Hello everyone - I am an RN with 2 years experience at a SNF. I work noc shift and take care of 75-80 residents per shift. Hospice, rehab, dementia, sub-acute, addiction, and general long-term care - I do it all. And, yes, I am VERY stressed out taking care of that many residents. Often I only have 2 CNA's to help me and it's very hard on them, too. Management is NOT supportive at all! However, I love my job! I know that sounds funny but I have learned so much here. Each shift is different and I get tons of experience with everything from detox to ARF to crashes to falls to aneurisms, etc. I have great co-workers and my residents are simply the best. The pay sucks. My county pays the lowest in the state. I have a BA, am studying for my national board certification in Gerontology, and I still make less in my county than the agency CNA's that come to work. It's horrible.
Now, all that aside, I have a wonderful job offer at a Hospice facility. In-house, no house calls. It's a beautiful place and it's more money but fewer hours per week. Here is my question for all of you: My caseload will be 8 patients. That's 71 less than I'm used to. Am I going to be bored out of my mind? Am I one of those crazy nurses that thrive in a fast-paced environment? If I leave my SNF I feel I'll be letting my CNA's down since we are such a great team. I feel like I'll be throwing them to the wolves. Can anyone help me see clearly? Thank you!
Thank you AliNajaCat for your reply. I don't think I'm special in any way but meant to state that my residents sure were to me. I hope I didn't come across as conceited. I did get very attached to my residents, though, and cared for them so much that I thought of them when I wasn't at work. I do realize I have to learn to separate work and life yet and I am working on that with the help of my new boss. (And, lol!, if I ever would have thought I was special in any way my mangagement was fond of letting me know, on a daily basis, I was NOT!)
dogmom2016
25 Posts
Thank you AliNajaCat for your reply. I don't think I'm special in any way but meant to state that my residents sure were to me. I hope I didn't come across as conceited. I did get very attached to my residents, though, and cared for them so much that I thought of them when I wasn't at work. I do realize I have to learn to separate work and life yet and I am working on that with the help of my new boss. (And, lol!, if I ever would have thought I was special in any way my mangagement was fond of letting me know, on a daily basis, I was NOT!)