how many patients

melcolbstorm · Jun 9, 2014

EXACTLY!!! You are 100% correct!!!! Actually that exact thing happens ALLLLLL the time!! Just yesterday I was struggling to change a guy and a nurse came in and turned off the light and left, never helped. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!! You understand completely!

funtimes · Jun 11, 2014

I'll add that how smoothly things go with 16 patients depends a LOT on the RNs you work with. I worked at a small hospital where the RNs were like super nurses, they were truly amazing. Hard working, competent, cool under pressure, good sense of humor, and they worked as a team and were appreciative of the techs. I had some crazy patient loads at that place, but everything always turned out well because of the people I worked with and the culture there. I also had a great supervisor who frequently sought the input of the techs and actually acted on it.

Later on I worked at a huge hospital(I called it the death star) and it was a totally different atmosphere. It was a lot more chaotic and disorganized, The RNs had a sense of entitlement and looked down on the techs, there was no team work, poor communication, The RNs didn't seem as skilled and competent as what I'd been used to, and management never sought the opinion of nor cared the least bit what the techs thought. The mindset was you are lucky we LET you work here, don't like it we got a hundred more to take your place. As a result I could have a lot fewer patients and still be a lot busier.

Nurse Leigh · Jun 11, 2014

If the RNs don't like it, they can press management for an extra tech.

:what: In what world do nurses have this power?? Trust me, in most places, nurses are overworked and stretched too thin just like the techs - and some places either don't utilize techs/CNAs at all or constantly pull them to be sitters or float to another unit. I can assure you that the nurses have no say in this matter. A good tech/CNA is a gift....and a good nurse realizes this and we wish neither group were so overworked. (And yes I am well aware there are some nurses who misuse techs/CNAs just as I know there are some awful techs/CNAs out there)

melcolbstorm · Jun 11, 2014

So true, so true!! If everyone works as a team it is great!

keiya · Jun 14, 2014

my floor is SOTU and we generally have 9-10, but if we are short-staffed one side of techs will have 19! I am still orientating so I just help out where needed right now

Ele123 · Jun 15, 2014

I just started on a ortho/neuro med-surg floor. During days the most I've seen is 7, but I remember 8 during clinicals there. It's not as many as a lot of you, but it still can seem like a lot depending on the patients. One day there were 7, most couldn't get out of bed, a couple were bedbound, needed bathroom assistance at least every hour, missed, and everything had to be changed, wanted us to hand/plug in their electronic device every 30 minutes, and most of the patients required multiple techs to turn. The day shift is required to give everyone "baths" which can take 10-30 minutes a piece, dressing changes, and passing breakfast and lunch trays. There have been days when there are 7 or 8 and it doesn't seem like a lot because the patients assigned to the tech are mobile and just need someone to "spot" them while they go to the commode/bathroom. It's not a lot compared to the rest of you, but it seems like a lot to me. Maybe it's because I'm kind of new.