LPN

[Afterthestorm]

Hi, I am a fairly new nurse, I started my first nursing job 5 months ago. Things were going great and I was learning a lot, thanks to the fellow nurse I shared the other halls with. Just recently, there was a nurse on another unit who was suspended for a certain situation that involved her continuously not assessing patients. It was the hot topic at my work for a lot the staff and a few nurses and one of her CMTs was the one who wrote a lengthy letter to point out all of her mistakes to the DON. She has been gone for 3 days and it's becoming apparent that she is probably not coming back so the nurse who was sharing 3 halls with me, now has to go work that unit and I am now covering all 3 halls which adds up to 102 patients. I do work nights however, so I realize it is slower, and I do have the CMT that was working on the other unit to help pass the morning meds, but it is still overwhelming. I work in LTC and my patients need a lot of help. If anything happens with a patient, it has put me severely behind unfortunately. I'm having to do treatments, give out scheduled meds, and PRN, chart on patients with new meds on residents from all the halls, falls, abt therapy, condition changes, fill out psychological reports, check glucose monitors, write reports in the report books, and if there are any new orders, I have to make sure they are in the computer correctly, all of this while making sure my CNAS/CMT know what people to get vitals on, and other assignments that need to be done for the night. I don't mean to complain, I do like my job, I just feel like it's forcing me to sacrifice my integrity as a nurse and that's just something I don't want to do. The company I work for is really slow at hiring new nurses and sometimes they don't. On another note, the CMT who passes the meds in the morning goes over to other unit and stays over there without notifying me about it and she has the set of keys for the carts that have some of the PRN medications. Our cmts are not aloud to give PRN medications at my facility any longer, so that also adds to time because I have to look for her. This CMT is really close to the other nurse on the other unit and that nurse is close to the DON and they basically have tag teamed on people if they don't like them and try to find ways to get them fired like they did to the other nurse and they boast about to other people. It has me on edge, I take pride in what I do and I try to do what's right when I'm working, but if I have so many people I'm in charge over, it makes me wonder if something may happen due to the overload. This CMT I'm working with now also over steps her boundaries and even looks at the nurses MAR and TAR and tries to tell me that I need to sign out stuff that I didn't get a chance to do yet because I was busy with a patient, in which it's always within the time frame. It just bothers me that she is trying to micromanage me when I'm the one in charge. This CMT has also been telling CNAS who to put calazinc on and such...Anyways, I know I just ranted there for a while, but all of these things are really bothering me and even though I love nursing... I don't want to be on edge at work. I love my patients and I want to stay there... any advice?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I love my patients and I want to stay there... any advice?

Since resigning is not an option because you want to remain there, my suggestion is to stick it out until another nurse is hired to replace the one who is unlikely to return.

However, I would gently remind the DON that caring for 102 residents on the night shift is becoming a rough feat to accomplish. Be honest and tell her, in a diplomatic manner, that you are wondering how long this is going to last.

Good luck to you.

[blue82]

wow...please watch your back and continue to do what you know is right.