[BBFRN]

It's not any worse here than everywhere else. Never heard of Alexandria, KY- where is that? Nursepammi, if you look around Louisville, Covington, or Lexington you should be all right.

[peglegpeg]

One nurse for 50-60 patients - where I work now, there is sometimes one nurse for 150+ patients - no kidding. Too much work to be done in the course of an 8-hr. shift. Low salaries if you go below northern Ky. Poor, poor nursing standards. Poor, poor quality of care.

I came here from Ohio, and I am still amazed and shocked at he differences -and only a river to separate the 2 states! LOL P

What part of Kentucky are you thinking of? Thanks. P

[peglegpeg]

What is your staffing ratio, please? And where do you work?Thanks. P

[BBFRN]

Hi Peg- if you're talking to me, I work in a hospital in downtown Louisville and our staffing ratio is 1:4-7 depending on the staffing. It's pretty much been steadily 1:5-6 lately, though. You need to move up north STAT with those ratios! PM me if you want job info for where I work- I would be scared to work where you're working!

[peglegpeg]

LOL - tell me about it! Working down here IS scary.....there is such a shortage of nursing personnel.....and NO minimum staffing standards! Last night we had 2 nurses and 5 cna`s, for 153 people.

I am interested in the legislation re: minimum staffing standards. The state of Kentucky needs it passed desperately. There is no consumer advocate group in the state - nothing. HELP! P

[peglegpeg]

Mini, Alexandria is not far, a bit south of Covington. In the populated areas, it is MUCH better. The rural areas - most of the state - are where the poblems lie. P

[nursepammi]

A pal in Lexington suggested I check out the Shelbyville area for a home, and since that's half way b/t Louisville and Lexington, I can be flexible about working in either.

I am currently working at a privately owned, 100 bed facility that 'hand picks' it 's patients. I think the excellent reputation as well as the presence of the owner as a patient on site contributes to the exclusivity of the facility. The staff is wonderful, and the pay is good, but not the best in the area. Still, I accepted a small pay cut for the peace of mind of working in a quieter, less grueling enviornment for a while. We have 4 wings, all on ground level. A and B wing are 2 nurses to 40 pts, and 4 or 5 CNA's. C and D wing has 2 nurses to 60 pts, with 6 or 7 CNA's. No IV's and no severly demented, violent pts. I'm going to hate to leave.

[BBFRN]

Shelbyville is a good place to live, especially if you have children- very good schools. There is also a hospital there, but I don't suggest working there . Peg, are you in a NH or hospital? If you're in a hospital, are they JCAHO accredited? If you are working in a NH, here is a link to someone you can contact regarding the staffing issue: http://chs.ky.gov/Aging/programs/Lon...0Ombudsman.htm
http://chs.ky.gov/ombudsman/ And here is the main page for the KY Ombudsman.

You can contact the ombudsman regarding staffing issues, and if the NH doesn't do something about it, they can lose their Medicare/Medicaid- which isn't something they want. They can at least get some agency in there or something!

[peglegpeg]

You can contact the ombudsman regarding staffing issues, and if the NH doesn't do something about it, they can lose their Medicare/Medicaid- which isn't something they want. They can at least get some agency in there or something!


How can the ombudsmen do anything, if there`s no governing law?

Pammie, I will email you a site to go in and check the n/`s inspection results - lol - that`s what I did before I aplied for a job. But this is my 4th place of employment, here - and its still bad. Hopefully, it will get better.

I came here to get away from the rat race of city living, and I did, and I love the counry, but wow! other things - like work - I don`t know.If I had had any idea how bad it was, I would have stayed in Ohio.

But - help can be obtained, if one goes about it the right way...P

[BBFRN]

Originally posted by peglegpeg



How can the ombudsmen do anything, if there`s no governing law?

Are the staffing levels impacting fair and adequate treatment of the patients? Are there for instance a large number of falls/injuries/incidences that could have been prevented with adequate staffing? If so, the Ombudsman may see fit to step in and lay down some staffing requirements. It can't hurt to try.