Last week, handed a booklet detailing my job expections; I work 7am to 7.30pm on a surgical/tele floor.
7am meeting huddle, 5 -10 mins, mostly on what more we need to do; then get assignment, paperwork, do walking rounds, check all lines, answer lights, be on top of meds, phone calls, escort any pt with a chest tube, heparin drip. etc, to various tests, chart your assessments on 5-6 pts, mostly post op, within two hours.
We have CPOE, which means the docs enter their own orders, except they enter nursing comunictation orders, which mean i have to enter them. Check every pt hourly and sign a sheet. We take high dependency type pts, despite being med/surg floor.
The Unit secretary, and LPNs, can no longer imput orders, check orders do admits, give narcotics., and all post op pts must have a full history and admit done on arrival. Discharges must be done within 60 mins. Meanwhile Im supposed to give pts the best experience ebver by sitting with them, making eye contact etc.
Is this normal now? Just wondering what other facilities do. Been a nurse for 20+ years, and I can't handle it.
Busy busy busy with barely a moment for a potty break let alone lunch....thats how you know you are doing your job right!
I'll have to disagree with you here Lil'mama in that I don't judge my success at work on whether or not I get to take a break. Breaks shouldn't be optional for those same reasons patients eating or taking a patient's blood sugar isn't optional.
I'll have to disagree with you here Lil'mama in that I don't judge my success at work on whether or not I get to take a break. Breaks shouldn't be optional for those same reasons patients eating or taking a patient's blood sugar isn't optional.
I was just joking. I just know of nurses that describe how they give superior care which includes them not taking a break or never sitting down.
My only hospital job was an LTACH - which I loved! We griped if we had more than 6-7 patients, a new admit happened maybe twice a week, same with discharges. Total patient census was 30 - tops. "ICU" was a 4 bed room... there you got screwed; it would be 1nurse:4 pts. 2 CNAs for the floor, usually - 3 or 4 CNAs during the day. Only thing an LVN can't do there is hang blood and push IV meds.
Now I'm psych, for the state - and I like that too.
This is the typical day in a med/surg unit. Although, I don't see the importance of hiring LPNs and PCTs if LPNs are not able to administer narcotics and the unit sec is not there to answer the phones, input information...etc. This makes LPNs in this particular setting banal and unnecessary if you must perform all of the typical duties of the LPN and PCT! Transportation to other units done by the RN? Where is that a typical job function? An LPN who is not licensed to administer narcotics?
The facility where I work as a student is worried about satisfaction surveys. The staff has been given meetings and written propaganda to achieve a 66% satisfaction rate so the hospital will get superior funding (from who I don't know). More scripted greetings and such are being introduced. The clincher is this one: staff is supposed to carry paper tokens in their pockets to give out to dissatisfied patrons or their family/ friends. These cards say something like "we are sorry we didn't' meet your expectations, and we are trying to do better, please take this token for a free meal in our cafeteria as our apology". Can you imagine? Maybe more staff would avoid the dissatisfaction.......ya think? Would you like fries with that IV?
[color=#a52a2a]this type of demanding almost impossible assignment is becoming more and more the usual because of the money involved in health care and rn salaries. the philosophy has become "do more with less or get out"
Stcroix, that is Medicare making the rules.. they are no longer going to pay for passive care, they are going to be an active payer. Meaning they won't pay if the scores are low ... Of course they want 66 percent, right now what scores u get now sets presedence for next years. So right now its a graded practice run. Get ready for more scripts and shoving of ur scores aren't up there
Thanks for the info canchaser. At least I understand where they are coming from. I guess the beancounters need the money to keep the place running, but we all know satisfaction surveys have little to do with proper patient care :-( . Sad state of affairs.
Caffeine_IV
1,198 Posts
Busy busy busy with barely a moment for a potty break let alone lunch....thats how you know you are doing your job right!