I am recently employed in a LTC facility and have a couple questions
1) how can I speed up my Med pass I take all of three hours to do 20 patients I think that it is a very long time so any suggestions will be good
2) someone suggested that i prepare my meds in individually marked cups during the early hours I was wondering if that is legal as in can i do somehting like that when the state is there.
3)someone else suggested that i put stock meds that i constantly open adn close a small quantity in a cup of each (ie FeSO4, chew ASA , Vit C, Oscal etc) is that legal and can i do that hwen the state is there observing.
Hopign to hear what everyone has to say I want to see what I can do tomorrow to speed myself up.
Specializes in Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Sub-Acute Rehab.
Don't get yourself into any bad habits. Those cups can be confused and you can easily make med errors. You want to learn how to do it the right way first. You will learn safe shortcuts but don't use them until you know how to do it the right way first. Remember there is nothing safe about looking at a patient and thinking well "she looks okay" and skip taking her pulse if you are giving dig. Just take your time. When survey comes if you are too slow they won't have you on the floor anyway. :)
At survey time at one facility where I worked, there was a special "show" nurse that they would make sure was doing the med pass. She did this every year and the surveyors knew about her and what was going on. While you can't count on this happening where you work, I would not worry about survey time now. You will gain speed as you gain experience. Definitely cut out the wound care and any other distractors. I used to start my med pass as early as allowable. I found as I got faster with time, I could cut down on the amount of minutes that I would start early.
I can totally relate to your post...you are not alone!!! I am having the same exact experience as you, and every day I am so frustrated that it is really dragging me down. My shift is the 2-10:30 shift...I wasn't getting done with my work till 2-3 AM, so they switched me to 12-hour shifts...and I still am going over that most days. This is the hardest job I have ever had, going 13 hours without a trip to the bathroom..not sitting down the entire time...the whole thing is a blur by the end of the day. 40 patients is too many, that's the number I have also, and I think it is ridiculous and wrong to put so many patients with one LPN---unfortunately, the state disagrees, and so there's no chance it will ever change. I plan on hanging in there until I can find something else (doctor's office, home health care) that will give me back some sanity. What a terrible experience this has been---I feel horrible for these poor residents who get the absolute minimum of care simply because we have no time to do more than the bare minimum. The whole personal care home thing in this country is a travesty.
I have a 20 pt med run on the 7-3 shift on a rehab floor. It takes me from 7 am til about 11 am most days. I find that this is a good time to get to know the residents. I take their B/P, Ap, sometime a pulse ox, they ask questions, I stop and answer them. Sometimes a shoe needs to be tied, a footrest put on the wheelchair, sometimes someone has to go to the bathroom and can't wait! Sometimes I come upon a resident who is sick and I need to call my supervisor, check vitals, call the doc and sometimes send them to the hospital. There are lots of tasks to be done during a med run, I can garantee you, if all you do during a med run is give meds, you are not doing your job, and you certainly don't get to know your patients.
I see nurses all the time who just give meds and nothing else, that's NOT nursing!
So, be kind to yourself! I'm sure you are doing an excellent job!!!!!
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I can garantee you, if all you do during a med run is give meds, you are not doing your job, and you certainly don't get to know your patients.
Sorry, but I'm doing my job by completing my morning medication pass within the allotted two-hour time frame. If my meds are due at 8am, they must all be administered between the hours of 7am and 9am. If a state surveyor catches you passing your morning meds at 11am when all you had was 20 residents, your nursing license could possibly get referred.
The medication pass time frame is strictly for meds and should be uninterrupted. The phone calls to the physician, send-outs to the hospital, and so forth can be done before or after the med pass. You have all day to get to know your residents.
Superb time management is a major part of a nurse's job. A 4-hour med pass does not reflect this.
gods_gift
18 Posts
Don't get yourself into any bad habits. Those cups can be confused and you can easily make med errors. You want to learn how to do it the right way first. You will learn safe shortcuts but don't use them until you know how to do it the right way first. Remember there is nothing safe about looking at a patient and thinking well "she looks okay" and skip taking her pulse if you are giving dig. Just take your time. When survey comes if you are too slow they won't have you on the floor anyway. :)