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| No. 40 | 
Jul 08, 2008, 11:03 PM
 Re: Should medication aides exist?
In my area, LTC faclities do not use med techs. I believe they are only used in group home settings. We work short because our facility does not plan well and/or they want to save money. If you are going to spend 6 months to train a med tech, why not spend the extra months and turn out an LPN?
I have to say at this time and with the limited amount I know on this subject..I think it is a bad idea.
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Jul 08, 2008, 11:18 PM
Updated
Jul 08, 2008 at 11:22 PM by BradleyRN
Re: Should medication aides exist? Originally Posted by Nurse4years  Any ideas as to what the future might hold? How we could improve conditions during this "nursing shortage"?
LTC facilities employ mostly LPN's. To become an LPN, i attended class from 8AM-3PM for one year. That is so far beyond what a med aide must do that it is absurd. Due to the high number of med errors made each year by LPN's, RN's and doctors, it seems astonishing that we would subject poor, defenseless elderly people to a risk that is obviously astronomically higher when these tasks are performed by exceedingly undereducated people. According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, medication errors are among the most common medical errors, harming at least 1.5 million people every year. Studies indicate that 800,000 preventable drug-related injuries occur each year in long-term care settings. The committee noted that these are likely underestimates.---July 20, 2006
It will never be the time to buy into the lies perpetrated by greedy facilities. The nurses are out there for these jobs. They just want fewer patients and a little respect.
It is not a solution to the nursing shortage to let people come in off the streets and perform our skills. It should be a crime.
| | No. 44 |
Jul 11, 2008, 09:09 AM
Re: Should medication aides exist?
those that are grateful for the med aids due to the no. of pts. and the other dutes they must attend to...I can sympathyze with you because no matter how we all want skilled nurses in these facilities...we are not going to get them....GREED, people is what is running these facilities...
It does not matter WHAT we do...they will never provide us with adequate staffing (unless we all refused to work under those conditions !! ) At my facility, I have seen one RN to (up to) 45 pts. now, really, can anyone expect good pt. care with that ratio??? Administration does nothing but give you excuses....I have seen it time and time again...As long as these facilities are run by private, greedy corps, and/or ind. persons we are never going to see a change.
| | No. 45 |
Jul 11, 2008, 11:35 AM
Re: Should medication aides exist? Originally Posted by aloevera they will never provide us with adequate staffing (unless we all refused to work under those conditions !! ) At my facility, I have seen one RN to (up to) 45 pts. now, really, can anyone expect good pt. care with that ratio??? Administration does nothing but give you excuses....I have seen it time and time again...As long as these facilities are run by private, greedy corps, and/or ind. persons we are never going to see a change.
Standing in unity and refusing as you stated can make the necessary changes, especially if you do it in front of the news cameras. The mystery to me is that these nurses know good and well that they are NOT going to be able to deliver adequate pt care, and yet they put their license, and the safety of their pts on the line everyday as they clock in and accept the assignment. I have been so lucky in my career that the ratios i was working didnt result in severe harm or death to my pts. I have seen it happen to other nurses, and i bet they carry around a guilt that should be on the shoulders of the administrators instead. It is a crying shame that we just cant come together and stop these atrocities.  | | No. 46 |
Jul 11, 2008, 11:45 AM
Re: Should medication aides exist? Originally Posted by cardiacRN2006 You didn't need a med aide, you needed another nurse.
Just because you are busy doesn't mean the pts deserve less. We are their advocates and unlicensed people passing meds is not in their best interests.
When I was doing my rotation at a LTC they had an LVN that was assigned to medications (there were so many patients that it took him about 2 hours for each : am, noon, and pm).
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