Does your LTC provide you with work supplies?

donmomofnine · Jan 5, 2005

We have a unit clerk on each 45 bed unit to stock desk supplies, which they are responsible for ordering. We have a supply person who orders and stocks nursing supplies and they are always available on each unit.

Blackcat99 · Jan 6, 2005

We have a unit clerk on each 45 bed unit to stock desk supplies, which they are responsible for ordering. We have a supply person who orders and stocks nursing supplies and they are always available on each unit.

Thanks donmomofnine. We don't have any unit clerks at our facility. We have a central supply person but it appears she doesn't have a clue as to what is needed on each unit. When we take stuff out of central supply we write it down. Apparently, the day nurses can call her and get her to deliver stuff on days but eve. and noc shifts are out of luck. Silly me, I thought that by writing down what I took out of central supply that the central supply clerk would "get a clue" and would start stocking the units. I never see any black markers, yellow highliters,post-it pads or anything like that in our central supply. We have to pay for our own work supplies. :angryfire

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Jan 6, 2005

We have to pay for our own work supplies

Maybe you should save the receipts and either use them for a tax deduction or base your next raise request on the total yearly amount.

There's definitely something wrong with the facility that expects you to perform duties without supplying the necessary items.

snowfreeze, BSN, RN · Jan 6, 2005

Where I work we have adequate supplies. When a new order or an admission arrives on an off shift the supervisor goes to central supply for items if needed. Weekends are the biggest problem, no one staffs central supply from 4pm friday till 8am monday. Central supply gets a daily census and report from the nursing supervisor and they are present at the monday thru friday admissions meetings in the morning.

Blackcat99 · Jan 6, 2005

Thanks for your messages. :) I had a feeling that my LTC was the only one that made the nurses buy their own supplies. I think that's an excellent idea to start keeping receipts of the work supplies I have to buy!

javanurse2000, BSN, RN · Jan 7, 2005

:angryfire At my LTC we have no post-it notes, no yellow markers,no black markers etc. etc. etc. We also spend so much time running constantly to central supply to get any kind of supplies that are needed for our residents. Is it just my LTC that is like this or is this a widespread problem at all LTC's?
Does your central supply bring stuff to your unit or are you forced to run back and forth all night to central supply for your supplies? Thanks :)

Forget about office supplies....try searching for an O2 sat monitor or a nebulizer machine...I work weekends and a big victory is that I can get the key to the wound treatment nurses office for dressing supplies. Our medroom is supposed to be stocked with supplies but rarely is. The hot item these days? - pillcrush bags and alcohol gel.

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Jan 7, 2005

LOL, I always say that there must be a few gremlins around that only eat black pens(we can not use blue..only black)! They are always so hard to find at my facility! We have several med rooms, med carts and of course the front desk that are supose to have these supplies, but black pens, post its, or even forms I need are never available and I am running all over the place looking for them! Takes up much of my time in such a huge facility!

On my clipboard, in addition to my writing pad, I carry some of the important forms I need like spare MAR sheets, my fax sheet, and the like so I always have them around when I need them. I also attached a black pen to my clipboard with a braided string so I don't loose it...LOL! It is hillarious really, here I am with a pen on my clipboard, 1-2 black and red pens in my pocket, and a black pen behind my ear or lol both ears at any given time (can you tell I have been out of black pens too often??? LOL).

I have actually had to make an effort to NOT take pens from my caregivers med carts, and I have a ritual of cleaning out my pockets before I leave my nurses med room (really it is like a ritual..tells me my day is done and boom, here's your pens..walkie...and my clipboard I am outta here!). But why do I think there are many purses, homes, or even washing machines with lots of black pens from our workplace! LOL!

We have a central supply as well, and our receptionist does the ordering for office items. Central supply..good luck no way, never anything left in there...no the administration keeps office supplies under lock and key in their locked offices so they can have control over distribution...which doesn't help when they are not available LOL! But I can see why, heck pens and such add up quick!!!

If worse comes to worse I do keep my own supply in my purse (minimum of 3 black pens, one yellow highlighter, one red pen in my purse at any time). That has come in handy some days! And it isn't like us nurses don't have our little hidden stashes of supplies like squirrels in winter..LOL!

Hey who likes to wear those pens on lanyards around their necks? I find they get in the way too often...anyone love these???

Nursebaby23 · Jan 7, 2005

man, i work weekends and our central supply guy never makes sure we have enough stuff. one weekend we didn't have any o2 concentrators or o2 tanks. i was heated!:angryfire everybody on o2 wanted to go out that weekend. not to mention if anybody had to be started on it, all we had was what was on the crash cart. nurses were thinking about who could come off temporarily and give to the person in need. it should never be that way!!:angryfire we are "under supplied" of the things that are vital! last weekend i had to go to other halls asking for glucose test strips. this is very irritating when you have 5 mil. other things to do. i have started hoarding things in my nursing bag for when these situations arise. extra glucometer/test strips, kerlix/opsites, ns, bed alarms, even an o2 tank gauge. too bad i can't hide a tank:uhoh3: we have access to the supply room, and there are still things not even there! i think our weekends would run so much more smoothly if everything was there. however, we always have "sticky notes":confused:

Blackcat99 · Jan 7, 2005

:) Thanks for your messages. It sounds like there are other LTC's just like mine elsewhere. I guess that's why I never see any office supplies in central supply. They must have it locked up in the front office. Yes it is so frustrating to run around all night looking for supplies when you have a million other things to do. How awful to be out of oxygen!!! :angryfire

javanurse2000, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2005

LOL, I always say that there must be a few gremlins around that only eat black pens(we can not use blue..only black)! They are always so hard to find at my facility! We have several med rooms, med carts and of course the front desk that are supose to have these supplies, but black pens, post its, or even forms I need are never available and I am running all over the place looking for them! Takes up much of my time in such a huge facility!
On my clipboard, in addition to my writing pad, I carry some of the important forms I need like spare MAR sheets, my fax sheet, and the like so I always have them around when I need them. I also attached a black pen to my clipboard with a braided string so I don't loose it...LOL! It is hillarious really, here I am with a pen on my clipboard, 1-2 black and red pens in my pocket, and a black pen behind my ear or lol both ears at any given time (can you tell I have been out of black pens too often??? LOL).
I have actually had to make an effort to NOT take pens from my caregivers med carts, and I have a ritual of cleaning out my pockets before I leave my nurses med room (really it is like a ritual..tells me my day is done and boom, here's your pens..walkie...and my clipboard I am outta here!). But why do I think there are many purses, homes, or even washing machines with lots of black pens from our workplace! LOL!
We have a central supply as well, and our receptionist does the ordering for office items. Central supply..good luck no way, never anything left in there...no the administration keeps office supplies under lock and key in their locked offices so they can have control over distribution...which doesn't help when they are not available LOL! But I can see why, heck pens and such add up quick!!!
If worse comes to worse I do keep my own supply in my purse (minimum of 3 black pens, one yellow highlighter, one red pen in my purse at any time). That has come in handy some days! And it isn't like us nurses don't have our little hidden stashes of supplies like squirrels in winter..LOL!
Hey who likes to wear those pens on lanyards around their necks? I find they get in the way too often...anyone love these???

I love those things, too!!! I didn't know they were called "lanyards". The one drawback is that its hard to deny you have a pen to lend - then pretty much I'm waving goodbye to my pen

sassynurse78 · Feb 3, 2005

I have the same problem, what gets me most is the amount I prob. spend each year on ink pens, black markers and highlighters. I never thought of saving my receipts, great idea! I noticed also that the facility will freely give nursing students, agency nurses etc, pens with our facility name on them, how nice! We got some once, along with the statement of "we ordered these by mistake they are junk so you guys can have them"! lol