LTC is getting the best of me!

Specialties Geriatric

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.

i went on vacation and came back with about

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:chuckle Yes LTC is just one disaster after another. Have you ever noticed in LTC that if a patient is going to have a fall that it always occur at the most busiest times. Good luck with your job hunting.

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.
:chuckle yes ltc is just one disaster after another. have you ever noticed in ltc that if a patient is going to have a fall that it always occur at the most busiest times. good luck with your job hunting.

oh, yeah! i had about 4 major things going on at once the other day! never got any paperwork done that day, which is overdue. it is maddening! thanks for the luck! :)

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i went on vacation and came back with about

i marvel daily at our nurse care coordinator on our rehab floor. talk about interruptions! she has to answer a ringing phone that doesn't quit, clueless doctors, unbearably demanding families/patients who think they are at a hotel!@#%^

somehow she manages this chaos of 39 beds, despite the constant insanity. she has eyes everywhere! i can barely keep up with managing the collective pt caseload of 22!

she is an older woman, and we are all scared to death that she will retire, because no one, no one can manage that floor like her, even though daily she proclaims "i'm crazy today. crazy! i gotta get outa here!!!"

god bless nurses!!!

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.
I marvel daily at our Nurse Care Coordinator on our Rehab floor. Talk about interruptions! She has to answer a ringing phone that doesn't quit, clueless doctors, unbearably demanding families/patients who think they are at a hotel!@#%^

Somehow she manages this chaos of 39 beds, despite the constant insanity. She has eyes everywhere! I can barely keep up with managing the collective PT caseload of 22!

She is an older woman, and we are all scared to death that she will retire, because no one, NO ONE can manage that floor like her, even though daily she proclaims "I'm crazy today. Crazy! I gotta get outa here!!!"

God bless nurses!!!

I can imagine she must be a dynamo! :) My DON and Administrator are looking very scared right now because they sense I am teetering. Not much I can do. I doubt I could ever stay in this kind of situation. Thanks for your thoughts!

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

Oh, I feel for you.........I did that job for only a year-and-a-half, and it just about drove me over the edge! Sixty-hour weeks were the norm, I was always taking work home, plus I was on-call 24/7, and did we EVER do paperwork on the computer so it would go faster and easier?? Hell, no! :angryfire I almost had a nervous breakdown........I had as many as 15 skilled Medicare residents at a time, plus the "young adult" unit which housed 20 extremely troubled residents from 18 to 50 (they had drug/ETOH issues, spinal cord injuries, various personality disorders, sexual perversion and other mental illnesses), PLUS a small ICF wing of 12 residents. The work load was absolutely overwhelming.........no normal human could have accomplished everything this facility expected unless they literally LIVED there and didn't eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom.

That's why I'm deliriously happy being a "peon" on a med/surg floor again.......no more living, eating, or breathing the job, no more middle-of-the-night phone calls, no more taking work home, no working for free (I was salaried)........I come in, work my assigned shift, and go home. I'm responsible only for my own practice. I get paid for every single minute I'm on that floor, and it's time-and-a-half for anything over my 8-hour shift. And I don't have the state in my face over an 'i' that didn't get dotted or a 't' that didn't get crossed. :p YIPPEEE!!!!!!!!

The funny thing is, I still keep getting recruiting letters from various LTC facilities throughout the state, wanting me to come manage their SNF or special-care units. Never again........I'm happy where I am. :)

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.

That's why I'm deliriously happy being a "peon" on a med/surg floor again.......no more living, eating, or breathing the job, no more middle-of-the-night phone calls, no more taking work home, no working for free (I was salaried)........I come in, work my assigned shift, and go home. I'm responsible only for my own practice. I get paid for every single minute I'm on that floor, and it's time-and-a-half for anything over my 8-hour shift. And I don't have the state in my face over an 'i' that didn't get dotted or a 't' that didn't get crossed. :p YIPPEEE!!!!!!!!

The funny thing is, I still keep getting recruiting letters from various LTC facilities throughout the state, wanting me to come manage their SNF or special-care units. Never again........I'm happy where I am. :)

Sheesh! Your old job sounds much worse than mine is...and I am very ready to leave mine! LOL. No computer entry here. The DON is also new at my facility and arrrived there shortly before I did. This DON hinted early on she'd like us to leave our pagers on and be available oncall all the time. We all laughed. If she has said it was necessary and a new policy, all her unit management jobs would have be vacant! LOL. I know what you mean! I think I am heading back to hospital nursing myself! You don't take it home with you at all...at least not most of the time. ) It's nice that you get the offers though. You had to be very good! :)

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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
i went on vacation and came back with about i feel your pain-i learned that lesson last december when i was out with the flu. now i plan ahead by a few weeks because i never know when i'll have an emergency at home...i don't have a unit clerk so i do it all for a 22 bed unit.i have to laugh because all i hear from the float nurses is "i don't know how you stand this" i do it every day with no back-up from the day shift supervisor or co-adon's.but let the "poop hit the fan" on second shift and they end up with 3 nurses running around like chickens after their heads have been cut off because they whine and cry instead of just working hard (and that does happen-i have seen a chicken running-well,flopping around after it lost it's head) i went in half a day today on my weekend off because i knew it would be quiet and i could get things done (had a death last week and i shipped my most challenging fella to the hospital yesterday so my acuity is low) all of my paperwork is ready for june----oh yay----except for the recaps and the orders will be in next week....it's under control this month-what a feeling....
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Specializes in Registered Nurse.
I feel your pain-I learned that lesson last December when I was out with the flu. Now I plan ahead by a few weeks because I never know when I'll have an emergency at home...I don't have a unit clerk so I do it all for a 22 bed unit.I have to laugh because all I hear from the float nurses is "I don't know how you stand this" I do it every day with no back-up from the day shift supervisor or co-adon's.But let the "poop hit the fan" on second shift and they end up with 3 nurses running around like chickens after their heads have been cut off because they whine and cry instead of just working hard (and that DOES happen-I have seen a chicken running-well,flopping around after it lost it's head) I went in half a day today on my weekend off because I knew it would be quiet and I could get things done (had a death last week and I shipped my most challenging fella to the hospital yesterday so my acuity is low) All of my paperwork is ready for June----oh yay----except for the recaps and the orders will be in next week....It's under control this month-what a feeling....

You made me chuckle there about the chicken. :lol2:

I don't mind hard work but this stuff is too much. I might not be giving myself enough time, but if I did give myself the time to get it running with me at the helm like a well oiled machine, I'd want much more money and vacation time! LOL.

I have gathered from a couple of your messages that you are a very hard working nurse. I am too, but I also try to pick a job that gives me some things I want...give and take. I have never liked the "oncall" thing and that bugs me. 8-4:30 is nice...5 days, M-F most weeks,...but I drive myself crazy over the paperwork....and I can't stand it when I feel like I am babysitting. Sometimes you have to tell people something 5 times and they *still* don't do what they are supposed to. I never really wanted to discipline adults. In many ways, I feel bad doing so if I know that they are overworked and don't have enough time to "get to it." But sometimes they just don't want to do it.

Well, thanks for the chuckles and empathy. :)

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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
You made me chuckle there about the chicken. :lol2:

I don't mind hard work but this stuff is too much. I might not be giving myself enough time, but if I did give myself the time to get it running with me at the helm like a well oiled machine, I'd want much more money and vacation time! LOL.

I have gathered from a couple of your messages that you are a very hard working nurse. I am too, but I also try to pick a job that gives me some things I want...give and take. I have never liked the "oncall" thing and that bugs me. 8-4:30 is nice...5 days, M-F most weeks,...but I drive myself crazy over the paperwork....and I can't stand it when I feel like I am babysitting. Sometimes you have to tell people something 5 times and they *still* don't do what they are supposed to. I never really wanted to discipline adults. In many ways, I feel bad doing so if I know that they are overworked and don't have enough time to "get to it." But sometimes they just don't want to do it.

Well, thanks for the chuckles and empathy. :)

:p I am so fortunate to work with 4 excellent cna's....Mature adults with a good work ethic-good attendance and they really do like the residents. They have been very receptive to learning my techniques for dealing with our dementia folks and their behavior problems and our team has made positive changes for many of our guys....I have awesome benefits -lots of holidays and vacation time,dental and eye care for my family.As long as I can stay away from conflicts with one particular co-adon and the don I am solid....It has taken me SIKX long months to get comfortable.....give yourself a little more time-and maybe you can get some staff transferred around so you can put together a team you can depend on.You DON will stand on her head to keep you-go for what you want.....I am getting a unit secretary for a few hours a week now.....We need nurses like you in LTC.....,.
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Specializes in Registered Nurse.
:p I am so fortunate to work with 4 excellent cna's....Mature adults with a good work ethic-good attendance and they really do like the residents. They have been very receptive to learning my techniques for dealing with our dementia folks and their behavior problems and our team has made positive changes for many of our guys....I have awesome benefits -lots of holidays and vacation time,dental and eye care for my family.As long as I can stay away from conflicts with one particular co-adon and the don I am solid....It has taken me SIKX long months to get comfortable.....give yourself a little more time-and maybe you can get some staff transferred around so you can put together a team you can depend on.You DON will stand on her head to keep you-go for what you want.....I am getting a unit secretary for a few hours a week now.....We need nurses like you in LTC.....,.

We have both good and bad work ethics with our CNAs. They show up and have few call ins, but they say, "Yes," they will do things, and then don't sometimes. I have a problem just getting my daily, weekly, monthly weights. I could go on and on. I appreciate your thoughtful words. I'd love to have a unit secretary! That's another pet peeve....the filing! I am the file clerk too! Lucky you! :) I will see what happens. I think they may offer me more money if I say I am giving my resignation, but money is not even the issue at this point! I think I will take a part-time unit secretary and no oncall and take a small pay cut! :p In the end, I will probably go back to the hospital. Thanks again. :)

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I have your sympathy, I'm also a "Charge Nurse, Unit coordinator, Patient care coordinator, babysitter, ADON (don't have the title). My day starts at 8:00AM-4:30-5:30-6:30 sometimes 7:30PM. I am so so tired of being dumped on, by all the other nurses, administrator, DON, SS, therapies and dietary. It seems everything comes to my little office (closet) is what it use to be. Family and friends of resident expect me to give them all the answers as well as other staff. I reluctantly took on this job after the previous "charge nurse" burned out and went to acute care after 25 yrs of service she was charge for 10 of those years. Here I am in the same boat as she except we lost a excellant RN, and have not replaced her, so I have no backup. I do it all. We have usually a LPN & Med Tech or Nurse Tech on the day shift and me the only RN. Have average of 60-65 residents plus 6-10 on the special care unit Alizhemiers, which has either an LPN, or part-time RN. Neither know how to put an admission it the computer and are always looking to me for answers. I don't know how long I can hang in either. I have 5 yrs til retirement, I hope I can make to then, I really don't want to start over somewhere else. Just to let you know YOUR NOT ALONE!!

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