Moving to Victoria!

K+MgSO4, BSN · May 6, 2012

welcome to Victoria. and the public health system! Ratios are 1:4 with 50% loading in the acute setting. So if you have a 26 bed ward you will have 6 nurses. We also have a charge nurse without a patient load on both day shifts. If you are going into psych they are still fighting for their ratios but the general nurses have secured their ratios for another 4 years.

In my hospital there are no nursing assistants. We do have one clinical assistant per ward who in my hospital does the water jugs in the morning deals with the linen skips washes and makes beds for the discharges. They are also available to help with hoists and washes with pts. However most of the time we tag team. my ward has 6 nurses so we make 3 teams of 2 who assist each other with washes and cover each other pt on tea breaks

Bringonthenight · May 6, 2012

welcome to Victoria. and the public health system! Ratios are 1:4 with 50% loading in the acute setting. So if you have a 26 bed ward you will have 6 nurses. We also have a charge nurse without a patient load on both day shifts. If you are going into psych they are still fighting for their ratios but the general nurses have secured their ratios for another 4 years. In my hospital there are no nursing assistants. We do have one clinical assistant per ward who in my hospital does the water jugs in the morning deals with the linen skips washes and makes beds for the discharges. They are also available to help with hoists and washes with pts. However most of the time we tag team. my ward has 6 nurses so we make 3 teams of 2 who assist each other with washes and cover each other pt on tea breaks

-No patient load for the charge nurse? Does this nurse round with the Doctors?-1:4 on AM and PM?! - also with public there are junior doctors to page 24/7 is this true?I am very excited to work somewhere with these working conditions!

ceridwyn · May 6, 2012

I do hope you are going to work in a level one Melbourne hospital ...or you may be disappointed....and on afternoon shift even in a level one hospital it is 1:6 and 1:8 on nights. If level 2 you will have different ratios 1:5-6 afo 1:8 nights 1:10.

Also most hospitals in the country and in many level 2"s in the metropolitan area, there are limited ward helps or assists, you end up doing everything as an RN/EN, washes, showers, linen skips, pan room on evenings and night, do the running to pharmacy, to or, to x-ray,....now you see why ratios were brought in.

Good luck with your move. So much for the non nursing duties of years ago!

ps there is even level 3 imagine the ratios!

Bringonthenight · May 6, 2012

I do hope you are going to work in a level one Melbourne hospital ...or you may be disappointed....and on afternoon shift even in a level one hospital it is 1:6 and 1:8 on nights. If level 2 you will have different ratios 1:5-6 afo 1:8 nights 1:10.Also most hospitals in the country and in many level 2"s in the metropolitan area, there are limited ward helps or assists, you end up doing everything as an RN/EN, washes, showers, linen skips, pan room on evenings and night, do the running to pharmacy, to or, to x-ray,....now you see why ratios were brought in. Good luck with your move. So much for the non nursing duties of years ago!ps there is even level 3 imagine the ratios!

My current ratio where I work is 1:9-10 on days and evenings and 1:11-12 on nights. We have 1 clinical aide (if we're lucky!) in the morning shift to assist- however when you have 10 patients that all require ADL assistance; nurses end up doing it all anyway (I have no problem showering/feeding patients but when the ratio is so high its hard to get everything done and provide adequete care). We also are expected to take patients to X-ray and go to pharmacy etc. Our charge nurse also takes a patient load ontop of their usual duties. On night shift we also have to handle linen skips and clean pan rooms. I feel like I'm just a rushed blur and that my patients aren't getting the care they deserve because there is just no time. I would be happy with any "level" hospital Victoria has as they all seem to have better conditions. The only "luxury" that I am used to is that we have phlebotomists to perform our cannulation and venipuncture, I am assuming RNs or interns do this in Victoria?

K+MgSO4, BSN · May 6, 2012

and on afternoon shift even in a level one hospital it is 1:6 and 1:8 on nights.

Really? RMH has a 1;4 for both day shifts. Pan room duties are split between clinical assistant and nurses. Linen & dishwasher = CA pans and bottles = nurse vases = me I think most days!

My ward has only been open for a short peroid of time so the Div Don forgot about phelbotomy services. 5 AM is our blood round NOT fun but hope to be changing soon (new Div DON).

ceridwyn · May 6, 2012

My mistake, I obviously did not read the agreements properly, thought the big hospitals also went up in ratios for afo shift, as I worked in a level one in the country (I think its 1B or something like that and always had 6 patients in the evening no matter what the acruity and 8 of a night.

Had 7 for theatre one night and just me, I was a casual on nurse bank, first time and only time, I walked off a shift crying. They do not do teams, but just work individually at this hospital. Complained to the night supervisor, who was 24 and just finished her grad year!!! that this was dangerous practise and I wanted help as no -one was covering my patients while I was up and down taking and collecting patients to theatre, when I had a few seconds racing by her sitting at the ward desk.

The cases were, 2 obstructed bowel, appendix, 2 cholestectomy 2 and 1 fractured nof, remember it well. Kept the handover sheet under lock and key at work, just in case anything ever happened. Oh and the other patient was day 2 after hip replacement. Did not have enough dinamaps or spygmos to even help take obs. I stuck to pain relief (after insisting other nurses check the dd out with me, then and there and that the crossword had to wait) and obs, iv's well if they ran out too bad. None had epidurals.

Walked up to the ''executive officer for nursing'" that morning around 9am after giving handover (on coming day staff were gobsmacked I was given these clients by myself) and finishing notes, no breaks for 14 hours and burst into tears, was told I was in burnout, really, after a shift like that, I realised then ratios are not everything, instilling and promoting and insisting on teamwork is....and do not have a nurse straight out of a grad year as night c-ordinator. Quit shift work and that 'public'' hospital after that.

Bringonthenight · May 7, 2012

My my mistake, I obviously did not read the agreements properly, thought the big hospitals also went up in ratios for afo shift, as I worked in a level one in the country (I think its 1B or something like that and always had 6 patients in the evening no matter what the acruity and 8 of a night.

Where can I find these agreements to read over?

ceridwyn · May 7, 2012

If you are a member of ANF they did have the old agreements in the members portal, not sure if the new agreements are there yet, pays awards are, thus, thats why Victorian agreements are difficult to get hold. Not sure where else they would be on the net.:)

At every hospital there is supposed to be the employer/employee agreement, ratios, pays everything with easy access to nurses 24/7.

Bringonthenight · May 7, 2012

I will definitely be enquiring about the agreement and the working conditions. I am concerned about the ratios still, I don't want another job with 1:10! I will find out and keep you all posted.

K+MgSO4, BSN · May 7, 2012

Ceridwyn that is horrific!