How Many Residents Do You Care For On Your Unit?

[Nurse!Nurse!Hello?]

Naturally, I think I have waaay too many residents to care for so I'd like to do a quick reality check:

As a charge nurse in a LTC/SNF, how many residents are you responsible for on your unit? What shift do you work, and which state do you work in? (It's OK if you don't want to indicate the state--I am just curious if it varies by state...)

I'll start!

41 residents on 3-11 shift in Hawaii.

[FlashGrad]

18 bed SNF, day shift, ohio, usually 2 nurses split the assignment in half. We only go down to one nurse if census is really low. 2 stna's.

[arelle68]

22-24 very demented residents (heavy psych needs). 17 walk and talk (Think seventeen 5'8" two-year olds who are not potty-trained). One nurse, two CNAs, and one shower aide for 5 hours of the shift.

[blessedmomma247]

26pts days..one nurse 4 cnas

at night 50pts one nurse 2 cnas

boths shifts are 12hrs...and I am in Minnesota in a LTC...

[JEHORAPHA]

Alabama there is no limit to what the patient:nurse ratio. The limit depends on what you feel is a safe patient ratio and you voicing it to the facility.

I recently had to tell the DON and Administrators of the LYC/Rehab facility that 67 patients on 11-7 shift did not feel like a safe mix.

The laws really need to be changed. Face it, they are for profit.

[NamasteNurse, BSN, RN]

42 on the 3-11

[elizabethgrad09]

42 on the 3-11

I'm curious, do you also do other stuff like: get lab results and call the results in to doctors for new orders, implement the new orders in the MAR, periodically audit the charts for required documentation, etc? On the sub-acute/rehab floor of our facility, the nurses just do meds and treatments; there are other nurses doing the paperwork and other stuff, but on our LTC floor since the pts are not sub acute we do it all (plus one of us is in the dining room during meals in case the residents choke). That may be standard; I don't know since I'm a new grad. Thanks.

[SitcomNurse, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN]

I'm curious, do you also do other stuff like: get lab results and call the results in to doctors for new orders, implement the new orders in the MAR, periodically audit the charts for required documentation, etc? On the sub-acute/rehab floor of our facility, the nurses just do meds and treatments; there are other nurses doing the paperwork and other stuff, but on our LTC floor since the pts are not sub acute we do it all (plus one of us is in the dining room during meals in case the residents choke). That may be standard; I don't know since I'm a new grad. Thanks.

For me, 30 residents, 1 RN, 1 LPN, 3 CNA Days:

1 RN, orders/labs.pharmacy dealings...consult prep, therapy prep, MDS2.0 (presently). care plans, chart audits, deal with families, mediary, 2nd person for 2 P lift, trouble shooter, incharge of 3 CNA's and 1 LPN. 28 day cycle re-writes for LTC residents, with medication audits for polypharmacy, discharging, admissions physical exams, research for unknown diagnosis to the staff, with inservice to the staff for all things they do related to the dx, orient new staffers, peer mentor those in move up positions, get mandated, treatments, meds when LPN on break, all PICC line activity is done by RN only, Codes are RN run, weekly wound monitoring, restraint reports, monthly wiehgt reports, DNR update status checks weekly, medicare charting, and run Nursing Rehab withthe Rehab Nurse for the facility on my unit, death notification to family if Supv not avail. Every other weekend, holidays are senority based.

1 LPN, Meds, IV's, charting, treatments that do not require weekly monitoring, unless the RN is too busy to do it, then LPN's do that too. 2nd person for 2P transfers, assist with admissions, deal with pharmacy, fax orders, and anything that falls in the realm of Nursing that the RN directs, except PICC line and death notifications. Med pass evaluations witht he RN to determine polypharmacy, with the pharmacy and the Doc., usually on 28 day cycle. Charting and pick up orders as needed.

[JEHORAPHA]

You must be working at the same place I was working at. That's the drill only our subacute are mixed with our long term care in a lot of the Alabama and Florida faciltiies.

[NamasteNurse, BSN, RN]

Yes, in my facility we "do it all". Im on the 3-11 shift which is very busy and has less support personnel around, (PT, OT, activities etc) than the day shift so if we can't get to it, we ask the night or day nurses to do some of the labs, transcribing, reconciling etc. They totally understand! We have a great team. And BTW, I'm a new nurse too! :)

[starletRN]

41 residents; 1 RN and 2 CNAs

I have only been there a month and am having a really hard time getting it all done.

[Nurse!Nurse!Hello?]

41 residents; 1 RN and 2 CNAs

I have only been there a month and am having a really hard time getting it all done.

Wow...that's a lot, with only 2 CNA's. I thought my place was bad, with 41 residents and 4 CNA's...

No wonder you cn't get everything done!

[starletRN]

Wow...that's a lot, with only 2 CNA's. I thought my place was bad, with 41 residents and 4 CNA's...

No wonder you cn't get everything done!

We had two nurses when I was first hired and then he left and we had more CNAs too. It seems like right after I was hired we had less staffing. Go figure. I hear they have a high turnover rate.