LTC is making me hate nursing!!!

[Angeljho]

I'm a new grad charge nurse in a LTC facility. I've been there for almost 2 months and I'm at the point where I'm literally scared to go to work. At first I floated, and that was ok, but I just became a regular on a dementia/psych floor. The paperwork and charting is sooo heavy, and I'm the only nurse on a 40-bed unit. I know I have to "manage my time" more effectively, but there's not enough time in one 8 hr shift to do everything that is required of me.. and i don't take lunch.

I have to pass meds (and the time schedules of the meds are so crazy), start tube feedings, supervise CNAs, chart, pick up orders, check orders, treatments, and various other paper work that come in books.. and the worst of all is getting an admission.. i always fear that i'll get an admission .. and on top of all that, i JUST learned that i'm required to re-do the whole treatment book for the new month.. and my god, the daily interruptions i get.. supervisors coming every 5 mins to check the medex while i'm giving meds, CNAs calling me for this and that, residents not wanting to take their meds (i have to spend so much time just to encourage them to do so).

I don't want to quit because I want to be able to handle everything, and I've floated to every floor to know that other floors are easier to handle; still hard, but a little easier. I just don't believe one nurse can do it all safely.

[mozella]

. I don't know how they get away with this when state board shows up.

when state shows up employees come crawling out of the woodwork. People you never even saw before are working. as soon as state leaves, back to short staffed and know one cares about it.

[DPierce]

Alot of LTC facilities are like this...but not all. Where I work there are 4 units which has 3 floor nurses and a RN supervisor on each unit. It's alot of work but not unbearable, If you need help we work together. I worked @ 4 LTC facilities before this one that was horrible. Here Each nurse has 14-18 patients max. I love my job :-) Before I was overworked and like you, hated nursing.

[prinsessa]

14-18 patients max sounds like a dream! lol I don't start feeling overwhelmed until we get to 20+ patients. This is on a skilled unit so the patients will have g-tubes, IVs, O2, trachs, etc. And many of the people are very sick and constantly going to the hospital.

[qestout, ASN, RN]

I've had two days of training as well, just out of school as LPN! The next 8 shifts I've been on my own with 37 and can barely get the two med passes done in 8 hours w/o lunch. I stay about an hour after to do charting on followups, and thankfully had help with the treatments, falls, etc (so far, and that's probably going to end soon). The CNAs are great to me except for telling me when they leave for breaks and lunch. I'm having some trouble with concentrating through the noises: alarms of all kinds, the dementia residents' verbalizing, crying out, singing, yelling. I'm not familiar with most of the paperwork, or where to find it.

And like someone mentioned, God forbid someone asks for a little something extra, totally throws off the whole works. And racing the med cart from end to end to do insulin at certain times with residents asking me where I'm going, they want their meds NOW (after trying to spend time getting others to take the pudding pills).

I'm going to try and stick with it even though I'm totally stressed out. I'm still in school working on RN degree, too, because some places aren't hiring LPNs anymore.

I don't feel like a nurse. More like a pill pusher....

[Forever Sunshine, ASN, RN]

I've had two days of training as well, just out of school as LPN! The next 8 shifts I've been on my own with 37 and can barely get the two med passes done in 8 hours w/o lunch. I stay about an hour after to do charting on followups, and thankfully had help with the treatments, falls, etc (so far, and that's probably going to end soon). The CNAs are great to me except for telling me when they leave for breaks and lunch. I'm having some trouble with concentrating through the noises: alarms of all kinds, the dementia residents' verbalizing, crying out, singing, yelling. I'm not familiar with most of the paperwork, or where to find it.

And like someone mentioned, God forbid someone asks for a little something extra, totally throws off the whole works. And racing the med cart from end to end to do insulin at certain times with residents asking me where I'm going, they want their meds NOW (after trying to spend time getting others to take the pudding pills).

I'm going to try and stick with it even though I'm totally stressed out. I'm still in school working on RN degree, too, because some places aren't hiring LPNs anymore.

I don't feel like a nurse. More like a pill pusher....

It gets better.. well not better but.. you learn to deal. As for the residents.. lol.. I have a resident who repeats things over and over again and I find myself singing along with her. When it get busy you have to tune out the yelling, screaming, ..singing.. and focus and get done. The only sound I respond to during a busy time is clip/bed alarms.

[RTRNBSN]

**Attention: LONG READ; you have been warned! Super-long wall-o-text ahead. Proceed with caution**

Amazing... and here I am thinking I was ALONE. I (along with many of you guys) am a newgrad RN working in an LTC facility.... and it's a 3-11 shift at that! When I was offered that shift, I was excited to say the least, because I've worked 3-11, 7a-7p, 7p-7a, (you name it!) in the hospital setting as a CNA/PCT.

Ha! How naive!

Little did I know how flippin busy that shift is (new admissions, counting Narc meds, falls {God forbid}, med delivery, etc); not to mention, I just found out that I'm going to be the ONLY RN in the ENTIRE facility working this shift at the completion of my orientation which was YESTERDAY. I went to the nurse manager saying I don't think I'm ready to be put in such a situation; her response "oh, you'll be fine!"

SMH

I'm FAR from a job-hopper and I had every intention to stay because they were the ones who gave me the shot when no one else would, but I now see why *sigh*. I honestly feel like I'm putting my license in jeopardy being here. I constantly feel like I'm on thin line between med-pass and med-error due to this HEAVY work load.

Don't mean to offend anyone because I actually LOVE my residents, I LOVE my GNA/CNA's, I LOVE my D.O.N., I LOVE the administrator, I LOVE working with the LPN's (who are WONDERFUL BTW), but... it's the JOB I hate. I hate it so much, it's making me HATE nursing with a passion... and I've NEVER felt that way working as a CNA/PCT.

10-20% of my time is with patients, 30-40% charting, 50% side chores UN-related to nursing care.

It's terrible I swear, the SLIGHTEST thing I do puts me SO FAR BEHIND. I can’t read up on unfamiliar medications, I can’t assist my residents with trips to the rest room (YES, I know that’s what the GNA’s are for, but I believe in functioning as a team), I can never talk with my residents, because if I do, “I’m not making good use of time management” via my preceptor. Unfortunately (and I probably shouldn't be saying this) when I go to assess my patient's respiration's and/or heart rhythm with my steth, I'm also "not being good with time management". Somethings gotta give; I'm just wondering if it's going to be me...

Somebody tell me, is this what nursing is like? If so, I’ll be going back to school for a different degree in NO TIME.

/RANT OVER

[Janis Joplin]

Now as far as the ones that say it'll get better once you get a routine, no it won't. The minute the powers that be see you can get it done they will only pile more on. That is how it has been going where I work. You see management wants everyone , in particular customers , to think is that they care for their patients and want them "properly" cared for. Yeah right, that is why you keep cutting staff? All management really cares about is someone signing they did a task and then collecting the cash each month. Cold sounding? Just the reality.

This is exactly right, and it took me nine years working in the same ltc facility/factory to realize this, before i quit

It is all about the money, saving .money, while the resident suffers wearing cheap pads, washing them with cheap, watered down soap, using cheap powder and no long stocking certain supplies as they did in the past..While manangement gets new office furniture, tv's in their offices, long holiday, paid breaks..it is madness!

All it comes down to, is the bottom line, saving money, all while trying to make themselves look good to the ''customer''

[sunshyne17]

lol I laugh out of pure understanding - I am a new nurse, LTC, 2 months - I am slowly going insane.

[tyvin, BSN, RN]

There are LTC facilities out there that are good to work for but unfortunately they are exceedingly few and far between. I, in fact, worked for one. When I went in for the interview I was skeptical because they looked like a bunch of old hippies. I now know they call them yuppies and it was the best nursing job I've ever had. This was my first job as a nurse so imagine my disdainfully, painful shock after I moved and was hired by another LTC place and it was the norm that everyone talks about in this thread.

I could not believe it; I seriously thought everything that was going on was illegal! How could they expect us to do what they asked in the time frame allotted? In my shock and horror I quit and was immediately hired by another LTC place...oh, my, dragon; same thing.

I sat down with a then older nurse and she was able to clear it up for me...I had been plain lucky with my first experience in LTC. Now scarred by LTC I went into hospice and stayed awhile until I went back to LTC (state job, benefits, 2 blocks away from my home, union,). I mean how bad could a state facility be...wouldn't that be all about rules and accountability? Not even; I was put through pure torture there. Those of you who know; know what I'm talking about.

We imprison ourselves with this sense of duty that it's OK; it'll get better, it's not as bad as we think...bargaining our self-esteem in order to convince ourselves that it's OK to accept and comply with the continued assault that is handed out to us daily, in these underpaid, understaffed, Draconian style facilities.

People talk about change...how can that happen when we can't even agree with each other. We are valuable; we need to stop the "I'm lucky to have this job and agree that they are lucky to have us! With all that's going on I feel a national decline of nursing morale...we need to fix it before it goes too far...celebrate we are nurses; and mean it! Make ourselves valuable; we are the ones de-valuing ourselves by accepting the conditions that are absolutely unacceptable.

[LaRN]

most of the LTC in this area have a treatment nurse instead of the med nurse doing them.

[Decade1]

SO TRUE!!! I'm sick of the healthcare system cutting costs on my back, literally. The job expectations are outrageous. Welcome to nursing. It's no better in acute care.

[Guest757854]

Yes. i can relate to what alot of you have posted. I worked LTC for yearssss before getting my RN..and for a couple of months of having my RN as well. I havent worked LTC since 2015. And recently decided to pick up weekends shifts at one. Needless to say, I didnt last, of course by choice. I worked 3 weekends and politely put in my 2 week notice. And the reason i resigned was for all the reasons listed here on this thread. LTC has NOT changed!

Same poop, different CNA/LPN/RN cleaning it....because turnover is so freaking high!