Jan 27, 2009

I work 3-11, but I've seen a lot of posts about the night shift having to get a lot of people up. I think it's ridiculous. I was talking to someone on 1st shift at my workplace and she said you have to scramble as soon as you walk in the door because breakfast arrives at 7:15. Why should everyone be dragged out of bed so early? What is wrong with sending the trays up at 830 or 9?

morte, LPN, LVN · Jan 27, 2009

I just recently went from AM shift to NOC shift. When I was on AM shift, we were required to get patients up for breakfast and to the dining room. This could be as many as 5 residents and for others, at the very least two. I never complained about this and helped out my co-workers so everyone was on schedule. Now that I'm on NOC shift, my AM shift co-workers have gone and complained that the staff on NOC is "lazy" and asking what exactly what we're doing that we can't get every resident up for breakfast. We get up at the very least 1 and for heavier runs, we'll get up 2 residents. If we're short staffed we'll get up as many as we have time to get up. I really thought that we were helping out AM shift. We do have a 1 CNA to 20 residents ratio at night, sometimes more...
Now there's new requirements for our shift. We must get up all residents, with the exception of 4 that AM shift has to get up. What's it like at your facility, what do they expect of NOC shift?

this is obscene and is considered to be abuse....report it

adorblepuppy · Jan 27, 2009

I totally agree with why do they get these people up so early. Of course i just got my first job. Will be starting next week. Not sure how it will be for us. But i think it is crazy that they have to get up so early. If the resident likes getting up early fine. But some people like to sleep late. So why do they have to get up early? Anyway jmo.

NM nurse to be · Jan 27, 2009

I have 30 residents at night and five get ups. Right now 2 are dress only and one prefers to be dressed, then lay down on her bed. But normally it's five total gets ups. It's doable... if everyone doesn't start ringing their lights at 0500, then I get really behind. Yesterday was like that, today I was done fifteen minutes early. I tend not to get up extras, day shift only squawks that you didn't get up more than that! So I don't go out of my way for extra get ups. I do make sure everything else is set up, briefs and gloves are stocked and the barrels are clean though.

sonomala · Jan 31, 2009

I just saw this thread and it makes me wonder about the ltc where I work. My last shift, graveyard, I had 31 residents to myself, a stomach bug starting in the hall and 14 people to get up. I got one up, the rn said not to worry and just tell day shift but I had a couple of cnas come over from other halls telling me I wasn't doing my job, they ignored their call lights on their halls (also sick) and got my people up. I was grateful but theres a part of me that was furiouse. I was going room to room as fast as I could as the sick cases mounted up, changing beds and went behind the ones who got up and made their beds. On another hall they have 19 people to get up (and being graveyard I could wind up with that hall one night groan). 19 people in in 90 minutes! And we're not allowed to start before that.

Button2006 · Feb 4, 2009

19 get ups? even 10 get ups sounds absurd!! are you required to wash and dress them too? that is out of control! all aids should work all three shifts so they can understand what really goes on instead of assuming all of the time. often time night shifts does not get enough staff. they have one that stays until 7am and the one usually leaves at 5am. these leaves one nurse aid on the unit during the craziest time of the shift!!! between 5am and 7am...all hell breaks loose! people start waking up, ringing the call bell, jumping out of beds, bed alarms are going off, the phone starts ringing, the lpn or rn, (who usually has two units at this time and is therefore responsible for at least 60 residents) is scrambling to get his/her books done and prepare to give report to the morning nurses.

people say that night shift does nothing but they make up for the lack of patient care during 5am and 7am. not to mention all of lifting the people up in bed, changing beds while the residents are in bed, getting beat up by little grannies who are sweet and kind during the other shifts, and then the whole not sleeping at night thing is not a cake walk!!!

smh...

Dorali, BSN, LPN, RN · Feb 4, 2009

I don't want to hijack here, but what is NOC please?

Thanks!

Dondie

sonomala · Feb 4, 2009

We have to get them out of bed, dress them comb hair ect and get them lined up in the hall to go to the dining room. And of course they start wandering, alarms start going off, and when day shift does get in its complete and utter insanity but do we get any sympathy or help finishing up? No.

I agree 5-7am is the worst possible time everyone wants up the nurses are on a mad dash people to get up and day shift wants report at the desk asap.

mizfradd, CNA · Feb 4, 2009

God bless you NOC workers!!! :flowersfo

I couldn't handle it, it about killed me both physically & mentally! :bugeyes:

shy_wolf101 · Feb 4, 2009

I work NOC and I have anywhere from 24-32 residents depending on staffing, and lately because we have had so many people call off, get suspended, or terminated that number can go up to over 42. We have five halls, and we are supposed to have 1 CNA per hall, and if thats the case then we are only required to get 2 people up. If we have 4 on the floor we only have to get one up, and anything less than that we dont get anyone up. I know the other shifts think that NOC is easier and that we dont do as much, but we deal with twice the patient load, vitals, changing beds with angry residents in them, passing ice, cleaning and sterilizing all the equipment, changing out the foley bags, changing out the oxygen, stocking the rooms with briefs, cleaning up after the other shifts, its not a walk in the park, and most of the time the minute the sun goes down, everyone goes ******* crazy!

yousoldtheworld · Feb 5, 2009

I've dealt with this many times.

At my current workplace, we (night shift) are expected to get 6 residents up. The problem is, in order to get that many up before we leave at 6:30, we have to start at 4, and even then, a lot of the residents don't want to get up at 4. Can you blame them? I know I wouldn't.

Days always think night shift is lazy. Little do they know that some of these people never sleep. Some of them soak the bed every 2 hours no matter what precautions you take. I've worked all 3 shifts and I think days is EASIEST. You're busy, sure, but you have a lot more help.