How many CNA's work

[RNIAM]

on your units? I am applying for a job at a ltc facility and I want to know what I am in for. I have heard scarry stories about being the only cna for 30 patients or worse? How does this work out ? I was taought never to turn a patient on my own but if their is noone else available to help, what do you do? I want to do a good job but I also know how important keeping my back in good condition is. I need my back for a few more years yet. Do the nurses do rounds with the cna's. What is expected of the cna's in your facilities? thank you for the information.

:)

[GreytNurse]

OMG..........

Some of you 'have it made'......

.......some have 8 CNA's for 60 pts.......

.......some have 6 CNA's for 48 pts...... WOWIEEEEE!!

Where I 'used' to work...in a skilled MC facility, we would have, at most, 4 CNA's for 60 on days. Remember, this is a skilled fac. w/ post surgery pts, MAJOR wound care pts.....etc...... Most of the time we would have 3 CNA's......1 for each hall of 30 pts. and one of the CNA's would be 'split', taking half of each hall. These girls had to get most of these pts. up (if indicated) showered, dressed and ready for breakfast (in the diningroom) in 1hr 45 min. You talk about superwomen!!!!!!!

I now work in a brand new facility, ICF and so far, we only have 3 pts......I LOVE IT!! We are adding slow and staffing as we go. We have 1 nurse and 2 cna's on days and evenings and 1 nurse 1cna on nights. I am the night charge and the main problem right now is boredom.....we are checking on these pts. all the time (they are getting spoiled:D ) washing everything in site, waxing floors, organizing charts, you name it......I'm taking advantage of this as I know it won't last forever.

We need national reform to set limits on ratios!! I know some legislature is in front of Pres. Bush right now.....let's all hope and pray it passes. But, the one big problem I see right now, connected to the staffing shortage is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Our CNA's work their butts off and are paid embarrassing wages.......I admire all of them and if it were up to me, they would all be making $20 hour!!:kiss

[jccarolina]

Our facility, CBRF, 21 beds.

days- 2 Cna's ,2 nurses

pm's - 3cna's, (1, 3-11 / 1, 3-9 / 1,4-8)

noc- 1 cna

doesn"t work out to bad at all.

we're all med. cert. ,so not having a rn or lpn on pm's or noc is not a worry. They are just a pager call away if needed.

[kmarie724]

I work in a LTC facility. We have 2 floors with 50 residents on each floor. On days and evening, each floor has 2 nurses and 6 aides, plus a TMA that floats between floors to help the nurses with med passes as needed. On night shift, each floor has 1 nurse and 2 CNAs. There's been talk of having an extra CNA on night shift that will float between the two floors as needed, but seeing as we don't have enough staff to cover all the available noc shifts with only 4 aides, I don't think we'll be having an extra CNA during noc shift on a regular basis anytime soon.

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

100 beds with a skilled wing,

days 3 nurses, CNA 8 or9 with 2 med aides

eve 2.5 nuses (one day nurse works a 12 and is on the skilled wing untill 7pm)

with 6 or 7 CNA and 2 med aides

Nights 1 nurse 4 aides, 1 is a med aide

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

On our 60 bed unit, we have:

3-4 RN's, +1-LPN, +4-5 CNA's on days

2 RN's, +1-2 LPN's, +3-4 CNA's on evenings

1 RN, (2 RN's one night a week), +1 LPN, +3-4 CNA's on midnights (one CNA is for 1:1 for fall precautions on each shift)

I'd say 3/4 are total care, 1/4 self care

I work midnights so after report myself and the RN make rounds on our residents. The CNA's also check their assigned res. to see if they are soiled. They are supposed to make rounds q30 minutes (to check if they're breathing) q2hrs to check for soiling and turning. Your back is of utmost importance! ALWAYS get help when turning if you cannot do it alone. If you cannot get the help, a sure way to turn a pt by yourself is pretty simple. Take the arm that is closest to you and drape it over the pt's chest. Then take the leg closest to you and bend it up so that the sole of the foot is on the mattress. Then simply push the pt over on his side by pushing the shoulder and the bent leg. It really doesn't take much effort and you could turn a +300 lb. pt alone. I've been doing it for 25 years and I still have my back...(watch tonight...I'll mess it up... **sigh**

CNA's are expected to do their work which is pt. care. For our shift (12-8) that entails a.m. care for approx. 20 residents which really begins at around 0430, washing and changing them, some have to be dressed and out of bed, others stay in bed. There are vital signs to be taken and charted in the computer, weights that have to be taken by the 10th of each month and charted in the computer, and then there are the breakfast trays...some need to be fed, others just need assistance. If anyone is on restraints, the CNA's have to fill out the restraint log sheets q 2hrs and hand them in at the end of the shift with their SIGNED assignment sheets. Our CNA's also change the tube feeding bags and do the tube feedings. Out of 20 res. maybe 1-2 are tube feedings, 10-12 are total care and are incontinent, 3-4 need to be turned, 3-4 need to be fed, and 3-5 need to be dressed and placed in w/c, or geri chairs. Breakfast arrives on the unit at about 7am., some go to the dining room by themselves. Oh, and the incoming CNA checks the roster with the CNA that's going off duty.

Hope this gives you some sort of an idea of what you're in for. Good luck to you! :)

that is really good staffing...5 nurses for 60 patients! Sign me up

[studentRob]

wow...I guess you never realize how good you have it till you look at what others have to put up with!

On day shft we have 1 nurse and 4 aides for 25 residents ( and when you are doing AM care there are 8 aides for 25 people. 4 from day shift and four from nights)

On second shift it is 1 nurse and 4 aides

and the same on midnights i nurse and 4 aides

[catslave]

Our Staffing for a census of 72:

Days: 3 nurses - 6 LNAs

Evenings: 3 nurses - 5 LNA's

Nights: 2 nurses - 2 LNA's (occasionally 3)

[Hospice Nurse LPN, BSN, RN]

We have 2 LPN's and 6 CNA's for 108 people at night (6p to 6a). On an average night, there are 15 to 20 residents up at any given time --most of our folks are geri-psych, so even with all their meds they are up and usually wanting to go smoke a cigarette.