yesterday at work I was handed an article on hourly rounding studies that were done in the hospital and how hourly rounding can cut down on call-lights and falls. The study sounded reasonable as it had been done on med-surg units, but not in the nursing home. I am a charge nurse on a unit with 46 residents. There is me and another charge nurse, and on a good night 4 cnas. The manager who handed me the article said our unit had the most falls last month. I answered "Yes we did, because all last month on 3-11 we only had 3 cnas, and you cant expect us to be everywhere at the same time". When I am doing my med-pass, I answer call-lights, get residents blankets or water etc. When we are short I pitch in and help feed, put people to bed, and change their briefs. What in the world is mgt thinking? I dont get a lunch break anymore, I barely take 10 minutes to scarf my dinner down, and then it is back on the floor working my tail off. I am so frustrated and am seriously considering leaving ltc nursing for good. I have been physically assualted, threatened by family members. Management doesnt stand up for us at all.
