i have a question about SNF/LTC's. I am a new grad. I applied for a nursing home in pomona, ca. i accepted the job as an RN and the mistake which i made was i didnt even ask how many RN patient ratio. or what my title would be.
I just came from an orientation today and i just found out that that facility only has 1 RN per shift without a DON! and that 1 RN is assisgned to 4 nursing stations! with 200++ patients.and my title would be an RN supervisor. although there are LVNs. Honestly i overwhelmed and didnt know what i got into. I dont know what ill do during my shift because tomorrow ill be the only RN at night shift.
I was only oriented for 2 days and the RN that oriented me today was the last orienatation ill have with an RN.
Also, i told the guy that hired me that i dont have a certification for IV and would not insert IV's.
is that normal to have only 1 RN supervisior or just 1 RN for the whole facility???
Im thinking of quiting because i dont i can handle 4 nursing stations and being an RN supervisor and just being a new grad RN.
If you dont feel comfortable, you have an obligation to consult with the DON and tell her,
Is the DON on call at night so you can call her with any problems?
Is the staff helpful?
Is a certificate for IV's mandatory for the job, if this was a problem, the DON should have brought it up, I wuld guess it isn't a problem or they will teach u..
Personally I have done 8 units or 320 pts on a night shift, never liked it but I had great LPN's on each unit, I just made sure to keep doing rounds and keeping them awake!!
Good luck whatever you decide!!
the problem is.. we dont have a DON. imagine? its been i guess more than a month now. i am the only RN in the building and if a problem arises the license that is in jepordy is mine.
the problem is.. we dont have a DON. imagine? its been i guess more than a month now. i am the only RN in the building and if a problem arises the license that is in jepordy is mine.
Is there no RN on the morning shift??? No one you can call with question s and problems?
Specializes in Med Surg, Telemetry, Long Term Care.
Just recently got hired at country villa wilshire.It has 80 bed capacity,76 patients and 2 stations. We were already orriented by the staff developer( watching a lot of videos.hehe). The 21 day orrientation is now starting.Im glad that our DON and RN supervisor is there to assist us.And if we're not doing anything,We're helping the charge nurse LVN to pass meds so could be able to know the patients personally.
Wow, sounds like everyone is freaking out in here. It is the standard in Illinois to have 1RN in the building and usually the rest are LPN's. What that means for you, you will find out from your job description (which I assume and hope that they gave you in your orientation). As a new grad, I would have a frank discussion with your DON (with the ADON present if possible). In this, I would make your reservations clear to them that you are nervous and request that you be given the (sorry folks for the next part but for lack of better wording, here goes) 'easiest' assignment. In that way, you should be open to other things should you be needed. This may not be possible if you have medicare residents as you will be expected to care for them in order for the facility to get reimbursement.
As for the rest of the staff being LPN's, they are quite self-sufficient and capable. You will not be walking around and monitoring them at all times. This is just a preposterous thought. I would make it a habit to check in with each unit. You may be expected to ensure that all staff arrived and if not, take appropriate action. You will get these duties defined by your DON.
I would make sure that your DON/ADON/House Supervisor (usually they take turns taking call) will be available to you during your shift by telephone whenever you need it. It may be more often at first, but once you become more comfortable, it won't really be necessary unless there is some emergency. My first experience in a LTC facility had me as the only RN in the building with only hospital experience in the tele unit with a max of 5 patients. I also freaked out. The worse that happened about 1 month into this job is that there was a tornado and the roof fell in...right over the nurses station!!!!
My ADON was the best that I ever had. She new I was new at 'managing' so many others and made a point to call me every am at %am to check in an give me advice if needed. This saved me from having to call her and I felt more assured just knowing that she would be calling and that if it couldn't wait, I could call her for direction.
Since you are an RN, you DO NOT need IV certification in order to perform IV therapy, since this was covered during your nursing program. IV therapy is automatically included within the scope of practice of all RNs.
I am an LVN, and I had to take an IV certification class since IV therapy is not automatically included in my scope of practice.
This is certainly not true in my location. At both facilities I've worked at a nurse is not allowed to touch an IV (start one or maintain a line or hang a med) until they are IV certified through our IV pharmacy. And IVs were a part of the curriculum in my LPN program.
vI think the LVNs will try to take advantage of you (bc they've been there for so long I mean) v
I'm an LPN at a SNF and believe it or not, I don't sit around looking for RNs to take advantage of or screw over. I conduct myself in a professional manner and have a great cooperative relationship with my RN supervisors that is based on mutual respect.
I don't think it is wise to put a brand new nurse in charge of a whole building of nurses. I believe that is asking for trouble. You should work in a nursing home as a floor nurse for awhile. Even with years of experience in the nursing home setting, I sometimes feel (as an RN supervisor) like some situations are over my head. Also, it doesn't take long for the wheels to fall off when things start going wrong. I believe this job will overwhelm you and I'm afraid you will burn out quickly.
I think any nurse that's going to be a supervisor at a SNF should have, at minimum, enough experience that their assessment skills are excellent. This is vital to the job. I honestly think an RN supervisor in SNF should have at least a year or two of acute care experience, if not more.
You will be the person everyone will go to with any problems, from a patient going bad, to a natural disaster or maintenance issue, to staffing problems (people not showing up, CNAs fighting, charges of abuse or neglect, etc.). You are expected to be that resource person that has the answer for the problems everyone else can't figure out or deal with on their own. It takes a certain amount of experience and confidence to be able to handle all the situations that might come up.
I'm also automatically suspcious of any facility that would hire a brand new grad as a supervisor.
When I was an RN supervisor in a nursing home, I was not "supposed" to have a pt load, but because of constant LPN and med tech call ins, I had a full pt load daily, plus all my supervisor duties and paperwork.
I'd get pulled to the floor every day- then at the end of the month, admin would b*tch me out because I hadn't gotten the monthly summaries done.
Mochafrap_RN
126 Posts
the problem is.. we dont have a DON. imagine? its been i guess more than a month now. i am the only RN in the building and if a problem arises the license that is in jepordy is mine.