Any other LPN's find LTC too much to deal with?

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Specializes in cardiology.

I worked at 2 different facilites. Both were about the same; 27-30 pts per nurse, 12-14 pts per CNA. You barely have time to pass your meds and God forbid someone fall, get a cut or vomit. Answering calls from drs, family and doc offices. Faxing labs, drawing labs, doing foley caths, IV fluids running, calling pharmacy constantly because you don't have someone's med oooohhh....don't forget treatments and charting. And you're doing all this hoping your CNA's are doing their job because you definately do not have time to go behind them and check to see if they're doing their job. All the while administration just keeps putting more on the nurses. One of my CNA's said she heard with her own ears 2 ladies in admin saying "oh don't worry about doing that, we'll just the nurse do that so we don't have to" All I ever wanted to do was just take care of my pts.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I live in a state that utilizes medication aides in LTC. When you do not have to pass your own medications anymore, the amount of time that you have freed up is unbelievable.

I was stressed when I had to pass my own meds to 30 residents, do treatments, chart, obtain finger stick blood sugars, urine specimens, do wound care, deal with complaining family members, incessant phone calls, and so forth. However, when a medication aide is completing the most time-consuming task for you, you actually have plenty of time to deal with the other time bombs before they explode.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTC/Geriatric.

A lot of the duties you described (phone calls, doctors orders, labs etc) are dealt with by an RN at my LTC. My main duty is passing meds. Then wound care/treatments. I help the care aids (or CNAs) when I have time.

I have 22 residents. The care aids have 7-9 residents each. I usually don't feel overwhelmed at all. The resident/staff ratios aren't perfect, but aren't bad either.

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Cardiacnurse I concur with every statement you made about LTC. I also tried two facilities (32 residents at one and 33 at the other) and found both to be totally overwhelming. We were expected to do everything you mentioned and even transport residents to and from the dining room at each meal. There was a fall nearly every day I worked there because no type of restraint was allowed. I spent every med pass giving meds with one hand and trying to keep residents in their wheelchairs with the other to prevent them from getting hurt:( The craziest rule at the last facility was that you were required to do paperwork pertaining to a "fall" even if you caught the person in midfall and stopped them from hitting the ground. The reasoning..... that they "would" have fallen if you had not been there to "stop" it.... sheesh!!!!

I gave it my best shot and have nothing but respect for those that can cut it in LTC (the ones that are "actually" passing their meds that is and not just signing for them). While I love the elderly population (have an elderly mom that resides with me) LTC is definitely not for me. I refuse to stress myself out in that manner OR to risk my license.

Have a great day!

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dementia.

This is why I like working in assisted living. They do not pay as much, but most of the time I have some downtime to finish up paperwork, check on the PCA's, take a good look at the residents, etc. etc.

I give major props to you nurses who work in skilled facilities. :up:

I never did it and really don't have the desire to.

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Specializes in LTC.

ahh....welcome to LTC! Where I work day shift gets 3 nurses, a med aide, a cna 2 for txs and a charge nurse. Us night shifters get 2 nurses and 3 aides if we're lucky for 80 residents...a combination of assisted, totally skilled, rehabs, and intermediates. at night we do everything on our own. I cant usually help the aides much because I have around 22 charts a night, nearly 40 residents when my rehab hall is full and tons of other paperwork to get done. now, on day shift, theres one nurse the aides just adore because she goes down and does their rounds with them....they think shes a goddess. this hall has 12 beds...ok...thats fine but....when you're the one working behind her..you will get this overdone in depth report and absolutely not one word of charting on any of those 12 pts. I find meds left in the room every single time i work behind her also.

another place i work at has a tx aide and a med aide at night....thats wonderful! its all about saving a dime. the more under budget these places stay, the bigger bonuses they get in mgmt...upper mgmt that is..usually administrators and don's.

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I found LTC's to be too much to deal with. I remember being unable to sleep at night, worrying about what kind of disaster would be waiting for me when I arrived at work the next morning. I was a nervous wreck and constantly stressed out. I found LTC to be a totally frustrating experience every day that I worked. I was so angry and irritable all of the time. I have calmed down quite a bit now that I do private duty home care nursing.;)

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Specializes in Pediatric Private Duty; Camp Nursing.

I am getting into home health care now too, I've been doing LTC for 13 months and that's one month too long! I only needed the first 12 to have the experience the agency needed! LOL! Monday I'm handing in my "change of status" letter, from full time to PRN! And frankly, I don't plan on picking up any hours with them unless I can't pick up enough shifts with the agency. Time for me to use THEM! I am so fed up with the understaffing, the miscommunication, the errors, the falls, the state surveys, the attitudes, the mayhem, I'm going to be so happy to be gone and never look back! However, I did learn a lot, so it was an excellent learning experience.

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Specializes in drug seekers and the incurably insane..

It's funny you all have mentioned going into home health....I just got offered a PRN home health position!!! I cannot wait to get out of my hot-bed of intrigue place of employment. When I finish my ADN in Fall 2011....I hope to have a full-time position. LTC is rough and tough, and a great place to go to get your *** kicked by patients, families, and management!!!

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Our policies... NOC charge nurse does the foley change + GT dressing change + and other tx. then pass 5am-6am meds.

Our DON does the communication with MD and do alot of charting (careplan)

we have Tx nurse that comes in at 4 hours to help carry out MD orders, and insulin and Tx dressing change.

while charge nurse at AM + PM focuses on Medications and supervises CNA's

I am fortunate enough to work in this facility without little to no stress. (unless something out of ordinary occurs)

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I work in Assisted Living with about 40 residents to pass meds on. We don't have med techs, and the RCAs call for any problems they might have. We deal with treatments, pharmacy, labs, outside providers, weekly doctor, psych, hospice...qthing, including family issues/complaints. There's so much to do, but thankfully I love the residents, so yeah, I love my job. But it's overwhelming and I feel taken advantage of for all the roles one nurse plays. We do have a Wellness Director, but she's more of management.

The residents, as cliche as it sounds, truly make it worth it. The workload is really wearing me down though.

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i have a question to all of you who work in LTC...i have an 89 yr ol aunt who lives in one...she had a few strokes along the road and her right arm is all curled up and doenst us it...she still insist on transferring herself to wheelchair,to recliner and bed and walks to the bathroom...she has fallen a number of times and ended up to the ER,she has broken her wrist and which she would not leave the cast on...this last time (last week) she ended up in the ER and i went up to sit with her as my mother is 84 and was sore from backpain that day, my aunt can not communicate she can say some words but when she swears,oh boy,you know what she is saying....she is a liitle tiny thing 4ft 5 in....and fiesty..she will yell at the aides and nurses and will not accept any help alot of times....my mom visits her 2-3x a week depending on her back...and while there she helps my aunt to her wheelchair and wheels her down to the dining hall....one of these times they are BOTH going to fall..i tell my mom to ring her bell for someone to help then she can push her to the hall.....my aunt is miserable to my mom but its my moms doing as she will try to fix her shirt,wipe her mouth etc...she is at her..i tell her to just leave her alone,stop picking....just sit and visit...she always thinks she has to pick up the room or straighten her drawers...

back to the falls.....i suggested to my mom we have a meeting to let them know we would like a bed/chair alarm....my aunt will not use her call button...you suggest it to her and she just throws it....she is something i tell you....yet she can be the sweetest lil thing...they all seem to like her up there and know exactly how she is...but my mom is concerned...becasue of the falls and she thinks she inst being watched enough....the workers let her take her food,like a piece of meat back to her room and she keeps it under her pillow....my mom finds this and gets upset....she gets upset when she has a dirty shirt on,or when her underpants arent pulled,yes,she helps her to the bathroom when she visits to,

what do you think? any suggestions for any of it?

sorry if here and there....it is election day and the phones are ringing off the hook

what are all of your takes on any of this...esp on how to deal with the falls

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