Unreasonable assignment?

Specialties Rehabilitation

Published

  • Specializes in Skilled Rehab.

My assignment consists of 30-34 patients and I'm the only nurse on this assignment.

-2 med passes

-At least 10 sugar checks

-1 patient that needs a dressing changed twice my shift

-3 IVs

- 1 manual peritoneal dialysis exchange

- many prn pain pills

- draw any labs on patients with lines

- urine sample straight caths (they only schedule these on night shift)

- print out all orders from the whole day and put in charts

- test glucometers and record fridge temps

- record daily pain scores in a book

- scan all meds that are delivered every morning

- count & scan meds of discharged patients to send back to pharmacy

I'm sure there's a few more but I tried to get help and they said no it can be done... I'm losing my mind and feel frustrated and over worked but they make me feel as if I am in the wrong.

MidLifeRN2012

316 Posts

Sounds horrible . I'll never complain about 10 patients plus an admission again.

Kaysmom8

133 Posts

Specializes in Skilled Rehab.

10 patients and 1 admission sounds like a dream to me lol even on other shifts the nurses still have 20 per assignment.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

Is this LTC or Sub acute or Rehab-acute rehab?

Most Acute Rehab have at least less than 10 patients; sub acute will have 10+, LTC can have 30+ and have all those aspects occur.

Just curious.

Nica-RN, RN

47 Posts

Usually 14-16 residents with all commented issues above plus admissions. Newly, we are short, up to 26 residents. Not doable. I can understand your frustration, I feel the same especially when we are pushed to take a break even there is no time for it and we also are not supposed to stay any minute longer.

I hope it will be better for you!!

Kaysmom8

133 Posts

Specializes in Skilled Rehab.
Is this LTC or Sub acute or Rehab-acute rehab?

Most Acute Rehab have at least less than 10 patients; sub acute will have 10+, LTC can have 30+ and have all those aspects occur.

Just curious.

A year ago it was all LTC and then we transitioned the 1st floor to skilled and believe me I know this sounds crazy but none of us really know what type of rehab facility their classified as because they use several different terms this is how they advertise on their website

specialized, short-stay medical and rehabilitation units within **** skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers that are designed specifically for individuals who are transitioning from hospital to home.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN

102 Articles; 27,612 Posts

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
specialized, short-stay medical and rehabilitation units within **** skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers that are designed specifically for individuals who are transitioning from hospital to home.

This sounds as if it is a nursing home with a skilled Medicare post-acute rehab wing. The residents typically stay anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to recover from broken hips, knee replacements, pneumonia, CHF exacerbation, COPD exacerbation, CVA, amputation, etc.

After the residents receive PT/OT and their Medicare/insurance dollars have been milked, they are discharged either to home or to LTC, depending on how well they recovered from the ailment that landed them in rehab.

Melfldrn

95 Posts

Specializes in Ortho/Spine, Telemetry, SNF/Rehab.

Sounds like my job! Except our night shift supervisor does all those fridge temp checks and glucometer quality controls. In our facility, the skilled floor has 36 beds with two nurses on night shift. That's my floor. The rest is LTC and one floor has 53 beds to one nurse. Its insanity. When I've been pulled up there I wanna quit! They wonder why there is high turnover and no one wants to work that floor...

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