To Staffing Coordinators,

Specialties Geriatric

Published

Specializes in LTC.

To Staffing Coordinators,

What is going on inside your head? What are you thinking when you assign two CNAs for 50 residents? Whats the rationale for this? What makes you think this is even remotely acceptable? I know money is tight, the big to dos don't want to pay for regular staffing and you could probably care less about staffing on the off shifts. But its not effecting you so as long as it doesn't interfere with your bankers hours, its not an issue to you.

This morning at work we had an incident that probably wouldn't have occurred, caught early or might have even been preventable if we had the correct amount of staff working. I'm just imagining administration's response to it now, the nurse is going to be responsible for it, to sign off on it, write it on a flow sheet. Just add more to the nurse's plate. That seems to be your answer instead of scheduling the correct amount of staff.

This effects our residents. They are not getting the care they deserve this way. Please really think about it next time before you leave the evening or night shift short staffed.

Thanks,

Frustrated Nurse at her wits end.

- Sorry if I offended anyone. I'm just sick and tired of seeing my residents get rushed, quick care because the CNA has too many patients due to short staffing that people who can change it.. don't seem to give a damn about.

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It's been my experience that jackassery runs rampant in staffing/scheduling departments...some days are better than others but they all get screwed up somehow.

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Specializes in M/S, ICU, ICP.

was it an actual problem of insufficient staffing or that the floors were staffed but employees called off leaving the rest of you to work short? i used to find that the numbers looked okay on the actual schedule but when you looked at who had called off at the last minute or had to be "out of town" the floor was left short by the very same co-workers that fussed the most about it.

we started letting our co-workers know just how rough things were and that they contributed to the understaffing problem by calling in with every little sniffel or excuse. sometimes it is not a mangement problem but an issue of co-worker irresponsibility. we are a team and it is our committment to one another as well as our patients that can make or break a shift.

just a different perspective i have experiened before in some of the smaller hospital and some of the ltc places i worked. these areas were too small to have a pool to pull from, so a last minute call in or a no-show hurt everybody.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

budgets

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Specializes in LTC.

The floor was staffed short in the first place. Nobody called out. Looking at the schedule from administration they scheduled two CNAs for 50 residents.

I'm getting tired of hearing the budget excuse. Is this where they cut funds? Nursing staff on off shifts? Residents need more care on evenings/nights.

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Specializes in MDS/Office.

But these Companies ALWAYS find the $$$$$ to hire the High-Paying Regional "Management Consultants." :cool:

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Specializes in LTC, Hospice, Case Management.

While you may not want to hear it, the budget will always matter. If you are working for any type of chain corporation, you are directing your anger at the wrong person. The staffing coordinator probably has no input in the amount of hours he/she is allowed to schedule.

This all important budget is above the staffing coordinators head, above the DON's head, and even above the E.D's head. This is determined by the corporation that runs your facility.

I am an ADON. My ED and DON were both out sick today. I was the lucky one that got the corporate call by noon asking that I explain exactly why we were over budget on Saturday. "Well let's see Sir, we were expecting 6 admissions (but only 3 came), not expecting 2 to get ill and go to the hospital & hard to predict that ole Mrs Brown would pick Saturday to die. It's the first Saturday we have been over budget in at least 6 months". Needless to say, he did not find me funny at all & I was told in no uncertain terms that I needed to immediately re-evaluate our staffing needs, immediately cut staffing today & make sure this did not happen again.

Like it or not, (and I don't like it either), the management in your building MUST follow the budget or corporate will not hesitate to find a replacement that will....and sometimes they send in really nasty people to replace the DON/ED you do like but don't always agree with.

Just something to chew on.

PS to Bella...Couldn't agree more that the corporation level people are stacked with more "fluff" positions than you can shake a stick at & couldn't do a med pass if you threatened to beat 'em with that same stick.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Geriatrics, LTC.

Call the Ombudsman anonymously and make a complaint.

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Okay, I'm all about budget. Heck..we all have budgets. BUTTTTTT when is is going to give? If there is a problem getting staff to either work in the building or sign up to take extra shifts or staff that calls off alot....Don't you think it is time they (corporate) start asking questions? Not just questions to the staffing coordinator or the DON or ADM, but ask the staff that is working there...the line staff. Nope...never been done before.

Maybe they will tell you that they are sick of working OT because a certain CNA is always calling off or is late, maybe it is because the assignments are totally undoable..maybe, maybe, maybe.

It isn't always the staffing coordiantors fault. I've never met one that would always schedule short. You can't pull staff out of your butt.

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Specializes in LTC.
Okay, I'm all about budget. Heck..we all have budgets. BUTTTTTT when is is going to give? If there is a problem getting staff to either work in the building or sign up to take extra shifts or staff that calls off alot....Don't you think it is time they (corporate) start asking questions? Not just questions to the staffing coordinator or the DON or ADM, but ask the staff that is working there...the line staff. Nope...never been done before.

Maybe they will tell you that they are sick of working OT because a certain CNA is always calling off or is late, maybe it is because the assignments are totally undoable..maybe, maybe, maybe.

It isn't always the staffing coordiantors fault. I've never met one that would always schedule short. You can't pull staff out of your butt.

Nobody called off.

Nobody was late.

Everybody who was supposed to show up. Did.

Only two 2 CNAs were scheduled for the unit this weekend. Both nights. Thats completely unacceptable and administration was made aware of that by the unit staff. The schedule is made in advance. Meaning they had time to find staff, they just didn't do it. In the past month, month and a half, the off shifts have been short on CNAs.

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Yikes. Did they let the DON know that they couldn't get more staff on the schedule? This happened a few times to us. Staffing person tried and tried and even offered her first born but couldn't get coverage...she let the DOn know and that was that. DON did nothing! (figured oh well...mandate someone:mad:)

In another place I worked, the staffing coordinator was a CNA so the DON mad her fill in when things like that happened.

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

So does your DON have a machine that makes CNAs? You can't force people to come in and unless you have a union you can't mandate people to stay.

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