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

[cardiacnurse34]

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.

[Amber Lynn]

Kitchen work? Mopping floors? What the heck? At my AL facility, I help hand out the meals if I have some spare time, but in no way shape or form do I have to do housekeeping work or anything like that. That's crazy.

Out of school I worked at a doctor's office and was paid 12/hour. Then went to the AL I am at now. Never working skilled, I feel as though I lost the skills I learned in school and feel like I wouldn't be able to do it. Sometimes, I think about it though for the extra money. Then I think about all the added stress and I change my mind.

You'll find something :)

[Medsport, LPN]

I can relate cardiacnurse. I work PRN at a nursing home and when the census is nearly full (around 35 patients for your hall), it is all you can do to pass your meds and do most of your treatments and the charting to get done on time. I tried to do everything by the book, but there just is'nt the time and you get in trouble if you stay over your shift finishing up. I just pray nobody falls or gets sick or dies during my shift as there is tons of paperwork. Then you get in trouble if one of the aides is'nt doing their job and I don't know how you can watch them all the time while trying to get your work done. The ALF is much better, but they are starting to get more people that should be in a nursing home and you have even more people to take care of so even there it can be stressful/too much at times...