Getting out on time?

I work from 10pm to 6:30am. I do my charting around the middle of the shift and then should anything happen towards the end, I can always go back and add to the narrative. At 6am the next shift comes in and from 6am to 6:30am we have report....same for the other shifts. So, I pretty much get out on time. As for the day and evening shifts....they were having a hard time getting everything done so our facility hired an LPN to come in from 10am to 6pm to help both shifts out....

I hear you njbikernurse!

On my 7a to 7p shifts I usually can finish up by 7:30 or 8:00 as there is a window between 2:30 and 4:00 to do charting and it's a weekend shift - limited doctors calls, admits and demands from management. However, on my 7a to 3p shift it's nuts. No time to do middle of shift charting for the very same reasons you describe as any calls out to doctors don't produce a response until around 2:30 as well as managers present their "honey do" lists at that time as well. Not to mention that the 11p to 7a nurse is still passing her meds til 8am, didn't tape report and has left an average of 3 or 4 treatments scheduled for her shift for me to do (which I've addressed to no avail). I generally get out at 4:30 or 5:00. :angryfire

ugh...i never get out on time - work ortho 7a - 7p on a 28 bed unit with 7-1 ratio, and only one pca, with no downtime ever. i'm lucky to eat lunch @ 3pm for 10 min. usu have 3 d/c's and 2 -3 post/ops daily and too much paperwork. and i always get a nice little note about my ot and budget. funny, how the nurses who manage to get out, don't chart enough to cover their a----. i almost think admin would prefer this, can always blame issues on the nurse, and with no documentation to prove your care - who loses. and lets not even talk about my aching back. i constantly tell my hubby, stop saying "have a good day" on my way out the door, the mojo is killing me..ha ha. seriously, get used to ot, i can only imagine it's going to get worse, before it gets better.

I have had many jobs where I do not get out on time due to paperwork overload and also where I rarely get a lunch break. Whoever thought LTC would be good for those on a diet!

Where I work, we are chastised if running into overtime. Management makes us take a longer lunch break if we ran over one day to make up for overtime (hmph, just makes more work that can't be done loosing that time for lunch) or badgering us to leave early which throws more work on the other nurse working the floor. Evening shift can punch out and finish charting without management knowing since they've gone home for the day and you know how those skilled residents always get admitted on 2nd shift with no extra help, usually lucky if it's staffed appropriately anyway. I work 3rd shift and wouldn't dream of any other shift d/t those issues. I usually leave short of my 8 hrs/noc and have a few hours in the week to use if I run over. The other shifts don't have that option though since being so busy. It just slays me, working in a "premier NH" but staffing being so tight, nothing premier about it besides it looks pretty on the outside and staff is run to death.

I am always amused that management bashing is allowed in here. Please don't paint us all with the same broad brush. I am management and NEVER I repeat NEVER get out on time. It's usually because the nurses who are on the clock and get paid for every minute they are in the building, haven't done what I've asked them and showed them how to do 15 times. At the end of the day it's on me if things aren't done so I stay.

I see these nurses sitting at the station not doing much of anything and then it dawns on them that they still have charting to do and they stay late.

I apologize if I sounded like I was bashing management. My particular manager has shaped us up to an astounding level but the nurses are so stressed that it's hard to get the work done on time. The level of care these days should be based on acuity, not just numbers as they were in the past when all level of residents were inter-dispersed together, but with assisted living, only the frailest/sickest of residents come into the actual NH now. I suppose it's actually the CEO and Board of Directors that run the show (non-profit status but they sure do have BIG projected projects ear marked for expansion on the Res.'s dollar, but heaven forbid we use some of the $$ for Res. care), and I know our managers have been fighting to get more staff which has been a very slow, stagnant battle. We have more office people than support staff but that is another story.

I know it's illegal to punch out and finish charting but with the level of care these days, how does one get all done in the time constraints given. I certainly don't see or hear of anyone sitting around at the nurses station? Everyone including the CNA's are trying to catch up on charting, call lights, etc.

I generally do get out on time, I am never more than 15 minutes over time. if we leave late we don't get paid anymore (only under exceptional circumstances), it's our responsibility to finish on time and hand over what we haven't done. I see some nurses staying 2 hours after their shift finish time, i always try to help them out and take over some of their stuff if I can.

the early shift hands over at 1pm when the late staff start, so there is a 2 and a half hour overlap. If I'm on the early shift I will tell the late staff the outstanding jobs I have left to do and then just before I leave I will tell them what I have done and if there is anything I didn't have chance to do.

I try to do as much morning charting/writing as I go along, and will do the rest when i come back from lunch. in the evening I will do it the same time as I do my drug round at 6pm, i'll give each patient their meds and write then do the writing, and add anything later if something happens.