I work in a medium to large size community hospital and we are literally busting at the seams. Putting patients in areas where we don't typically house patients. Opening up units that were previously closed. There are no beds in the ICU.
My hospital is offering incentives for staff to work extra shifts and are actually offering double what they normally offer. It is insane. I have been doing nursing for almost 7 years and have never seen anything like this. I have also worked at 5 different hospitals and was actually at my current hospital last holiday season and it was not like this.
Earlier this year we were closing units because there was not enough patients and we were being told not to come in due to a lack of patients. Sometimes this happened 2-3 times a pay period. We did a restructuring of staff as well because we thought that things were changing and there would be less inpatients.
I'm just wondering how things are throughout the US and why this is happening. I thought maybe because it is near the end of the year and people have deductibles they want to use but the admitting dx of my patients does not support that. Only one pt had surgery that you could say was elective.
I think our is somewhere at "maximum capacity". There were, I believe, over 100 patients in the ER waiting for a room. In end of shift report, we were warned that when our patients were due for discharge, it was possible we'd have a Pt coming from ER before the other pt left and before the room was clean (they'd just have to wait in our hallway, not the ER's). I think recently some med-surg nurses were floating to the ER to be the nurses for med-surg level pts waiting for a room. On a positive note, the ER seems to be doing more computer charting, so some of the transfers have some (or most) of the "paperwork" done!
We were dead around Thanksgiving - I got called off on Thanksgiving - but have been bursting ever since. Our actual number of burns is fairly low, although for what they lack in quantity they do make up for in severity, probably due to the unusually warm weather here. We're also the pediatric overflow unit -- with it being RSV season, the children's hospital up the road often goes on diversion, filling up our small-ish picu/peds units and so we get the overflow. I think we had four or five RSV admits in one night, and we're a 15 bed unit.
It usually quiets down around Christmas, less elective surgeries and people putting off that stroke/heart attack until after family is gone.
I work in the ICU and we're full. Not only are we full, but we've had a lot of deaths and just really really sick people lately. Before that Oct-Nov we were actually in a bit of a lull. I miss those days.
No longer working at facility but week I left we were mostly full. One night this month we git 8 admissions which filled us on our specific floor. Medical is always hopping...lots of respiratory stuff and everything in between.
We get more suicide attempts/OD's this time of year, as well as more respiratory patients as others have said. There's also been some bad heroin going around, possibly cut with feces, so we've done as many valve replacements/repairs in the last 2 days as we usually do in a month (8 in 2 days).
Weird!...6 Influenzas 5 N/V/D Dehydrations, 4 R/O CVAs, 3 MVAs, 2 CPs, 1 OD and an infected tattoo of a Partidge in a Pear Tree awaiting Hep Screen now.
ED Census: currently 12 with 5 waiting on a bed, 6 in triage waiting, but it's just 2:28am, and here comes EMS report,...fun,....intoxicated appearing combative with a large vessel involved laceration(who I can hear in the background screaming "I am God!!!):)
So apparently I better be on my best behavior, God is coming tonight.
I going to give report now, because thank (The Real One), I am needed in Pediatric ED for a PICC!!!:), and to replace a RN who's water just broke- you women have my respect, I would have been home with my feet propped up making who ever got me that way rub my feet eating pickles dipped in peanut butter with raw onion and a yoohoo(saw a pregnant women do this I swear,Lol)
We are busting at the seams full!! We nearly emptied out the week of Thanksgiving, and it's been creeping up since. I think it will start to empty out again as we get closer to Christmas (or so I hope).
Like others have said, lot's of respiratory pt's. Lots of CHF exacerbations. And currently we have 2 AAA's on the unit. I don't think I've ever seen 2 before!
Seems like ER and cardiac would be busier through the holidays. I've frequently wondered about that. I know that in social services holidays were miserably busy. People would get with their families, start drinking, etc. Or they wouldn't get with their families, would start drinking, etc. Either way, nothing but badness would ensue.
My hospital has been at capacity almost non-stop since May. There have been a few blip days here and there, when the census dips, but it's certainly not standard.
It's to the point where we're seeing housewide, more rapid response calls, because higher level of care patients can't be placed where they need to be, because there aren't beds available. It's sad and all management has had to say is, "Your patient satisfaction scores are the lowest they've been in five years. Busy and understaffed it not a reason for this. Fix it. Now. But no extra help."
redhead_NURSE98!, ADN, BSN
1,086 Posts
Yep we're busting. It was like this last year too.