Is it wrong?

[conflictednurse]

to call state on your own facility? I feel like management needs a wake up call.

I work every other weekend as full-time is suppose to.... and weekend staff is terrifying.

I almost always work with a CMT. This mean I have all my own work, plus their injections, charting, head-to-toe assessments, and skin assessments. The CMT does all treatments, except extensive time-consuming treatments (the ones you really need them to be able to do).

We have no receptionist! I literally have played recpetionist for 30 minutes one night, before I had to just step away from the phone and let it ring endlessly. I had to go back to being a nurse! We get tons of complaints, I've called the facility once and the phone rang for 7 minutes straight. I ended up having the call the Supervisors personal cell phone to get a hold of someone.

The aides are always working short. They almost never have less than 15 patients, and when they are that short, they don't have to give showers (I don't know whos rule this is) so basically no one ever get a shower on the weekend.

It's just stressful and insanity Saturday and Sunday. And Monday when management comes in and audits charting, assessments, treatments, if you forgot one (which how could you not dealing with what you did all weekend) you are written up!

Everyone is over-worked, and punished for it when it's not their fault. It's demoralizing and no one respects their job it seems, which means care isn't as great as it once was....

Would calling state DO anything? Is it wrong to do?

[Nascar nurse, ASN, RN]

Have you first went to the DON and/or administrator and attempted to have a serious heart to heart with them on your weekend conditions? Is there a weekend manager supervisor rotation (every department head in my facility takes a turn on rotation with wkend manager duties)? If so, do they see the problems?

You may end up calling state, but I wouldn't make it your first step. Good luck - not all LTC is this way.

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

I agree, go up the chain of command if you can.

"calling the state" doesn't help alot of times. If if it is saffing numbers, often times that isn't a cite unless it is really really unsafe, but it is hard to prove since there are no real numbers for staffing in alot of LTCs

[Sparrowhawk]

Unless it's a major major violation I wouldn't...it will get you fired because State will tell them it was an employee who sabotaged...I've seen it happen.

[ajacob]

I think you should talk to the DON and let them know what exactly is going on during the weekend shifts. Maybe you could try to think of some solutions that would lessen your load. You cant do everything and they shouldnt expect you to either. Calling the state probably will get you fired.