I am an RN at a LTC and 80% of the time we all end up staying 2+ hours past the end of our shifts to get all of the charting, etc done (and usually they still end up finding something I missed)... wondering if this is common or uncommon.
If there is a fall 10 minutes before our shift is done we are still expected to stay and do all of the paperwork and calls before we leave for the day, etc... is this the norm? Do other places have more support staff to help?
I am getting VERY frustrated with my job.. I am a new nurse (passed the board in February and have been working at current job since mid-march). I feel like no matter what I do, there is still something they find that I missed.
An example: The other day I had 2 DQIs (actually had to send a resident out because he ate building material on the Alzheimer's unit) on top of doing med pass for 25+ patients and handling orders, family calls, etc... was scheduled until 2 and walked out of work at 5:15. The next day I got attitude from my Assistant nursing director because I missed that someone had a weight loss and didn't do the hydration/SBAR (in reality, I thought we needed to do a re-weigh)... Sorry for the rant.
I work 7-3 in LTC and am usually out by 4. If I'm really behind, I sometimes stay until 4:30. I do get paid for time that I stay over charting and nobody says anything about it!
This is a management problem and unacceptable. If you can't complete your work, there is too much of it. We addressed this at a previous job by showing our boss what it was costing her. We were frequently getting off 15 minutes late. Let's look at the math; 12 nurses who make around $30 per hour changing shifts twice a day. 15 minutes at time-and-a-half is $11.25, x12 nurses=$135, x 2shifts per day=$270, x 365 days=$98,550. That's what it cost our unit for just 15 minutes over. Our boss pretty quickly found ways for us to streamline shift change. That's just the tip of the iceberg. If you make a med error on your third day of 14 hour shifts with not enough sleep who will come to your aide? Your boss can only do something if he or she is aware. If it looks like no one will do anything, I'd look for another job. Good luck.
In 10 months at this particular hospital, I can count on one hand the number of times I have gotten out "on time" -that is to say, within a half hour of the time Im SUPPOSED to be clocked out.
We are supposed to leave by 730, giving our shifts 30 minutes of overlap, but we have had a lot of issues streamlining the process - not the least of which is that we cannot do a normal process of handing all your patients off to one nurse. We have 1 to 2 LPNS on the floor regularly, and so it is not uncommon to have 6 patients and hand off to 4 different nurses, which means we often have to sit around and wait for another of our nurses to be done with report from someone else in order to give them our report. It's unnecessarily complicated and kinda useless.
We bring it up time and time again in meetings and it seems like no one cares. I wonder if I bring up the pure financials of it like nurse2033 suggested if I'd get anywhere....
ALL THAT BEING SAID - it is normal for me to stay over 30 minutes, in fact, pretty much expected, but only on the worst of days am I there longer than an hour.
I am usually put on time. But then, I will skip supper break and chart to do so, if necessary.
Usually, the only thing that prevents me from getting out on time is two night nurses who don't think arriving in time is important. They can arrive any where from 5 to 20 minutes late. And don't care. But you can bet your a#} that they are out the door right on time because the day shift always arrive on time.
I have worked LTC for over 2 years and I rarely ever get out on time. I'v stayed up to 3 hours past the end of my shift just to complete everything. I'll be graduating with my BSN this year and I am praying I can move in to a hospital. I'v determined that the entire LTC system is flawed. I say this and I work at one of the best nursing homes in the state. It has a 5 star rating by the government. The system needs to be revamped. Unrealistic expectations are put on the nurses.
I also work in a Health and rehabilitation center and am finding the same issue. What is frustrating for me is the fact that management only looks at the number of patients and not the acuity of each one....and management complains when we stay late.
Depends on what shift I work. On night shift, I leave more or less on time. If I leave late, it's no more than 30 minutes later. On day shift, it can be 1-2 hours later.
I worked on nights so I had more of a focus on paperwork so I usually got out on time in LTC. If there was something out of the ordinary happened I'd get out 15-30 minutes late.
It is rare that I stay late. If something happens towards the end of the shfit I do what I can and set it up for the next nurse to take over. Sometimes I may volunteer to stay and finish it myself...depends on what's going on that day.
I work in ICU, so it really just depends on the day. Most of the time, I get out on time. Sometimes, I just need to stay 15 mins extra to chart. Sometimes, it's so crazy, patient so unstable all day,that I don't eat anything, and don't chart until the end of my shift. Then, I could be there 1-2 hours depending on the degree of instability of the patient, and how acute my other patient was, as well. If there's a free charge nurse, then I'll get to grab a quick bite to eat on the crazy days like that; if there's not, then it's just every woman (man) for herself/himself. (Though I believe in teamwork. I don't believe in it just being my patients or your patients. If you're having a bad day, and I'm having an easy day, I will help you).
Sometimes, I make the choice half way through my shift. Well, I could either take a 30 min lunch or I could get out on time today. I always choose to get out on time if I'm coming back the next day.
pinkiepieRN
1 Article; 385 Posts
I work 7-3 in LTC and am usually out by 4. If I'm really behind, I sometimes stay until 4:30. I do get paid for time that I stay over charting and nobody says anything about it!