I currently have worked for about 3 weeks now at a long term rehab center. I am really starting to enjoy it, realizing how much it is changing my life. All my worries of people falling and barfing from cleaning people, etc. etc. are pretty much gone. I've pretty much gotten used to it. But I am still taking longer than everyone else. Their all sitting down by 9 (were done feeding around 7 15) and I finish putting me last people to bed sometimes at 10 or even 10 30. Its tuff for me to get everyone up in bed, clean them up, and then do all the charts. But I'm getting a lot better at it. Until today, a night nurse came up to me and said there was a lot of complaints about me. I was leaving diapers in the garbage, things on the floor, and she didn't know what time I do my rounds, but that I need to make sure I check everyone. I thought I was doing a good job, I know I've forgotten diapers and maybe some dirty pants on the floor but I know I've gotten better at not doing that. The round thing is haunting me because by the time I get everyone to bed, I only have 30 minutes to check 13 patients and make sure their clean, and in reality, I can only change 3-6 in that amount of time. Depending on how bad they are. Today before I left I got all the garbage out of the rooms and double checked the floors, and I tried my best to get everyone checked before I left. Is there any advice or tips that I can do to get faster at getting my patients into bed?? This is where I am struggling, and I want to make sure my people aren't sitting in their own filth. Is it just one of those things you learn the longer you work there? Thanks for your time guys.
Wow, this thread has grown! I've been working on my routine a lot lately, and I finally got around being fantastic. The patients daughters and sons are coming up to me saying they really like me and they appreciate everything I do for them. One lady I see every night I work was like, did you work the morning shift yesterday? (I usually work evenings) and I said yes. She said that, everything was perfect with my mother. Thank you. :]]]
But anyways, I tweaked a lot of things about my routine, and they finally put me on my own hallway it seems. (Same hall for a week and a half). I get all my night gowns, about double the amount of draw sheets that I have patients (So 20 if I have 10 patients) because I change the ones on the bed before I put them down, or put three to four down for heavy wetters. I also grab about 2-3 extra packs of whips and a box of gloves so I don't have to go back to the utility closet to grab more, and I attach 2 garbage bags to the end of the roll away table that I put everything on and cover. That way, I grab everything out of the rooms when I leave, and put it in the bags right next to the room I'm in. I used to finish putting people to bed by 10 to 10:15. Now I finish by 9 o-clock.
I've been working on my routine a lot lately, and I finally got around being fantastic. I attach 2 garbage bags to the end of the roll away table that I put everything on and cover. I used to finish putting people to bed by 10 to 10:15. Now I finish by 9 o-clock.
Wish I could get a routine down. We don't have roll away tables. We are suppose to take just enough linens for each room and walk back to the linen room. I had 8 rooms today. Got a bed bath and shower done before dinner. Tried to get another shower done before bedtime but failed and the lady was very mad at me.
puahaha. wow, some nerve that cna has...go do your work, girl! good to know the pain goes away with rest :) ...but still :/
Yeh I think I need to go to assisted living home. Working in nursing home section is killing me. For if I don't get to eat by 7:30 I start getting shaky. For hip pain stretching right to left standing helps. For upper back pain stretching between a door helps.
Wish I could get a routine down. We don't have roll away tables. We are suppose to take just enough linens for each room and walk back to the linen room. I had 8 rooms today. Got a bed bath and shower done before dinner. Tried to get another shower done before bedtime but failed and the lady was very mad at me.
You know, you could always just put a stack of linens in a room where a bed is open(make sure the room isn't isolated). Because they clean the bed and thats what I do when there are no roll aways. And when I put everyone to bed, and I don't have a roll away, I'll usually just tie the garbage bags and put them next to the doorway and after I'm all done putting people to bed, I go around to each room and pick everything up with garbage bags that I'm carrying. I start my shift at 2:30, and the first thing I do is grab my showers. It usually takes me 15 minutes per shower, unless their easy to stand up and stuff, I finished in 5 minutes once because the person could do everything themselves haha. So I start my shift, grab 5-8 towels, 5 hand towels, and start the shower and grab my shower, then finish and grab my next one and so on and then I'm usually done by 3:30 or 4 at the latest. Then I have 2 hours to get everyone to the dining hall. (- 30 minutes for break). The longer you work, the faster you'll get and you'll learn tricks to stand people up that can't really stand and that are harder. Your speed will increase very much. So far, my record was finishing everything, including vitals of my patients, at 8:45 and I had 10 patients. dinner usually lets out around 7:10, I was so amazed. I checked everyone like 3 times that night, I'm almost positive the next shift was happy with the little work they needed to do when they came in :].
But all in all, the longer and more you work with your patients, the faster you'll get. You'll pick up a routine that works for you, and everything will come together. Then you'll look back and be like, damn, I've improved so much. If you haven't already, I would highly recommend getting a wrist BP monitor. They really help, and the one I bought (amron? I think) was on sale for $70 at walgreens. So far, very accurate.
You know, you could always just put a stack of linens in a room where a bed is open.
I start my shift at 2:30, and the first thing I do is grab my showers. It usually takes me 15 minutes per shower.
We can only leave enough for each patient. I have been bagging for each room in 1 bag and a coordinator didn't like it.
Problem for me was getting person up. Last shower took me 20 mins to get her up. The dinner was brought in and I had to stop. She stank and her room mate complained. I kept telling her I couldn't do anything since the dinner was there. She left her room and ate in dining room. Eventually she stopped complaining.
Then when do you put linens and briefs out for the other clients?
Okay well the first thing I actually do is grab night gowns and place them in everyone of their rooms. The pads we use come in plastic wrap of about 30 pads. I usually grab one thats half used, but still has the plastic wrap, and I put them in a drawer. That way, the diapers don't get contaminated and no one sees them to complain. If I don't have a roll away, then just grab 15-20 draw sheets, and your night gowns, and place them in the rooms. That way your all set for the rest of the day and night. This usually takes me 5-10 minutes of my shift. Then I get the showers done. Sorry to not mention that
**If the bed is dirty, then this is obviously a slowdown, but you just gotto rush to the linen closet and grab all your linens and change the bed. Its not too bad. In my place, the bottom sheets don't fit a lot of the air beds. So since I usually have a lot of top sheets (what we also use for draw sheets) on my roll away, I just make the bottom sheet, place the draw sheet, and put them to bed then place a top sheet over them and go get the other linens I need when I take the garbage to the dirty linens. (their right next to each other for me).
zippeh
38 Posts
Wow, this thread has grown!
I've been working on my routine a lot lately, and I finally got around being fantastic. The patients daughters and sons are coming up to me saying they really like me and they appreciate everything I do for them. One lady I see every night I work was like, did you work the morning shift yesterday? (I usually work evenings) and I said yes. She said that, everything was perfect with my mother. Thank you. :]]]
But anyways, I tweaked a lot of things about my routine, and they finally put me on my own hallway it seems. (Same hall for a week and a half). I get all my night gowns, about double the amount of draw sheets that I have patients (So 20 if I have 10 patients) because I change the ones on the bed before I put them down, or put three to four down for heavy wetters. I also grab about 2-3 extra packs of whips and a box of gloves so I don't have to go back to the utility closet to grab more, and I attach 2 garbage bags to the end of the roll away table that I put everything on and cover. That way, I grab everything out of the rooms when I leave, and put it in the bags right next to the room I'm in. I used to finish putting people to bed by 10 to 10:15. Now I finish by 9 o-clock.