I am not sure how to pace myself

[idahomdsnurse]

I lurk alot but do not post regularly. I would like some advice or suggestions to get over my "burnout". I have been in MDS for 2 years. Long story short, when I started I worked with another nurse who did the 5 days and 14 days and wrote the careplans. I did the 30, 60, 90, 90/Q and all long term. At that itme we were running about 95-100, with about 40 PPS.

The other nurse left after 13 years and we hired another nurse. We split the building and census was down to about 82-85 with about 25-30 PPS. The new nurse could not keep up, so at Christmas they changed our "assignment" and I do ALL PPS and she does long term, and any insurance PPS we get. Mind you, we are grand central station..seriously, I average 10 admissions/re-admissions a week and anywhere from 5-8 DC's a week. I right now have 35 PPS, my partner has 41 medicaid and 3 insurance PPS. I feel this is pretty lopsided. I usually work 7 days a week and usually have no less than 20 hours OT a pay period (2 weeks). My partner is now doing 40 hour weeks, takes lunch, and does not come in on weekends, does not have to do PPS meeting, medicare meeting, triple check. Every morning I have to do my PPS log, DX sheets, keep a running list of what the other disiplines do not have done (I am waiting on 23 assessments to be completed to date).

We will NOT be getting another MDS nurse. I just feel burnout, that my partner was rewarded for not being able to keep up and I get the brunt. She offers to help but she is not speedy by any means. I also do all the COT, EOT, SOT's....

Am I right in feeling this way? I do like my job, but just wish it did not consume me and all my time to complete this job. We run the above on a consistent basis...this is not a fluke. I feel if I don't go in on the weekends to keep up on the admits/DC's..then Monday I spend 1/2 the morning doing the admissions stuff for about 8 admits and around 2-3 DC's. I am sorry this is so long winded, but I have no one to discuss this with and thought an objective reader could shred some advice. I go in about 0500 as I have to have everything ready to go for PPS at 0830. I usually go home around 1500-1600, sometimes earlier if it is a light day. Tomorrow for instance I have 2 5/ADM, 6 14 days and careplans, 2 30 days..the rest of the week is maybe 1 MDS less a day. Thank you for listening. I live in a very rural area and thinking of finding something else is very limited and I will not find my rate of pay anywhere.

[silverbat]

Could your partner take over the admits and discharges? that would take some of the load off you......

[idahomdsnurse]

She will start to help with the discharges. I am still responsible for what we call our "morning stuff" (entry records, closures, input of minutes, PPS mtg, transmitting, DX sheets, etc). We have help come down from corporate when swamped, but sometimes she is needed elsewhere. We have the highest ins and outs in the region! The facility is placing an ad for a part time MDS nurse, but last time we advertised we did not get one application. Hoping for better this time. I would just like a break from being in there 7 days a week to keep up. If I had a smaller load, I would truly enjoy my job. I will just keep on keeping on.