Questions????

Specialties Geriatric

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Hi Everyone, I am a new grad., just passed the boards and I am now working at a nursing home. Is it common for most nurses 1st and 2nd shift to have 20 residents to give meds to, plus treatments, orders from doctors, having to check labs, answer the phone, order meds that have run out, dealing with residents families, do progress notes on most of the residents and only have you and another nurse on the floor, besides the CNA's? Just curious, new to the field and geriatrics. Thank you for your replies.

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I am not sure how common it is, but I would never take it. Even with 2 nurses, its too much.

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Hey Silly, Thanks for responding. That is the situation I am in. I am orientating on 2nd shift, I will be working that shift. There are 40 patients on that floor and we each have 20 residents along with all the other stuff I mentioned. I am new to the field, with past CNA experience. I knew that nurses had a lot to do in the nursing home setting but I never realized how much. That is why I was wondering if this is a common occurance or does it seem overwhelming because I am new? Thanks again.

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Very common. Actually at nursing homes here San Diego it is common to have more than that. The last place I worked at I had 38 patients to pass meds to, chart on, do treatments, e.t.c. On top of that I had no charge nurse!!

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Actually your situation is really pretty good. Most LTC nurses will get 30+ on days and evenings, nights will commonly get 40 or 50+. But don't panic, believe it or not you'll get use to it. You'll get a routine worked out to get your med pass done as well as treatments and charting, ect. It will be challanging for you for a few months, but hang in there, it does get easier.

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

I agree that having 20 patients is pretty sweet!! Most LTC facilities the nurse had 30-40 patients all by herself!! Where I work I have 22 patients and when I work the other unit I have 16. I am in NO way complaining because that is really a low # of residents. Once you get a routine down and get to know the residents and how to prioritize what needs done you will realize that you have it pretty good!! Good Luck!!

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20 pts is a good deal. I have 24-25 now. Thats were I draw the line. It is totally doable depending on the acuity of the residents. Some days it might be worse than others, but once you get a routine together you will find things are more managable. How many CNAs do you have?

Now...I've been doing LTC for 10+ yrs in various positions, but I just couldn't cut it at this one place I was doing prn. I would have up to 30 residents, but they were split on 2 units. That was my breaking point. I ended up quitting...just couldn't give them the care that I should of and wanted to.

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as the others have said this is not overwhelmning load

most nursing home patients are fairly stable, they know and accept their meds, go to dining hall to eat, tx will run the gamut from minor to severe decubs, start your meds as early as you can [usually 1 hour before and after] this will help if you have an emergency it will give you some extra

time to deal wit

get an aid to help hold and turn pt during tx..have the dressings all together so that you don't have to run and hunt for something

on yur cart have some laxative and tylenol other things yo might need before you get back to med room

most nursing homes the last bm is listed if pt has not one marked as if they feel like they anything..frequently they don't tell aide

good luck

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Thank you all for your replies. The nursing home I am at is a sub-acute and alzheimer's. Aides vary between 4 to 5, they are just as busy.

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Well we are lucky! We have a treatment nurse and med aids to pass med that are not a nurse responsibility. They do not do monthly summary's and nurse managers check on everything they do. The nurse managers check the end of month orders also. The sad part, they think they have to much to do. We are a 118 bed facility. Have three nurses on days and evenings and two on nights.

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.
Well we are lucky! We have a treatment nurse and med aids to pass med that are not a nurse responsibility. They do not do monthly summary's and nurse managers check on everything they do. The nurse managers check the end of month orders also. The sad part, they think they have to much to do. We are a 118 bed facility. Have three nurses on days and evenings and two on nights.

So you don't do meds, you don't do treatments, you don't do summaries and you don't check orders. What do you do???

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At our home we have up to 40 with only 1 nurse per shift, and part of them will be skilled, meaning they must be charted on every shift, and vitals done every 24 hours. Treatments are done on days and evenings, and I do vitals and assessments at nite.

Twenty sounds pretty good.

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