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

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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.

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.

That is wonderful, if we didn't have that dreaded 2 hr med pass (twice during our 8 hr shift) we can be able to do the most important tasks, when i went to nursing school it was for nursing not just medications.

Where do you live if you don't mind me asking?:)

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
That is wonderful, if we didn't have that dreaded 2 hr med pass (twice during our 8 hr shift) we can be able to do the most important tasks, when i went to nursing school it was for nursing not just medications.

Where do you live if you don't mind me asking?:)

Texas.
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Specializes in Pediatric Private Duty; Camp Nursing.

momtojosh, you might want to cut and paste that post/inquiry in a new posting as an original post somewhere else. This posting already has a topic and you'll probably get better response if you put it up as a new one!

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Wow Pegasus65 I could have written your post. What surprises me even more is your comment referencing nurses "actually" passing medication as opposed to just signing for it. Finally I have validation that I am not the only one who has observed this happening. Two LTC jobs....this occuring in both...will not get into the particulars but make no mistake it happens and happens alot. The patients suffer It truly sickened me. What the heck is going on?!

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Specializes in Home Health; Family Practice Clinic.

I agree with everything you said about LTC. I worked in one only for a few months. I had about 30 seconds for every patient, and I don't think you can give good care under those circumstances. I moved to home health and the 1-on-1 interactions I get to have my patients is invaluable, and very enjoyable to me. It makes me feel like I can get to know them, talk about their issues (whether medical or otherwise), work with them on their specific needs. Plus I'm getting compensated MUCH better than I did in long term care. (about $4 more per hr) :yeah:

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Specializes in Pediatric Private Duty; Camp Nursing.

I work w a nurse who I SWEAR can't possibly be doing everything he's supposed to. We both start our passes around 7:30 am. I'm finished around 9:15-9:30, and I know my side well. He's done by 8:30-8:45, even though the acuity is higher and there are 4 more residents there. He has 5 more years experience than me and does that hallway 5 days a week. But because of scheduling, I work his side once every two weeks. It takes me up to 2 1/2 hours. I do know his people and their meds, but I can't shave a minute off the time if I'm to do it properly. I'd hate to think he's skipping meds, but the other day, I took a dressing off a PEG tube, and it was dated 4 days prior. The initials was a person who worked on this nurse's LAST day off, meaning he skipped it for four days. Yet he did sign that he did the treatment. Hmmm....

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It usually took each nurse about 3 hours for the med pass at my old LTC. All of the nurses except one guy. Everybody commented on the fact that this one guy(who was a chain smoker) usually finished his med pass within 45 minutes every time he worked. Everybody would make comments as to why he always finished so early.:smokin:

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I use to work at a place like the OP does, Now I think I have it pretty good, we have the CMA's and an RN and an LPN,---- the CMA"s do the med passes,--- the RN handles all the dr. orders and assessments , new admits, and any major issues like the falls , incident reports, ect.. , ,--- and the LPN does the treatments and the accu checks and neb treatments, collects any specimans needed and the cath stuff, . . It all works well, and we do have CNA's too.

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It usually took each nurse about 3 hours for the med pass at my old LTC. All of the nurses except one guy. Everybody commented on the fact that this one guy(who was a chain smoker) usually finished his med pass within 45 minutes every time he worked. Everybody would make comments as to why he always finished so early.:smokin:

Hmm. I think I worked with the clone of that guy you mentioned. The nurse I know would finish his two meds passes in less than an hour. However, when anyone else (including me) worked that section, it would take almost 2 to 3 times as long to finish. :uhoh3:

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I'm a middle aged RPN who came back into nursing after a very long absence. Since then I've worked 6+ years in LTC in Ontario. Over those years the demands on Reg Staff have increased dramatically here. Esp with the intro of the RAI-MDS system. My last job was in a facility of 100 residents. The day RPN was responsible for the med passes and Tx for around 40 over an 8hr shift. The acuity wasn't too bad there, no trachs, only 1 g-tube.

I was just "terminated" from my new LTC job after 6 wks for "not fitting in" and being too slow. (!?) They had 12hr shifts and I found that 3 meals and 3 med passes w/Tx was just too much. Took way to long (for me anyway). I have always wondered how some nurses got to go home on time while I was always staying late. Apparently I have time management issues. Guess if I just shoved the crushed meds into mouths without given a drink like some, then I could have cut 30min from my pass! I'm a good nurse, but that takes time. Time that we aren't afforded, esp in LTC. Impossible to be compliant and wears on the self esteem. No room anymore for someone who wants to do it right. Think I'll get out of nursing alltogether.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dementia.
I'm a middle aged RPN who came back into nursing after a very long absence. Since then I've worked 6+ years in LTC in Ontario. Over those years the demands on Reg Staff have increased dramatically here. Esp with the intro of the RAI-MDS system. My last job was in a facility of 100 residents. The day RPN was responsible for the med passes and Tx for around 40 over an 8hr shift. The acuity wasn't too bad there, no trachs, only 1 g-tube.

I was just "terminated" from my new LTC job after 6 wks for "not fitting in" and being too slow. (!?) They had 12hr shifts and I found that 3 meals and 3 med passes w/Tx was just too much. Took way to long (for me anyway). I have always wondered how some nurses got to go home on time while I was always staying late. Apparently I have time management issues. Guess if I just shoved the crushed meds into mouths without given a drink like some, then I could have cut 30min from my pass! I'm a good nurse, but that takes time. Time that we aren't afforded, esp in LTC. Impossible to be compliant and wears on the self esteem. No room anymore for someone who wants to do it right. Think I'll get out of nursing alltogether.

Darylin:

Why don't you try Assisted Living. Pay is def. not as good as skilled, but its more than say a doctor's office...

That is where I work and I am pretty content. I am always busy being charge nurse of the Alzheimer's unit, but I feel like I have the time to "do it right" and spend some one on one time with my resident's.

We can't lose the good nurses

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Thanks for the support AmberLynn :heartbeat

I tried AL once, not a great experience as I missed a lot of the "structure" in LTC, the same thing I'm c/o now!! lol Maybe the staff was just sloppy at this other place. And they had me doing kitchen work, mopping floors etc on nights. Is that normal?

I like clerical work and saw a dream job in MD office but it was an hour's drive away and I live in the snow belt so wouldn't work. But I'll keep looking. I'll probably have to move and sell my house as I live in a rural area and not too many options here. Bedside nursing just feels too scary and gets my anxiety level up way to high just thinking about it. Self esteem not a strong point right now. The job has outpaced me, only 7 yrs MAX to retirement age.

Sad because someone (a nurse) is going to be sacrificed when someone dies because of patient load and other things out of our control. Things just arent safe in LTC anymore.

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