New Charge Nurse in LTC Rant

zacarias, ASN, RN · Oct 1, 2004

I'm new but seeing as how the last charge nurse quit and moved to Alaska because she was tired of all the BS (Her sage advice to me was "Michael, never, ever be charge") then came the day supers "elected" me charge. And me sitting there in the meeting saying "But I don't wanna". Sucker.
Attitude

Mike,

Oh man I was exhaused halfway through your message. You're an awesome nurse to handle all that but I really don't think you should have to. Is the buck more an hour worth it? Hope your other days aren't so harried.

weetziebat · Oct 1, 2004

mike, you have my deepest sympathy

i lasted three months in ltc, and had to get out before i cheerfully strangled everyone in the place. those poor folks are so badly in need of good care, but the poor staffing, and the lazy staff that do so often work there makes it next to impossible to give the care you want to. i kept asking why they didn't have a ward clerk, and everyone just laughed at me. and then they have the nerve to call "attitude" a problem!!

is alaska starting to look like an alternative? lol:rotfl:

NurseFeelGood · Oct 1, 2004

Hi Mike. Been there done that. I have worked 2 units carrying up to 65 residents a night 12-16 accuchecks/insulins, 12 tubefeeders, 2 IV's and all this with only one CNA whom needed help with rounds. Let me tell you...I feel ya. Are there any large plants there who hire nurses for occupational health? If so, look into it. The pay is somewhat better, the benefits about the same but the work load....it's heaven compared to LTC. Either way, good luck to you :kiss

RN34TX · Oct 1, 2004

Notice the same recurring theme from everyone??

Get out of long term care!!

I had one too many smart mouth CNA's who think that they "run the place" and I would never go back to that environment.

MikeLPN · Oct 1, 2004

Sorry for the rant. I guess I'm just going to have to get serious about the LPN-RN program and quit screwing around.

And that's MY attitude :)

RN34TX · Oct 1, 2004

Sorry for the rant. I guess I'm just going to have to get serious about the LPN-RN program and quit screwing around.
And that's MY attitude :)

That's what I did. Got my RN, work in ICU, no CNA's or unit clerk's to boss me around.

NurseRatchett · Oct 1, 2004

Notice the same recurring theme from everyone??
Get out of long term care!!
I had one too many smart mouth CNA's who think that they "run the place" and I would never go back to that environment.

Yeah Mike, get out of LTC!!!! They will suck all of the life blood out of your body and ask for more. I swore to myself that I would never, ever work in LTC again as long as I can help it......

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Oct 1, 2004

I admire anyone who can deal with LTC without coming completely off the spool.....I did it for several years, was a care manager/MDS coordinator for a year-and-a-half, and I can say without hesitation that I would rather work at Wal-Mart. It's a shame, because the frail elderly deserve a lot better than what they're getting.......they paid into the system all their working lives, and now they're in these facilities where they often can't even get an Attends change or a sip of water when they need it, because the skeleton crews they staff these 'homes' with are overwhelmed with too many residents and too many mandatory tasks. :angryfire Makes me mad enough to bite a rock. But I had a choice: I could stay within the system and burn out, rendering myself utterly useless, or I could work in another environment where I could actually DO something for my geriatric patients.

Now I work in acute care, and one of the first things I'll do when I admit an older patient---especially one from a nursing home---is request nutrition labs. Then I do a thorough skin check and address any potential or actual breakdown, and I also request vitamin and protein supplements for the patient as appropriate. I may not be able to do a whole lot---I'm certainly not going to save any lives or prevent them from going back into LTC, because that's often the only appropriate setting. But I want to make sure that when they do go back, they've at least had nutritional and skin issues addressed and the means are in place to improve, or at the very least maintain, what quality of life they may have.

I hope nobody takes this to mean that only hospital nurses care about the frail elderly; I've worked with many exceptional LTC nurses and deeply respect what they do, day in and day out, to make the most of what they have to work with. It's the system that's broken, thanks to the prevailing wisdom that encourages LTC facilities to rake in as much profit as possible while spending the least amount of money on staff, equipment, and maintenance. THAT'S why I will never, if I can possibly avoid it, work in long-term care again.....it's just too discouraging. If the voices of literally thousands of nursing-home workers all over the nation can't influence the powers that be to change the way long-term care is delivered, there is no way it will ever be an environment in which I can work without fear of losing my license, or feel that I'm making a real difference.

tmiller027 · Oct 2, 2004

This is all comforting since I'm going to be working LTC for quite awhile. I'm a CNA in a nursing home right now, but the home is paying part of my tuition, so I'll have to work there for a couple years after graduation. I've been there about 6 months so far, but they seem like a really good place. Not perfect by any means, but the staff is very good and the management is easy to get along with as well. I just hope it stays that way lol

Blackcat99 · Oct 2, 2004

:) I work in LTC and I call my job "Mission Impossible." I do the best I can do and that's all I can do. I am off for 2 days now. When I return to my job no one will say "You sure did a great job." Instead, I can count on being criticized or condemned for any little thing I didn't do perfectly. Why is it that a person can do a lot of good stuff and no one notices? :angryfire

Town & Country · Oct 2, 2004

LTC........never again.