Aaaaarrrrrrggggggh!!

Dec 28, 2007 12:00 AM

by lil' girl

Hope everyone had a great holiday. Had to work and can you believe we only had 2 YES 2 Cna's for 60 residents (3-11 shift)! This has to be an all time record. And management sitting at home enjoying their holiday. And to top it off we have only had 3 Cna's for the past two nights. Everyone is so mad that they are threatening to quit. And did anyone besides us nurses even say THANK YOU to the 2 CNA's for working their butt off, no of course not! Okay got it out of my system. But my question is, is this even legal??

Anyone else out there this short staffed?

suespets · Dec 28, 2007, 12:26 AM

Re: Aaaaarrrrrrggggggh!!

I can't imagine in what corner of the world this is ok w/ state or bon! this is unbelievable!!no matter how good these aides were, 30 residents, at least, got sub standard care. whistle blowing can be a good thing,so it never happens again!

**TheCommuter** · Dec 28, 2007, 12:30 AM

Re: Aaaaarrrrrrggggggh!!

I worked Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (Christmas Eve, Christmas day, and the day after) at my PRN job at a small nursing home on the 3pm to 11pm shift. On Christmas Eve, we had only 2 aides in the entire place for 54 residents, but somehow they got it all done and had time to spare.

Yes, this is perfectly legal. Nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, and assisted living facilities do not have state mandated, specified nurse/patient ratios anywhere in the country. Nursing homes are normally understaffed and undersupplied, so this should not be surprising to anyone who has spent any length of time working in LTC. However, the ones who suffer the most are the elderly, needy residents.

suespets · Dec 28, 2007, 01:18 AM

Re: Aaaaarrrrrrggggggh!!

being in ltc mostly 30 yrs,here in wisconsin, have never heard of 2 cnas to 50-60 residents. did have 1 occasion where cna's did a form of walk out,state was involved, and ratio was much higher, think like 10 to 1 cna. some people want to use all the skills they were taught(equipment wise)and want to send people home better then when they came.this isn't the gen. rule in ltc,and it does take a special person to work them,& prefer them!

lil' girl · Dec 28, 2007, 01:45 AM

Re: Aaaaarrrrrrggggggh!!

Yes it is sad that the residents have to suffer because of poor scheduling. It is also sad that the staff has to burn themselves out because management is too busy looking the other way. Wonder what daughter/son would say about "dear old mom" not getting enough care because of short staffing? And if they did complain to someone other than management (state) would it be addressed?

Medic04 · Dec 28, 2007, 02:41 AM

Re: Aaaaarrrrrrggggggh!!

Originally Posted by lil' girl

Hope everyone had a great holiday. Had to work and can you believe we only had 2 YES 2 Cna's for 60 residents (3-11 shift)! This has to be an all time record. And management sitting at home enjoying their holiday. And to top it off we have only had 3 Cna's for the past two nights. Everyone is so mad that they are threatening to quit. And did anyone besides us nurses even say THANK YOU to the 2 CNA's for working their butt off, no of course not! Okay got it out of my system. But my question is, is this even legal?? Anyone else out there this short staffed?

I have been the tech on my floor for 24 CV step down patients when they have been short @ our hospital.

sunnydaydream · Dec 28, 2007, 05:40 AM

Re: Aaaaarrrrrrggggggh!!

There have been plenty of times as a CNA that I've worked 16 hr shifts (days and evenings) and have known that it would be me and another girl for the whole 16 hours for around 55 patients (Alzheimer's at that and behaviors). Usually the two of us would come in at 5am and get started (the legal time we were allowed to get ppl up)... making a 16 hour day a 17 hr day with three meals and hardly one break. We got everything accomplished but we were worn out!

Manageable? Unfortunately so and it seemed the more that we did it the more it happened because we were able to do it.

Is it right? Totally not.

Does it suck? Definitely!

*Daytonite* · Dec 28, 2007, 06:15 AM

The last Christmas in the last nursing home I worked in, we had more than half of the CNA staff call off sick and 3 of the charge nurses. This was so bogus. Now, this was a very nice facility that treated it's staff and residents very well and still they had this attendance problem on the holiday. So, those of us who did come in to work ended up working short. What we did was the most minimally required nursing care for the patients. Showers and linen changes weren't done unless it was absolutely necessary because of incontinence. We just had to adapt. I don't know why this happens in LTC, but I suspect that LTC cannot effectively enforce the holiday attendance policies like a larger acute care facility can. The gossip I heard was that the CNAs can go to any facility and easily get a job. Plus, the wages in LTC are lower and I think that is a consideration when people call off work. They weigh their paltry wages against being at home with their family. They aren't thinking about their coworkers who have to cope with the shortage they have created.

LTC. . .gotta love it. This is just one of the things that makes it different from acute hospital jobs.

suespets · Dec 28, 2007, 10:58 AM

Re: Aaaaarrrrrrggggggh!!

i'm sorry, i inadvertently slipped part of response for another blog onto yours,(last part). reading to many different blogs at one time!!

Liberty Bellpn · Dec 28, 2007, 03:26 PM

Re: Aaaaarrrrrrggggggh!!

And the thing is...... Christmas is the day these facilities see the most visitors ever, and their impression of the place is based on that. This is just poor management, never mind poor patient care.

It goes on year after year. PFFTTTT!!!!

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Aaaaarrrrrrggggggh!!

Aaaaarrrrrrggggggh!!

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