Emergency Carts with Defective Equipment

[NikkiBear88]

Hi, I am a new LPN at the beginning of my orientation and am terrified. Just started night shift at LTC facility. At one point there was an emergency and the equipment on the emergency cart was discovered to have a defective sticker on it, the only one on the floor. Luckily someone was able to grab something from another floor and the resident was ok. Also, the LPNs are having to work shifts as aids. Consistently. I do not think that LPNs are above this but it is sending up red flags. At one point we had no cnas for the building as they all called off. They are short staffed on LPNs as well and I am worried bc I will have a floor to myself (at least 36 residents). The person I was orienting with the one day went on her lunch break and left me to myself. No other staff on the floor. Night shift here is busy, lots of tedious work. I don't see how the nurses can get everything done safely with being so short staffed. The residents are not allowed to wear briefs and the aids are not allowed to use wipes which makes their jobs all the harder. I took this job because like all new graduates, I needed the money, but I feel like I am not getting the training I need. I was sent for several hours to fill cups with ice, water, put lids on them, straws in them, deliver them, etc and then sent to do vitals and glucose checks on another floor because there were not enough people to go around. There is only so much time for orientation and when that time is up, there won't be anyone most of the time that I can ask questions to. I am grateful to have a job, but I don't know what to do.

[NikkiBear88]

Sorry, that was kind of whiny and long, I have insomnia and my circadian rhythm is all out of wack.

[Postpartum RN]

That sounds terrible. I worked at a snf, and it was bad but conditions were not as you described. The defective faulty equipment-yes sometimes. But crash cart should be checked daily by a designated nurse. Regarding CNA's all calling off and sometimes nurses are the only ones left, that's insane. You are new in orientation, and if you see this pattern, get out of there, and fast!!!! Your license is yours, and you are the only one protecting it. Not to mention, how in the world will one nurse provide care/feeding/Incontinence care/meds/repositioning etc etc etc to 36 pts at the same time, or even during one shift?? Impossible. Leave and leave fast

[mvm2]

.Seems this place is just a slice of heaven on earth (please notice the sarcasm)

Goodness I'm sorry but truly if you are still on orientation I'd just get out of there. CNAs not being able to use wipes is ridiculous and everyone who runs the place obviously do not care about the residence when they can have one to two nurses running the place with no CNAs there at all and thinks it is not that big of a deal.

Still being in orientation means you can forget you ever stepped foot in that place and you can look for a much safer place to work. My heart goes put to the residence's because unlike the nurses and CNAs that can decide not to show up they are there stuck in you know where with no escape.

[NikkiBear88]

Thank you for your responses. I feel badly for the residents, too. It's not like they are able to have much of a say in their care. I sure hope that all places aren't like that. My heart tells me to pursue another job, but I had always been told that it looks really bad if you leave your first job before 6 months to a year.