Is it wrong to feel this way

[OSUFan1]

So I have been a nurse since I started as a LPN and have recently received my ADN...I got a job in hospital on a busy med/surge floor...and quickly realized how valuable STNA's are...it seems most hospitals are doing away with them and going to total care by the nurses...I know cost wise is a big reason...but what about patient care and employee satisfaction...its very stressful and leaves for rushed care when the RN has to do absolutely everything..especially when you may have 7 patients to care for....just wondering if any other Nurses feel this way?

[caliotter3]

The place where I observed total care had four patients assigned to the nurse. Seven is too much.

[momof3al RN]

no you are not wrong.

thankfully the hospitals i work for do have PCTs, the things that they do are very apparent to the patients and their families and they have a very strong emotional response when they are not done promptly and properly. i can exercise awesome nursing judgement in ways that keeps patient safe or even saves patient's life but that is largely invisible to patients and their families and don't matter to them when thier call lights go unawered or they are laying in a puddle of urine and stool.

i work for a corp hosppital and a non-profit hospital and they are very different in their expectations of staff. IMO, the problem is that corp hospitals try to sweeze as much as they can out of staff to make a profit and pay the board of directors.

the corp hospital sends nurses home if they don't have at least 6 pt, the non-profit will call in nurses so they all start the shift with four. the only reason i stay at the corp hospital is that i love my co-workers, and my charge nurse. if they went to expecting total care from me, i'd have to leave.

[Bo,RN]

I worked on a med-surg floor that was total care by the nurses. We maxed out at 5 patients. I liked it. I didn't have to depend on someone else to obtain my FSBS or vital signs at appropriate times. I think it also allowed the patient more rest. I would go in, take vital signs and do my assessment all at once. If the patient had BP or DM medications, I would take the medication in with me and check the BP or FSBS if the medication was not needed I would return it. We had great team work and would help each other with turning or bathing.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I dislike total care...

If I had the choice between 8 patients with a CNA/tech or 4 patients total care without a tech, I'd choose the 8-patient load in a heartbeat. I detest total care.

[TNT_RN09, BSN, RN]

I would take the 4 pts total care in a heartbeat

[bell1962]

I've worked both total care and team. The problem with total care for me was finding someone to help when you had to lift patients, needed a second opinion , or just help with anything.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I do not see any movement away from having PCT's in my hospital. Especially with "customer service" being such a big deal. Count me in the group of people that want a tech and maybe one or more patients. What med-surg RN can do total care on 7 patients alone??? That's not even safe.

[OSUFan1]

I have really come to not like this job at all..because of the total care...especially after a family member got Irate that someone did not come right away when mom had to use the bathroom, because I was giving a shower to the patient next door who could not be left alone, and my team member was up to her ears in a dressing change with the help of another nurse..so needless to say..Mom wet the bed...I know these things will still happen with the help of STNA's/PCA but c'mon now..dont blame me when the survey scores go down...which they have done tremendously in this facilty since going to total care..and who gets blamed...the Nurses of course!!!