LPNs called to come in and work as Aides? Is this common?

Specialties Geriatric

Published

Hello Everyone,

I am a brand new LPN grad, a brand new LPN in LTC, and brand new to allnurses. I love this site! It has been so comforting to me as a student and now as a new nurse. I have a few questions and would really appreciate any feedback.

Does your LTC facililty expect you to work as an aide to cover a shift when an aide calls out? I am brand new on my job (3 weeks) but I hear the aides on the phone when an aide has called out for a shift trying to get someone to cover. They first call all the aides, who usually say they can not come in to cover. And then the aide starts calling the nurses to see if they can come in to cover the aide's shift. They do pay the nurses their LPN salary to work the shift as an aide. This is on an Assisted Living floor and the aides are not certified. I was really surprised when I heard the aide, not my administrator, calling nurses to come in to cover. I think the aides burn out because they don't have enough help and they rely on the nurses to help them, rather than the nurses being able to delegate some responsibilities to the aides. P.S.- the nurses' are overwhelmed and overworked as well, but try to take on as much as they can because there just don't seem to be enough aides for all the resident's many needs.

Also, when I work my shift on the work on the Dementia floor, I am expected to give my early morning meds, shower and dress 3 people and get them to breakfast. In the afternoon, I am to "toilet" 3 or 4 residents and either help with making beds and replacing towels in the rooms, or help clean the tables off after lunch. My first day was rough. I did my meds, and got my first resident showered and dressed and I heard a resident screaming, he had fallen. Of course, I immediately went to him. In between helping the aides, I had meds, assessments, calls to the MD, dressing changes, speaking with families, incident report, 24-hr report, my shift report and nursing notes. I have to say they have 2 aides on for 15 dementia residents. These aides must shower, serve food, clean up, do activities, toilet...all of it. So, I dont' believe the aides are lazy, just overwhelmed and need and expect help from the nurse on duty.

Being completely new to this field, I am asking...is this a normal practice?? Thanks so much in advance for any feedback!!!!

Specializes in family practice, pediatric, LTC/AL/PC.

Good girl!! You are smart. You know what you are doing! Go to work and school, do the best you can and remember you cannot change these facilities, but you can make a difference in the heart of those residents! Just take give good care to them, paperwork will always be there. Good Luck

We also use nurses that are willing to work as cna's on the floor to do direct patient care. Being a nurse is one of those jobs that as so much in need of more recognition and better salaries etc.. etc.. Seems like the shortage is partially do to lack of care at least that is how it seems in our facility My Don always tells me because I teach the cna class, I feel bad if they mess up or dont do meal intakes etc..- She says, You can teach them what to do but you can not teach people these days about good work ethic. Wish we had a union down here lol. I have worked on the floor as a night nurse with only 1 other aide more times that I would like to count with residents 350 lbs with fall risks and all I could think about what how are we going to get her up if she does fall the whole night lol. You finish one round and begin the next. There needs to be a better way and the MDS is crap and seems like it was developed only to get money for the facility and not the actual resident-- they are always making beautiful homes but does the resident get enough people on shifts to take them to the bathroom h### NO!!! Yes fustrating but wow I love our residents -- that somedays is the only thing gets me up and I have changed jobs too if I was stuck being a nurse aide because I was one first that is why I went to nursing school because I did not want to sling bedbans for the rest of my life!!! I wish the best to you!!! Hey and vent all you want I think we all need groups to just somedays scream - feels like your asked to be a nurse with your hands tied behind your back somedays then " MS JONE" tells you honey you look so pretty today and I am so glad your here I know I will be taken care of" That is precisely why I became a nurse 20 years ago and am also working on my RN thru College Network

I think it's great that they are offering you LPN pay for working as an Aide...I would gladly do it : )

Thank you so much for your replies. Being so new, your comments truly help give me perspective. I really appreciate you taking the time to do that for me. I am excited about Exclesior!! Thanks so much!! Have a great day.

Wow...thank you all so very, very much!!! I really appreciate your perspective. Hope you all have a wonderful day.

Specializes in LTC, Neurology, Rehab, Pain Management,.

As an LPN I perform patient care alot! We don't call it working as an "aide." We are nurses. Our RN's, however, never do patient care. The LPN's where I work, number to 11 to be exact with lots of RN's and LNA's. LPN's are the minority. I have no problem doing patient care, also some LPN's despise it. I say the LPN's are the"good stuff," the meat of the unit sandwiched in between. We get used and abused the most and taken for granted, while the RN's get all the brownie points and the LNA's also get a lot of recognition and complain the most. I have been mistreated so badly by so many RN's and the worst is my nurse manager. She doesn't manage well at all. Only if you have your head up her you know, will you ever climb to the top with recognition. I don't play that game. Is there a nurse manager thread around here, cause' I could really vent?!

Specializes in ICU.

The hospital I used to work at would float a nurse to other floors and have them fill the role of PCA/PCT. I never saw a nurse officially in primary care at that hospital. The one I work at now does not float nurses to be PCA's, but they have primary care assignments. (Primary care means the nurse is responsible for everything for that pt the entire shift - VS, toileting, feeding, etc. plus meds and assessments.) So I have seen this practice.

As far as your resident-to-CNA ratio, I'd say 2 CNA's to 15 residents is darn good compared to other LTC ratios I've seen posted here, and you may be being taken advantage of if they are pushing you to do CNA duties on a regular basis. I worked as a PCT during NS on a busy stepdown unit, and I was responsible for Q2H VS, accuchecks, bathing, turning, getting pts OOB, feeding, toileting, and stocking, plus I had to travel off the floor to monitor telemetry for pts that were going for testing. So I had additional duties to your CNAs' duties, and I did this for 9 pts, not 7.5. My nurses would help when they could, but they were busy too. Not saying your situation is all wrong, as I've never worked LTC, just be careful not to neglect your LPN duties for CNA duties unless it truly can't be helped.

:paw:

Specializes in LTC.

I'm a LPN in assisted living and this is not normal. I'm responsible for meds, and my nursing duties. I do toilet and help with care when necessary but its not in mandatory that I help with meals, showers and etc. For example If I'm doing a treatment and my resident is soiled I don't call for an aide I'll do it myself. Now if I'm swamped with work or have an emergency then yes I will delegate. I'll never be above toileting a resident or assisting with ADLs however its hard to do my job and theirs to. When we have been short I was the nurse, med tech, and nurse's aide all at once. Its all about team work.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your perspectives. I plan on doing my best for the residents at all times. Have a great day.

Specializes in family practice, pediatric, LTC/AL/PC.

WOW!! Are we as LPNs getting used or what LOL so great remarks. Don't wish to hard for the union thing. At my facility the nurses are not union, but the CNAS are. Let me tell you I have aides who have worked there from 16 to 30 years. You want attitude. I have one who thinks she is a wound nurse. I have one who has been trained to trained other CNAs to pass meds. She thinks she has the education of a nurse. It was a three days course. Now don't get me wrong. I have great aides, there are days they are my eyes, ears, hands. But I would like some of these others to remember to respect others of their peers and the nurses and to remember their parameters! But that union protects them and they know it. I totally agree with the nurse about those mds, i cannot tell you how many times either i can't get a resident more help (sending them to nursing) or i get them back, and they cannot perform their adls or fight their way out of a brown paper bags. GOD Love those smiley face social workers that go around saying, "you'll going to love this resident, they are sooooo cute". There are times I have to wait till they fall and break something before I can get them off my floors. God are the hospitals like this?

Hello Everyone,

I am a brand new LPN grad, a brand new LPN in LTC, and brand new to allnurses. I love this site! It has been so comforting to me as a student and now as a new nurse. I have a few questions and would really appreciate any feedback.

Does your LTC facililty expect you to work as an aide to cover a shift when an aide calls out? I am brand new on my job (3 weeks) but I hear the aides on the phone when an aide has called out for a shift trying to get someone to cover. They first call all the aides, who usually say they can not come in to cover. And then the aide starts calling the nurses to see if they can come in to cover the aide's shift. They do pay the nurses their LPN salary to work the shift as an aide. This is on an Assisted Living floor and the aides are not certified. I was really surprised when I heard the aide, not my administrator, calling nurses to come in to cover. I think the aides burn out because they don't have enough help and they rely on the nurses to help them, rather than the nurses being able to delegate some responsibilities to the aides. P.S.- the nurses' are overwhelmed and overworked as well, but try to take on as much as they can because there just don't seem to be enough aides for all the resident's many needs.

Also, when I work my shift on the work on the Dementia floor, I am expected to give my early morning meds, shower and dress 3 people and get them to breakfast. In the afternoon, I am to "toilet" 3 or 4 residents and either help with making beds and replacing towels in the rooms, or help clean the tables off after lunch. My first day was rough. I did my meds, and got my first resident showered and dressed and I heard a resident screaming, he had fallen. Of course, I immediately went to him. In between helping the aides, I had meds, assessments, calls to the MD, dressing changes, speaking with families, incident report, 24-hr report, my shift report and nursing notes. I have to say they have 2 aides on for 15 dementia residents. These aides must shower, serve food, clean up, do activities, toilet...all of it. So, I dont' believe the aides are lazy, just overwhelmed and need and expect help from the nurse on duty.

Being completely new to this field, I am asking...is this a normal practice?? Thanks so much in advance for any feedback!!!!

I've heard that it happens at heritage woods of chicago, from someone who lived there once. Don't know for sure though.

Specializes in LTC, MDS Cordnator, Mental Health.

I Have been following this thread. You know the one thing that must be kept in mind. It is about the residents... Not about you... As the charge nurse I work in any position I am needed. Yes it is customary that LPN can be bumped to the floor if an RN takes a cart. and LPN can do patient care. My daughter will come in for 4 or 5 hours to help and chooses Not to do the cart, so she can leave. at the end the the time frame.

When licence staff does some pt care they may see thing that may not be reported to them. When I did MDS I usully tried to at least toilet the residents that were in the assessment Period.

+ Add a Comment