[JSCOOBY]

Our continuous care department is having to turn down referrals because there aren't enough LVN's. Management wants to schedule the LVN's for 12.5 hour days, 4 consecutive days per week.

What are other scheduling scenarios that other CC departments have?

[Ariesbsn]

I can't speak to what other places do. However, I can tell you that three 12 hour shifts in a row darn near ruins me and I am useless for my first 2 days off. I am in ICU and have 2 pts.

The reality is that you don't have enough staff. Working them longer doesn't fix the problem. Rather than kill the staff you have, your management needs to work on recruiting more staff.

[aimeee]

I don't know how you schedule anything with CC since the nature of the work is crisis care. We just can't seem to get our patients to schedule a crisis to coincide with our staff availability! Our staff usually work 10 hour shifts and then there is a window for the team nurse, HHA, and others to make their visits in between during the day time hours. Almost all of the staff are prn because some weeks there is lots of need and other weeks everybody seems to be stable.

[AtlantaRN]

we have 11 patients that are seen once a week (we have one new patient that will be seen on tuesday & friday...and 1 patient I see monday for his regular visit then tuesday-friday for just a few minutes to give him his meds via PEG).

4 patients belong to other nurses. currently i'm the only full time nurse and i'm salary, so I work 35-45h a week (if I work 45 one week, I take a half a day off the next week). My administrator just hired another prn nurse that will be great to take a couple of new patients we have acquired on the east side of our 5 county coverage area...

Frankly, if I had my way, I would LOVE to work 3 days a week (like I did when i was in the hospital setting), but I must say it's really nice to work 8:30-5pm (i didn't know I would like it because i was so used to working 6 days in a row, twice a month and having so much time off inbetween--but really i'm a workaholic, so I would just end up working extra).

linda

[Noryn]

50 hours in 4 days is just too much especially when you consider how much time they are driving. My honest opinion is that is a recipe for disaster.