How short-staffed is short-staffed?????

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I'm sure this has happened. Ever had one of those days/nights when you came in to work and realized that you're supposed to have five nurses and yet there's just two-----and to top it all, your unit is full or will be swamped with admissions! Want to vent or just simply share that experience? How many RNs were supposed to be there that time and how many actually showed up? Just curious.....

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Specializes in Critical Care, Capacity/Bed Management.

Well.... I remember coming to work one day in 2 feet of snow. (I walked to work). I looked up at the assignment sheet and saw that three out of the four RN's called out. Two RN's from night shift stayed to work on days but our census was 28 and only 2 NA's. That was a day I will never forget. Everything was crazy but because of the snow no familt members which helped things just a tad bit

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Last two jobs I had I left in a huff over that sort of staffing. The first job I left we had always had two RNs, two LPNs and two aides for 24/25 patients on a rehab unit. Then all of sudden they started expecting us two do it with 5, usually 2 RNs, 1LPN and two aides, sometimes it was 2 RNs 2 LPNs and one aide. I bore that in silence. Then perhaps I got what I deserved for keeping quiet. One Sunday evening I came in and it was 2RNs and 2 aides for 24 patients. I managed to do it without any harm to patients but when I left I was shaking with fatigue. I protested to my manager, I though surely she would not allow that to happen again. Much to my shock I came back after two days off to find same staffing. Once again I did it but instead of protesting to my manager I called her manager and told her I would not set foot in hospital under those circumstances again. My manager found out and called me and said, "I won't be needing you any more". A development that was fine with me. So there went that job. I got another job and worked there for about 16 months when same thing in almost every detail happened. In both cases the short staffing was preceded by a drop in census which cause staffing cuts. Then when the census suddenly went back to normal there was no one cover. What they really wanted was someone to just do it and keep their mouths shut. I will not keep my mouth shut. I am neither a donkey to be worked to death or a dog to be treated like one. I have been off a year. At first I thought I would just take some time off but from what I read here things keep getting worse and worse out there, at 60 I do not need to work anymore. So it is soap operas and bon bons for me from here on in.

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Specializes in Telemetry, Med-Surg, ED, Psych.

When I was working as a CNA, our unit manager was uptight and only cared about the budget. Therefore, I usually was the only CNA for 22 med/surg/tele patients! That was total insanity!

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When I started in the hospital, they were on a "magnet journey" and we always had 6 nurses and two aids for 24 patients. Once the DON of nursing was fired and they weren't eligible to even apply for magnet anymore, overnight we had a new matrix calling for 4 nurses and two aids. Which, of course, we never ever ever had two aids (matrices only work one way - to send people home). Now it is my understanding they are shooting for 3 nurses for 24 patients...fortunately, I have escaped.

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Luckily as an ICU nurse, I have never had to deal with nursing short staffing as a serious issue. I have never taken more than 2 patients in ICU. If staffing is really tight, all patients might be paired, or the charge nurse takes an assignment. Somehow, staff is found.

More commonly, there might be no secretary.

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Private Duty Peds.

:bugeyes: One of the reasons I left hopsital bedside nursing is because I got so tired of having to work so short staffed. We would have 24-32 pts, 2 aides, 2 LPNs, 1Rn and the Charge Rn who was not suppose to take pts.

The night that did it for me was when the floor had 30 pts, 1 aid and 3 nurses which included the charge nurse and the only thing we heard was, sorry it is short all over the hospital.

Day shift would have the same amount of pt's yet, 5 Rn's, 3Lpn's , 4 aides and a charge that took no pts. Evening shift would have 4 Rn's , LPN's , 3 aides and a charge.

Only thing the uppers cared about was the numbers and acuity, never mind the type of pts that required total care!

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Last two jobs I had I left in a huff over that sort of staffing. The first job I left we had always had two RNs, two LPNs and two aides for 24/25 patients on a rehab unit. Then all of sudden they started expecting us two do it with 5, usually 2 RNs, 1LPN and two aides, sometimes it was 2 RNs 2 LPNs and one aide. I bore that in silence. Then perhaps I got what I deserved for keeping quiet. One Sunday evening I came in and it was 2RNs and 2 aides for 24 patients. I managed to do it without any harm to patients but when I left I was shaking with fatigue. I protested to my manager, I though surely she would not allow that to happen again. Much to my shock I came back after two days off to find same staffing. Once again I did it but instead of protesting to my manager I called her manager and told her I would not set foot in hospital under those circumstances again. My manager found out and called me and said, "I won't be needing you any more". A development that was fine with me. So there went that job. I got another job and worked there for about 16 months when same thing in almost every detail happened. In both cases the short staffing was preceded by a drop in census which cause staffing cuts. Then when the census suddenly went back to normal there was no one cover. What they really wanted was someone to just do it and keep their mouths shut. I will not keep my mouth shut. I am neither a donkey to be worked to death or a dog to be treated like one. I have been off a year. At first I thought I would just take some time off but from what I read here things keep getting worse and worse out there, at 60 I do not need to work anymore. So it is soap operas and bon bons for me from here on in.

Oh, boy, do I feel your pain in your post.

For many years, I worked my job short handed.

Things were tough for a long time, a very long time, like for 25 years.

But the manager has put in a new computer system to give medications by and now we can't do it with just 2 nurses anymore. We have to have 3 nurses on our hardest med round. The computer has a time frame on it, and with less than 3 nurses we can't get finished in the time frame.

In that respect, the computer is a great thing for us. It does have its bugs and drawbacks, but all in all, it has become my lifesaver.

So........that means the RNs have to help out or someone has to come in their off day, and usually everyone is pretty good about helping out.

I have never had it so easy as I do right now.

I am responsible for about 65 people on the early med round of my shift, but it is an easy round...not too many meds, {enough, but it is doable}

and then on the harder round I'm responsible for an average of 45, give or take a few, according to which assignment I have.

45 might sound like alot, but where I work it is an easy load. I work with the MR, so it's not a bad load to have fortunately. I would not give up the job I have now and go to a regular nursing home for anything right now. It would have to a huge amount of money to get me to leave this job for another one, and of course that ain't happening.

But, believe me, I have been there and done it.

We used to work with just two nurses for all 8 homes of the people who live there AND take care of the infirmary. While one was out passing meds to 4 homes, the other nurse was watching the infirmary, then we had to switch and the other nurse would go give meds to the other 4 houses. I met myself going and coming, many times.

It's painful and managers in general do NOT care. Just do it, get it done, and don't complain.

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On a snowy day, 35 patients-most were complete care with six RN's on schedule, three RN's with one PCT came to work, one RN was pulled to telemetary because they had only one nurse with 33 patients. We medicated the patients and kept them safe.

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Specializes in LTC.

Well, the worst was a shift with 47 mostly total care pts, one other LPN and me. A good time was had by all.

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In both cases the short staffing was preceded by a drop in census which cause staffing cuts. Then when the census suddenly went back to normal there was no one cover. What they really wanted was someone to just do it and keep their mouths shut.

The same thing happened where I work recently.

I volunteered to take my turn taking low census, but in return I expected my coworkers to take their turn also. I took more than my share of low census days only to have HR scream at me saying I owed them money because I didn't have enough hours to qualify for full time insurance. I don't use my employers crappy insurance. Now, I refuse to take low census. They can pay me instead to sit on my butt for 12 hours.

A few months ago we had 30 pts on our med surg floor with 3 nurses and me, the lone aide. We had a code at 2am, 4 admits at 3am, and pt's complaining because they didn't get that coke they asked for earlier. Someday I'll get the nerve to ask them if anyone ever died from lack of coke.

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