Do you have dining room duty?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTC.

I'm still orienting a local LTC facility on a medicare hall with "the easiest med pass in the facility". I'm still slow. I feel like all I do is pass pills all day. I'm working double weekends and love it so far. I'm still going to school to bridge to RN from LVN so this will open my schedule for school and bills still get paid. I am not quite sure what is expected in other facilities, but I'm overwhelmed at the thought of having to stop my med pass to be on "meat cutting" duty in the dining room. My CNA for the hall (normally we have 2 but sometimes I only have one) has to pass all the trays. so whoever is assigned to call lights is supposed to answer them for my hall but it seems like there is constant beeping at times. and then I look and four lights are on on just my hall! I'm not sure what's the norm for LTC since I'm a new grad and came from a med/surg floor. Normal or not? Thanks in advance!

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Specializes in LTC.

Call lights are always very heavy at supper time. As people finish eating, they ALL want to go to the bathroom and half of them start ringing to go to bed too. I run my butt off trying to keep up during this part of the night.

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Our situations are very similar. I graduated in August and decided to stay at the LTC facility in which I've been a CNA for 5 years. I don't have a problem with call lights on my hall, but I do have to go to the dining room. Don't underestimate the importance of your dining room duties. A month after I started, I was in the dining room, a man started choking. He turned purple. I tried the heimlich on him with no results. He was on a pureed diet. I finally figured out that the heimlich wouldn't work on someone who was eating pureed foods, so we got him on the ground and did abdominal thrusts. Thank the lord it worked. They never taught us in nursing school or in CPR classes about not bothering with the heimlich in a situation like this, so I tell every nursing student I can (even though it may be a little embarassing to admit). I love my job...I get a lot of support and encouragement from the powers that be and I have great residents to work for.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTC.

I know it's important- I'm just overwhelmed! Thanks for the advice. I don't think we learned that about purée foods & choking!

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Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

i think you and i must work at the same facility... i always help at lunch but with breakfast and dinner my med pass has to get done or i fall out of parameters. plus all my patents would rather have their drugs than eat anyway...lol ( work on lock-down unit) ... i always go in and give everyone water to keep them hydrated but otherwise i'm pushing pills....

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4 lights, yep sadly thats pretty normal. Don't worry you'll get used to it and soon it will seem like nothing. Hang in there :)

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Specializes in LTC.

Yes we have dining room "duty" also. It is for the safety of the residents though. While our CNA's can do the heimlich, they are not allowed to do CPR if it becomes a necessity.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Hospice, Palliative Care.

Yes, I have dining room duty on the 3-11 shift. It isn't too bad, unless I get abandoned by the CNAs who are "feeding" residents in their rooms. I've managed to move all of the 5 pm meds to 9 pm, assuming that it is safe, so that I can usually be on time with 5 pm meds.

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In my LTC facility, I work 3-11, the CNAs have 'dining room duty'. The CNAs and are responsible for passing the trays, 'meat cutting', feeding residents and charting the amount consumed and, if applicable, fluid intake.

The nurse is passing meds, answering the phone, having discussions with doctors, residents, family, etc. (

Toileting during the supper time and shortly thereafter is not really a problem. The CNAs toilet many residents in the 30-60 minutes before the meal. If a resident does ask during the meal the nurse prefers to do the toileting as she gets to see the color of urine, amount/size of BM.

In the event of choking, the CNA will call (YELL) "I need help in the Dining Room (or Room 9) NOW !!! "

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Wow, dinning room duties for the nurses hmm must be nice. I have never heard of such. I have never even seen a nurse in the dinning room yet alone having duties. Like the poster said above in my facility the CNA's do the dinning room duties, passing trays, meat cutting, feeding and charting the amounts,ect. It must be nice to have GREAT nurses like you all to help with dinning room duties. I recall at one time feeding and assisting with 10 residents in the dinning room by myself with no help. Once again I thank you nurses who help your CNA's with dinning room duties!

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Where I work there are two dinning rooms. The main dinning room there has to be a nurse until everyone is done. The other Medicare dining room there only about 6 to 7 residents in there so the nurse is mostly doing paper work. The med times are done around meal times so there are no meds given at this time or any that are due. We also have the five meal plan so there are 2 bigger meals and three snacks,but snacks take only a short time. There are always call lights on off at those times, but after awhile you know who is going to need what.

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I always did in LTC and I HATE it. More than any other part of nursing I HATE feeding. HATE it.

Have I mentioned that I hate it?

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