HELP!!!! I need your response today!!!!

Specialties Geriatric

Published

Hi Guys, I really need your help. I am also a new nurse at a LTC facility. I have been working at this facility for 3 mos. I started out with 15 to 30 patients. I'm always doing at least 1.5 to 2 hrs overtime everyday to complete my notes are to finish my treatments. I finally felt a little comfortable working with 30 pts - I still do at least 1 hr overtime. But I was told by my supervisor that they wanted me to work on another unit that have 48 pts. I don't know what to do. I want to quit because I don't think this is safe for the patients or me. Just last week , three of the patients on this unit fell and the LPN that was working, who has 10 yrs at this facility, said she will never work on that unit again. Now since she won't do it they asked me to work on that unit. I'm saying if she can't do it what makes you think I can do it and I'm a new nurse (never worked in healthcare before) and new at this facility. I'm scare I may loss my license working on that unit. Please help! I suppose to work there tonight.

Thanks everyone for your advice. I called and spoke with the DON and she stated that she will move me back to my old unit and let the more experience nurse work the heavy unit. But she also said that they are going to train me on the heavy unit because everyone is now going to be rotating. When I interviewed for this position, I was told that I will be working the acute care unit which only hold 32 residents. Now I learn today that I will be trained to work any unit in the facility.

I decided to go to work tonight, however, I going to start looking for a new job. Several people that I work with told me to go to a hospital first and get some experience and then come back to LTC, but I always wants to work in geriatric, however, I believe I'm going to take their advice. It is a shame because I really like the residents and I believe they like me. They tell me all the time that I really care for them and I do more for them than the other nurses. If they wants something done and I'm just walking past their room, they call me to do it knowing I'm not their nurse.

Again, thank everyone for you help. You guys are the best, I will let you know when I get that new job.

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Specializes in Everything except surgery.

I would NOT accept this assignment at all! And I wouldn't care what they promised you, because I would not trust any facility that would even think about doing this. I would leave and go elsewhere. You can only reason with reasonable people, and it is obvious you are not dealing with reasonable people. Or they would not have even considered putting ANY nurse with 48 patients, day night or otherwise!

At least you know before hand, and have a chance to protect yourself! The last shift I did was a agency 3-11 Shift on Thanksgiving two years ago on a mental health unit. I had four techs, and SIXTY residents! Many were walkers and talkers, but lot of diabetics, and that was the LAST shift I will ever work! I got out of there with my license intact, but I have never and will never work another day as a nurse if I can help it!!! That was just the last straw!

Take care of YOU, because if you don't, who will???

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Specializes in Everything except surgery.

I decided to go to work tonight, however, I going to start looking for a new job. Several people that I work with told me to go to a hospital first and get some experience and then come back to LTC, but I always wants to work in geriatric, however, I believe I'm going to take their advice. It is a shame because I really like the residents and I believe they like me. They tell me all the time that I really care for them and I do more for them than the other nurses. If they wants something done and I'm just walking past their room, they call me to do it knowing I'm not their nurse.

Again, thank everyone for you help. You guys are the best, I will let you know when I get that new job.

Be very careful tonight, because you may walk in and find you are STILL on that unit!!! Arrive very early prior to the shift, so you can get a heads up and make contact quickly before the end of the evening shift. I would not trust these people at all!

Do not take report! Contact your DON or whomever is the contact person, and tell them you will not take report and you are leaving!!

Hospitals have geriatric units also, so don't feel you have to stay in LTC facilities just to care for the elderly.

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I work in a hospital and the majority of our pt. are geriatric, as a matter of fact, we get some from the very NH I where I used to work.

I know a lot of nurses hate med surg, but I work in a small rural hospital, there is a lot of team work and to be honest, after working in the NH environment, working at this hospital is like being on vacation. We work 12 hr shifts, I get to work 3 and off 4, love it.

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Specializes in Jack of all trades, and still learning.

Good for you. Look for that job. Don't under any circumstances let them send you to that ward. This is your registration at risk. They have lied to you previously in saying they wouldn't send you there, one can imagine there is no way they will back you up should something go wrong

In the mean time, put your concerns in writing and thank them for not sending you to that unit! In this way you are not attacking them, but you have stated your concerns, and acknowledged you have had a conversation with them.

Jay

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

48 patients on a dementia unit with one nurse is pretty standard staffing these days. Certainly not all 48 of them are wandering around at night. There shouldn't be many meds to hand out...ask for another CNA. You're more likely to get that than another licensed person.

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Thank you so much for your responses. However, I called in for my schedule for the weekend and I was told by last night supervisor that I will be working on that unit this weekend. I spoke with the DON last week when she asked me to go on that unit and I told her that I was uncomfortable working with 48 pts being that I'm a new nurse and just learning my way around the facility. She was find with it last week, now I find out that she placed me on the unit this week, becuase that LPN she had working last week stated to me that she will never work on that unit again. She siaid it is too much work for one nurse. What gets me is that this LPN has 10 years of experience at this facility. If she can't do it how do they think that I can handle all these patients.

I'm going to pick up my check by noon today and have a talk with the DON one more time. If she says I have to work on that unit I think I should resign today, because I really dont feel comfortable working with all those resident by myself.

Question: Would that be abandonment if I quit before I count with the nurse. I thought abandonment is when you have accepted the assignment and you walk out after you have count meds with the prior nurse.

Please advise. I really appreciate you help in this matter.

I believe it's abandonment after you have accepted the assignment. To me, this means that, even if you are getting report and you are told something in report that you cannot accept, you may still refuse the assignment and not be abandoning. Not positive. You MUST get the straight answer from your BON. Not from us here or from anyone else who has no power to sanction your license.:nono:

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

"You MUST get the straight answer from your BON. Not from us here or from anyone else who has no power to sanction your license."

THAT was the best advice given in this post.

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You are being railroaded into taking an unsafe assignment. DO NOT DO IT.

Tell the DON no or you quit. Prepare the two week notice and have it with you, tell her and repeat it in the notice that you will not work on that unit while working out the notice. It may not go over very well, but they are giving you no choice.

Good luck. This is a case of any warm body will do, they are not caring if the patients get any care. :down: :devil: :devil: :devil: :angryfire: angryfire: angryfire

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I agree, ask for more CNAs but 1 nurse for 48 patients is standard.

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Specializes in LTC.

Why would they be silly enough to have dementia pts on an "open" unit? They are asking for an elopement! I work on a locked unit and our wanderers are always trying to get through the doors. For the record, my unit is a 60 bed unit and they usually only have 1 nurse on nocs, but usually have at least 3 aides, 4 if we're lucky. There have been nocs we've only had 1 nurse and 2 aides, but the noc shift supervisor will come over and help when it's down that bad. (Providing it's not the w/e, then we're s.o.l.). I agree, though, that if you're not comfortable with that assignment to not work it, even if that means having to quit. They don't care whether or not you keep your license, just so long as they have a warm body with a license on the unit. If you quit, or lose you're license, they'll find some other warm body to fill the spot. My first week on the unit I was left as the only nurse, and I am new, too. I complained, asked for help, told them I was not happy with that assignment, etc, but evidently they can all sleep well with me being distressed. The only thing that got their attention was when I DID quit, and suddenly I get a call from the DON wanting me to come talk to her, blah blah blah, and now I am on days with at least 1 other nurse and usually 2/3 med aides. (We use med aides here in S. Indiana). The point is, with a nursing license, we have the opportunity to be at least a little picky about what we will do for a living. There are many places to work, and most are hiring. Don't compromise your license. It is not only a license to work as a nurse, but a license of freedom to choose what you will accept as a nurse.

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What was the final outcome here?

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