LTC Newbie...scared!

Med pass for 23 residents is easy to get done in the allotted time Well, not easy, but certainly nothing like some of the patient loads people have been given.

You're not him. As hard as it is TRY to stay in the now and stop worrying about what hasn't happened.

wow. you only have 23 patients. currently, im an orientee for a station that has 47 patients. most of the nurses can finish the med pass in 2.5 hrs. i think it will take me 4. or more. im scared too. i guess we all are when we are starting. i hope we both get the hang of it soon and get everything that has to be done, done. good luck!

During the day shift at my facility you have 18 residents and everyone of them has several 9 am meds. If you use the hour before and hour after rule, you have 120 minutes in which to pass meds. This equates to 6.66 minutes of time spent on each resident. I don't see how you can take vitals if necessary, pull the drug, follow the 5 rights, wash your hands, sign the MAR; each and every time and get done in the alloted time frame. What if you have g-tubes, breathing treatments etc. I know many nurses take short cuts just to make it through in time. As a new nurse, I definately run over the alloted time. Not by much but 15 minutes, is 15 minutes, especially if the state is around. Now that I am on 3-11, I find the med pass slightly more spaced out but I also have 25 residents instead of 18. By the time I finish up at about 10:15pm, its time to start charting. Throw into the mix a new/readmit, resident going south, a fall, etc....well there just went your day/evening! And they all want their 9pm meds at 8 so they can go to sleep! It is a challenge!

Don't let anyone tell you something CAN'T be done. Do not be intimidated by someone elses perceptions. With a little practice and patience you may find yourself finishing up your medpass in the allotted time frame. You will find your flow. Just remember. More important than racing against a ticking clock is providing the best patient care that you can. Certainly med passes don't always allow you to take your time with each patient. Don't worry about running over by a little while when you are first learning. We've ALL done it from time to time. Just relax, take a deep breath before each medpass and get into the trenches. You can do this!

Wow, 23 patients med pass is cake! It will take you a while to learn the med but most of the time they take the same meds over and over with the exception of changing doses. When I worked LTC, once I learned the meds, I could pull them by memory.I had the mar open but I could open the drawer and take all the meds out all at once. They guy you were orientating with probably took longer because he was orientating you. I had 30 patients on
3-11 and each med pass took about 2 hrs. You will get faster. LTC is repetition everything is predictable.

23 is a light load, it is possible, depending on th indiviual nurse, i've done 35 in 2 .5 hrs. you don't have time to chit chat then, if something is not an emergency, don't stop, politely explain to the resident who wants to hold you up that you will come back to them shortly and if they're not coherent, they won't be offended if you politely slip off on them anyway. I always try to go without wasting anytime then i can always go back to the patients that i feel may need my attention first, take notes during your pass re: res. status, prn meds, etc. and it will save time charting

23 patients to give meds to isn't much at all. just use the hour before and the hour after to get it done. it'll take time to get used to the pts. and their meds, once you get that down it shouldn't take over 2 hours. once your on your own start your own routine that makes passing meds easiest for you.