First Job awful

[Rn2012OJ]

I began working in a rehab/ long term care facility 7 month ago, it was my first job after graduating and I was giving 3 weeks of orientation. However, most nurse need to stay about an hour or two after the shift ends to finish up paper work and documentation because of money I was always told I was unable to stay and learn he documentation during orientation days. I am not a nurse of the rehab unit caring for 24 demanding residents with little help from cnas. I work day shift 4 days a week never get a lunch or break and constantly running around trying to get everything done in time so the next shift does not have to wait for me to get off the cart. I am usually done with medications on time but with treatments and call doctors and pharmacies for medications that are not correct or not in on time I can not walk off the unit and sit down to do my notes and documentations until 1 hour after my schedule day. I am not the only nurse that this happens too, we have come to agreement that we feel unsafe caring for that many demanding residents at one time and have discussed with DON who repeatedly tells us she is trying to get another nurse on the floor. Residents have complained that they are not seen enough by the nurse that their medications are never sent in time from the pharmacy and that there are to many residents for the little staff the facility provides. I have been told multiple time by families that they brought concerns up to other shift nurses and because the lack of time nothing was done for their family members. Communications is a big problem also, between admissions and doctors and nurses on the floor. I guess I'm trying to get at is if this is a normal situation for rehab/ LTC facilities or is it because I'm still a new nurse that I feel so hectic and runners down every day?

[Nurse Kyles, BSN, RN]

Three of my nursing school friends and I all work(ed) on various short-term rehab units... I only lasted 2 months before i could not take it anymore, and gained employment in a hospital on a cardiac step-down unit (much more my cup of tea). I think that the "too much work and not enough time" situation is common in rehab units and LTC. I am a new nurse (graduated in December 2011), but I notice that even the more experienced nurses are quite frazzled and overworked. Most nurses at my former employer got out 1-3 hours late each day, and the management doesn't even think twice about it. Also I was continuously called to come in to work early, or on days off to pick up extra shifts. After my mere 2 months, I was burned out already! The experience is valuable and translatable to many different nursing jobs. Look for something else before you are completely burned out! Trust me that you are not alone! Good Luck!

[sleepdeprived1]

WOW! That's impossible! I don't think any nurse could do all that in one shift and be out on time! Any who do are skipping treatments and other cares...that's the ONLY way-before I became a nurse I worked in LTC-it was horribly understaffed and beyond stressful-I also saw many nurses who had ALOT of free time to sit around and chat at nurses station and those were the ones that skipped alot of their job duties (believe me I know) and few who would be scrambling around working their butts off actually tried or did EVERY treatment...

If you do decide to go work somewhere else I bet you will realize you have great time management skills, I would start looking for another job that is less stressful.