As nurses, staffing seems to be a widespread problem, but it's one that we shouldn't have to accept. Lately, I've been trying to come up with ideas to help better staff my own unit.
Today, I explicitly told the DON and schedular that with the growing number of patients and rising acuity, my unit requires 2 nurses and 2 aides at all times. I was given various reasons as to why this was not possible. I expressed understanding but then also pointed out we should not have any Hoyer lift or assist of 2 patients on my unit if not enough staff are available. Again, this didn't go far, and of course there were reasons why these patients couldn't be transferred over to the better staffed unit.
I am at a loss for how to go about resolving this. I am trying to figure out a way to provide better staffing that doesn't involve expecting me to be a manager and a floor nurse at the same time.
A couple of ideas:
1. Document every time a resident puts on their call light. This will demonstrate how frequently residents are requiring staff attention.
2. Document behavior/mood notes every shift on residents that require an excessive amount of attention from staff.
3. Make a list of ALL the tasks needed for each resident. There are over 500 items on the TAR for nurses alone, which is too much for one nurse
Any ideas? Has anyone ever successfully advocated for better staffing with good results?
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
4 hours ago, 2BS Nurse said:
"I'm usually too tired on the weekends to put out any job applications too".
This quote reminds me of what my supervisor, Margie, at Wrongway, said when she was one of a few who scheduled staff one weekend.
I was the RN on geriatric psych and contacted the house sup when the tech, Fren Bren, the only other member to work the unit, not show up. It seems Fren Bren was scheduled to work another unit. However, the schedule also showed that Fren Bren had requested, and was granted, the shift off.
On Monday, when I informed Margie of the situation, she said, "On Fridays we're so tired, we just make sure there are at least the right number of names in the slots for each unit".
"Oh yeah", I replied, "That's how I administer medication- just make sure there is the right number of pills."
1. Document every time a resident puts on their call light. This will demonstrate how frequently residents are requiring staff attention.
2. Document behavior/mood notes every shift on residents that require an excessive amount of attention from staff.
3. Make a list of ALL the tasks needed for each resident. There are over 500 items on the TAR for nurses alone, which is too much for one nurse
Any ideas? Has anyone ever successfully advocated for better staffing with good results?
The reason you're not getting more staff is that administration is cheap and doesn't care if patients get hurt. They'll only change their tune if residents complain for you.
Davey Do
10,666 Posts
This quote reminds me of what my supervisor, Margie, at Wrongway, said when she was one of a few who scheduled staff one weekend.
I was the RN on geriatric psych and contacted the house sup when the tech, Fren Bren, the only other member to work the unit, not show up. It seems Fren Bren was scheduled to work another unit. However, the schedule also showed that Fren Bren had requested, and was granted, the shift off.
On Monday, when I informed Margie of the situation, she said, "On Fridays we're so tired, we just make sure there are at least the right number of names in the slots for each unit".
"Oh yeah", I replied, "That's how I administer medication- just make sure there is the right number of pills."