Is every LTC nursing home understaffed? just wondering

[gorideaquad]

OK here is a quick synopsis. Started "training" (loosely put). It was my second day today. Yesterday I worked the Alzheimer's unit. It had let's say 25-30 people. There were just 2 aides. They called another PRN who was not much help, he took about 15 breaks. The other aids worked hard, I mean constantly. They were stlll cool with me and I worked hard too. It's sort of difficult when the patients don;t know you and you are only going to be there one day.

Today I show up at the short term rehab. area and let's say there were 30 (?) residents. It was just ONE CNA until we got another PRN from the LTC hall to help. She was not familiar with the area. There should have been minimum 4-5 people to get the job done half way right. Plus there was a family insisting on a shower, and stayed until 3 when we said the next shift would give him one. Several other visiting families with many requests and some complaints about the facility right to me and this other CNA, comparing it to another. I got peed on several times (8) and pooped on twice, several residents with c-diff, hep , etc.

Anyways I am due to work nights so The meals won't be a worry and neither will the showers. But I have already been warned about the hall I am assigned to and basically it's a place where no one co-operates and helps. No I will tell you this, we had 3 women (2 pregnant) lift a 400 lb woman today. Even the nurse helped. i am NOT about to lift a 400 lb man by myself. I mean I know there are lifts right and I have to be trained on them.

Basically are all facilities like this? It is clean, nice, pretty but just today only I have had several complaints on the food (I could not cut the ham slice (Turkey?) for several residents it was so hard. The residents will compare this place to another just a mile away if they have stayed there.

Help with advice. I mean I KNOW this is not a productive environment and I am just staying there for my resume and the cash, yes the cash LOL

[gorideaquad]

dang man I guess i will have to get used to it

Hey you know they say once you have done the hardest job, it can only get easier somewhere else right?

There are CNA's that have been there 5 years and stick together and when you ask for help they don't come maybe they forget or who knows. I know for 56 people it will be 3 CNA's

I am still not getting how I am supposed to do my last round at 4:30 am and get my get ups in time by 7am because I have to be out the door at 7 sharp for my kids.

I will endure this facility for the experience and learn from it. But love it? no. I do love some of the residents already though, just not the ones that punch me and hit me LOL

[fuzzywuzzy, CNA]

Well, you can get everything ready for your get-ups during your first round. Lay out clothes, towels, etc. If you do this on your first round, the next 3 rounds will be faster. And I imagine you can get your assigned get-ups dressed earlier, then pop them up at the last minute. Just dress them in bed as you do your earlier rounds, but leave their pants down so you can quickly see if they need to be changed later on. What do the other CNAs do?

If a call light is going off and the other CNA is busy doing nothing and you're busy doing actual work, then don't answer it. Soon enough the nurse will see her sitting around and tell her to get it.

[gorideaquad]

fuzzy thanks!

[gorideaquad]

I will actually try this tonight and report on it tomorrow to see how it went. The residents always ask what time it is though LOL. I guess I can lie yeah it's 4:30 am not 3 am how would they know anyways as long as I leave them in their rooms. The nurse really does not want to see them earlier then necessary cause you know how they are all gathered around the nurses station and chat.

Thanks again you are giving me hope I will probably have 30 people and 5 get ups minimum

[gorideaquad]

fuzzy I did what you said and it went off without a hitch I was done at 6 am!. But I have to say that it was just me and not me and another orientee. Some people say it's easier to work alone at my facility. That is true until you need to lift a resident. There is one resident I can't lift and one that uses a hoyer but he did not have to use the bathroom, I have not yet been trained on those. I heard you are really not suppose to operate those on your own. So I had 20 residents, 3 rounds, 5 get ups and did fine. The only boo boo I did was I got a brief on backwards on a get up LOL. It was also easier becuause this very needy resident was in the hopstial and the one that poops 7 times a night in her brief was given a sleeping pill LOL.

But yeah it went way better, The only thing that got to me is the person who was supposed to train me was out for like the second day in a row (never met her) so it was just me

The other two cna's are related and have this bad rep. Well let me tell you that they were great and asked me several times if I needed help, I did ask twice with residents I could not push over to change on my own. I answered some of their call lights and did not make a bib deal out of it, you give some you take some.

Anyways I am much more hopeful now thanks again for the good advice

[slp1009]

Unfortunately, this seems to be an epidemic along LTC facilities. Where I'm currently employed was recently purchased by a new company who swiftly came in and cut staff. I work third shift so I don't have to manage showers or meals, but let me tell you...these people don't sleep. We used to have 3 aides on my unit for a max of fifty residents and now we staff only two. When I work I have upwards of 25 residents, if not more. I work the rehab unit and we've been bringing in some especially "heavy" (require a lot of care) residents and it is becoming increasingly difficult to handle. The nurses do little if anything to help and we're being loaded with their tasks (changing O2 and Neb tubing, putting away meds, filing). It's very stressful no matter which shift you may work as each one has their own struggles. Keep working through it and maybe it will get better and if not find something else, but the grass isn't always greener.