I never want to hear those words from you again

Specialties Geriatric

Published

Heh.

From the admin to me, this morning, about staffing. My magic words were, "We're always short."

We have 120 beds. 38 are mine. 20 of those people are totals. Hoyers. We are supposed to have 17 aides on days, 6 on my unit. Total today 15, 2 called off, 13. 4 on mine. One leaving early, another who works as "the early girl*."

Ooookay. We are, on occasion, staffed at less-than-ideal levels. Now is it not an elephant in the living room?

* I cringe when they are referred to as "the girls."

Specializes in LTC/Skilled Care/Rehab.

Once we had over 60 residents (close to 70) and only 3 CNAs and 3 nurses on a skilled nursing unit. Most of the people (atleast 90%) need complete care. One of the administrators had the nerve to come to our floor and start complaining that 3 of the call lights were on. "Where are the CNAs?" "Working." "Why are the call lights on?" "Because we are short staffed." Are these people realistic???? She went to go answer the call lights (which I had just done 10 mins ago to tell the residents that the CNA would be there shortly) and then threatened to come back later that night to make sure the call lights were answered.

And someone once had the nerve to complain to me that we weren't answering the phones fast enough. Sorry I was trying to pass meds without making any errors and making sure that none of my frequent fallers fell. Why not hire someone to answer the phones instead of expecting the nurses to do it? Don't you think we have enough to do with our 20+ residents?

Specializes in Long term care-geriatrics.

Yes, there has been many times I have stood up for the CNAs because someone wanted them immediately. I have assisted residents to the bathroom, with meals or whatever I can do to help the CNA. They have hard jobs.

Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I would LOVE to have the time to assist my CNAs, and in my last job I did help them as often as I was able. But now, I'm not only the charge nurse but the secretary/med aide/treatment nurse/janitor/diplomacy expert/doctor pacifier/family counselor for 20+ SNF patients (some of whom are still sick enough to be in the hospital---I send at least one to the ER every shift I work).......and I can't take five minutes to clean someone up and walk them back from the bathroom. I don't have those minutes to give, not with two major med passes, IVs, wound care, body audits, admissions, blood sugars/insulins twice per shift, Medicare assessments, falls, and so on. I haven't taken a lunch in the month that I've been working here---when I sit down to chart, I grab my food and wolf it down while I'm writing.

And I agree with Moogie---alarms ARE undignified. So is falling and breaking your hip, your back, your neck, or any other part of your body. And so, I'm afraid, is having to live in such a place when you're too demented and used-up to be cared for at home. :cry:

Specializes in Peds Medical Floor.

I had an administrator come to the floor all ****** off because he kept hearing call lights going off and wanted to know "Why isn't anyone answering those?" I had to explain to him that when there is a light going off, if someone else presses their call light before the first light is shut off and so on it sounds like like the light hasn't been turned off. Does that make sense? We were all answering lights, but so many more were coming on than we could turn off. So it never stopped beeping.

Maybe if you visited the floor more often and had an idea of what was going on in your facility you'd know something basic like that.

Specializes in Peds Medical Floor.

I'm sorry. I'm very bitter towards my facility right now. It used to be a fantastic place to work; I loved it. Over the past couple years it's become about the $$ and now I hate working here. I'm counting down the days until I can quit. I'll have been there 9 years in January. Well, I guess hiring a less experienced new nurse will be another way they can save money.

LOL! Whatever! i have come into work to have a patient tell me we would be short and who had called in and who had quit and who hadn't been showered this week. I hate that we can't officially tell them, so they sit in the hall or wheel around the facility and find out for themselves. I think people forget these facilities are like neighborhoods and word spreads really fast.

I loved how when we were short-staffed, like always, and the genius admin would decide to have mandatory meetings. These awesome meetings were held mid-morning and leave 1 CNA and 1 RN on the floor for a good 45 minutes. Way to go.

Mensa members, I tell ya.

Specializes in Professional Development Specialist.

When did "don't talk about it" become a business model? It confuses the heck out of me! This is a chronic problem and instead of working on it, or even listening to staff suggestions, you punish those who admit there is a problem? I see the same things at my work and I just can't grasp it.

Specializes in drug seekers and the incurably insane..

I almost wonder if there is a manual of phrases that management can say whenever a staff member mentions something about staffing or another facility problem. " Well, we are perfectly staffed by state guidelines according to our census", " You all need to pitch in and help each other out, all it takes is teamwork, just teamwork", "I know you can be the charge nurse and take a patient load; no one does it like you", "Don't forget good customer service when you're giving good care", "I forgot to call someone in to do the admission, you'll need to do it in addition to passing meds; just do the important stuff", "Well, we left signs up.....the inservice about our mission statement has to be made up or it will be a write-up"..... I could go on and on about the bull**** the management at my facility come up with. They never cease to amaze me!! They don't want to hear about any problems that their perfect selves have come up with!!!!*wine

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