Today was my first day at an ALF, I mostly shadowed the nurse but I did pass a few meds, for the most part I think I can handle it, the one thing that makes me nervous is the lack of licensed staff in the building. Their was only 3 nurses on my shift(and that included me) and guess what NO RNs!!! That doesn't make me feel the greatest, especially since I will be working weekends, once I am off orientation and I will be the only licensed staff on my shift. (They do utilize med techs, so thats a help) My mouth also dropped when I heard that, they only had med techs working at night with NO nurses in the building. I know ALFs are a little different in regards to licensed staff, but I really would have thought they would have had at least one RN on staff.
Hello! I went through the same situation! I currently work in an alf and I am the only nurse that is even hired in my facility. When I first started I was so stressed. I was a brand new lpn trying to figure out my roles and responsibilities. At my facility the med techs give meds so I only fill in as needed which is hardly ever. I have a lot of paperwork and a lot of residents need more care then we have staffing to provide so I'm always getting called into residents rooms and assessing situations occasionally providing care. My advice to you is when in doubt send them out! I send atleast 1 person to the hospital weekly. There's about 130 residents in the facility including a dementia unit. I've been working there for almost 2 years so I know all my residents and I feel comfortable and confident with my nursing judgment. I had a few days of training with the Lpn that I was replacing and then I was on my own. I don't particularly like my job because of the stress level. The aides are so good during my shift which is great. But you will get to know all of your residents which then allows you to know their baselines so you know what's normal and what's not. Please let me know if I can help you any further.
TiAra87
4 Posts
Hello! I went through the same situation! I currently work in an alf and I am the only nurse that is even hired in my facility. When I first started I was so stressed. I was a brand new lpn trying to figure out my roles and responsibilities. At my facility the med techs give meds so I only fill in as needed which is hardly ever. I have a lot of paperwork and a lot of residents need more care then we have staffing to provide so I'm always getting called into residents rooms and assessing situations occasionally providing care. My advice to you is when in doubt send them out! I send atleast 1 person to the hospital weekly. There's about 130 residents in the facility including a dementia unit. I've been working there for almost 2 years so I know all my residents and I feel comfortable and confident with my nursing judgment. I had a few days of training with the Lpn that I was replacing and then I was on my own. I don't particularly like my job because of the stress level. The aides are so good during my shift which is great. But you will get to know all of your residents which then allows you to know their baselines so you know what's normal and what's not. Please let me know if I can help you any further.