I'm new here, and I'm sorry to start my member ship by complaining, but I swear to God if I don't talk to someone soon, I'm going to lose my mind.
I work in a nursing home on the dementia unit. I work the 3-11 shift, and am therefore charge nurse, which means the ONLY nurse. I have 40 patients, two med passes, treatments, g-tubes, diabetes patients, you name it. To say nothing of sun-downing, fighting, psych issues, etc.
I've been working in this nursing home since last July because I let 5 years elapse before I graduated from nursing school, and this was pretty much my only choice. I was (and am) also deeply in debt, because during my 5 years off I decided to lose all of my money daytrading. Yes, I can be quite an idiot at times.
I feel like I have no options at all. The dementia unit is locked, so it's about 1,000 degrees at all times, I'm not young and am in fact going through menopause so throw hot flashed into that mix, and now with my OA (erosive, with cervical disc disease and degeneration, spinal arthritis, etc.), I'm in constant, constant, pain.
Not only that, but the management of this place is simply not to be believed. More about that later.
Here's my question: I think I have to quit. Now. Tomorrow. I can't take it anymore, but I will lose my benefits, and will possibly have nowhere to go.
I just wanted to thank everyone who replied to my post. What a great site this is! Motorcycle Mama you made me laugh out loud, DallasRN, you made me take stock of my own part in this situation that I'm in, and what I need to do to either get out or to make myself stronger so that I can press on. Looking forward to contributing what I can by way of thanks in the furture--
I worked 3 months in a position very much like you are dealing with now. I'd be in the midst of a complicated dressing change and the phone would ring - two looong hallways away - and guess who would have to drop everything to answer it?
I'd hide in my car in an attempt to get a five minute break - only to have staff banging on the car window with some 'emergency' in need of immediate nursing assessment. Like a splinter!"
LOL--I actually found myself hiding in the bathroom yesterday just trying to get a three-minute break. The down side of that was that I forgot to bring the disinfectant wipes with me, so there was nowhere to sit!
Once you are hired, personally I would not give a 2 week notice. You never want to go back there and I would hope any future employer would understand if you were honest about those conditions- it's inhumane.
This is kinda off topic, but I have a question about the above. When I quit my CNA job at an LTC facility, I gave a 1 week notice rather than a 2 week because it was getting so inhumane (2-3 people for 60 fully dependent residents). My mom told me that I was affecting future job possibilities by giving a shorter notice, but I'm think that I'm screwed either way because the ADON was a catty, petty, corrupt woman who would gossip with the other CNAs, would smirk and gloat like a middle-schooler when I tried to report incidences, and would simply state that I didn't do my work never mind the fact that I'd actually wipe people down when changing them. She's moving to the assisted living part of the facility soon, so a coworker told me to just put the DON or the new ADON on my resume. 1 week is more of a notice than most people give, as they just don't show up for work one day when they find a new job. Also, rumor had it that state paid a visit to the facility because someone choked to death on food and wasn't discovered for hours, and someone fell in front of the nurse's station with her seatbelt alarm turned off and wasn't discovered until her daughter came. I didn't want to be risking my butt and license when they came, so I gave a 1-week notice.
Did I potentially screw up future jobs? My plan was to work as a CNA until I got into nursing school, but I haven't been able to find a CNA job due to hiring freezes at hospitals, the fact that many nursing homes are as bad or worse than my old job, and the Katrina refugees that are now occupying a large chunk of the job market. I'm interviewing for a waitressing job instead.
Quote:"Did I mention 40 patients? 2 med passes (average 2-5 meds per pt. twice in a shift? Treatments? G-tubes? Injections? Charting? I&O's? Written change-of-shift report? Frequently picking up med orders? Updating coumadin per protocol with M.A.R. update? Falls and the ensuing Incident Reports, staff statements, etc. etc.? Is this normal?"
I can so relate to your dilemma----and unfortuantely from what I've gathered from nursing home experience, these are, in fact, pretty "normal" conditions. I agree with the fact that it's just too much for one nurse--which is why I quit the environment--polish up the resume and look elsewhere---management frequently will promise to staff better, etc but it seldom happens. With your health conditions, perhaps an MD office, small group home serving MR/DD clients would be good paths to follow. Have you considered pharmaceutical sales or research? I know of nurses who have found jobs in those areas. I wish you the best of luck!
Town & Country
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Ask them for a MA, LPN, or agency nurse to help.