Not enough time

[Eph]

I work at a nursing home as needed and the unit I work at for many months has become very heavy especially the side I am assigned to most of the time. Med passes and treatments are too much to get done in a eight hour shift. Many meds are missing or not oordred. I end up going to the Pixis often to get what my patients need. I never get my break to sit down and eat and if I try to I can't or things do not get done. I end up staying after my shift and I feel burnt out. Do I resign or talk to someone at my job? who should I speak to?

[JKL33]

I first wrote resign, but then since you mention a particular problem, maybe worth suggesting a change (improved process, etc.). If this job has some redeeming qualities maybe take a month to see if the medication ordering process can be straightened out. If the problem seems to simply be people who don't care, that's not good and it would be reasonable to just look for a different position.

If you were going to talk to someone, that would probably be your DON? But don't bother just stating that you can't get the work done. They don't care about that. Come up with a basic understanding of what seems to be the problem with meds not being available (ex. nurses not doing the proper process when they know it's time to reorder) and suggest some changes.

[Katie82, RN]

You write as if you feel responsible for not having time to do it all. I would suspect the problem may be with staffing, and you simply cannot do it all. How many licensed nurses on your floor? Support staff? Staffing in nursing homes is a major problem, and not one with a simple solution. Many nursing homes are For-Profit, which means adding staff cuts into their profit. I agree that you should speak to someone, but rather than simply complaining, suggest solutions. Go armed with detailed problem list and a suggestion for each. You will not only get attention for a "different" approach, but gain recognition as a problem solver. Keeping in mind that money often trumps concern for patient care in these entities, expect change, if any, to be slow. Have a little sympathy for your DON, she is a nurse and probably cares about her patients and staff. But she is under a lot of pressure to perform too.

[Eph]

The nursing job I have is not getting any better. There is no cooperation between CNAs and nursing staff. Some CNAs have spoken back to me in an very rude manner. This sometimes occurred if I ask for a little bit of help finding a resident. The meds are still not being ordered in time and I have to go to the Pixis especially for narcotics. Other regular meds have to be hunted down. I do love my job and I arrive early before my shift begins to try to get ahead of things. How much can I speak to someone about this but not be labeled a trouble maker.