Not me!

[Town & Country]

OMG. Last night at work was the worst night I've had there since I started.

From twelve midnight until five am, I was THE ONLY NURSE IN THE PLACE.

Not even a MED TECH.

OMG, I got so mad.

I called a nursing agency, but of course who's going to come out at midnight?

They overstaff the dayshift and leave nothing at night. This was the FIRST time I have ever been there without another nurse and it's going to be the LAST.

It isn't safe.

There are at LEAST sixty residents.

I told them this morning that, if they didn't get or find SOMEBODY (another nurse, be it LPN or RN) to work third shift w/me, that I WOULD NOT BE IN.

Then at 2:30 pm, this smarmy LPN called here and said I needed to make up my mind "because a no-call, no-show" wouldn't look good ON MY LICENSE!

How DARE she threaten me like that!

In the first damned place, that has nothing to do with your nursing license.

I could walk off jobs from here to eternity and it wouldn't affect my license.

But the very idea.

Instead of waiting to work with me tonight, when she already KNEW we would be short, she works today, then calls me and runs out of the bldg. before I could return her call!

As soon as I got it (on Callwave), I called work and the woman had already left, so I called her house and left a message FOR HER.

Then I called work AGAIN and told them what she had done, and they said "well, we still haven't found anybody."

They had 3 nurses on days and at least 3 med techs; then expect ME to do the whole house by myself after midnight ~ I DON'T THINK SO!

So I said, "Okay, then if and or until you all find somebody to work with me tonight, I AM DEATHLY ILL AND WILL NOT BE IN."

They don't EVEN need to think they are going to pull that stuff on me ~ not for one second.

They just recently dropped all the insurance ~ I was planning to get THAT, except now you can't even get insurance there!

Sometimes I wonder if I wouldn't be better off NOT working! HAHAHAHA!

My fiance is supposed to work this week, though, and I get my check Friday.

I am going to start looking around elsewhere if they are going to try to make me work alone; I won't do it. It isn't safe ~ not to mention fair.

I mean, putting "fairness" aside; it isn't safe for the residents.

They need at least an RN and an LPN there, around the clock, and hopefully a med tech.

They don't even need to start that stuff with me; I've been a nurse too long to take it. I WON'T.

>

[AussieAIN]

I work in a 25 bed facility and there is a RN and a AIN (nursing assistant) there a all times minimum.

I fully support you in any decision you make.

[jschut, BSN, RN]

Shazam~

When I was a brand new nurse, I was left to work 7p-7a ALONE with 64 residents. I know how you feel.

I called the Board of Health who told me it was perfectly legal, and I needed my job, so I coped.

But I understand, and won't do it again.

[Town & Country]

shazam~

when i was a brand new nurse, i was left to work 7p-7a alone with 64 residents. i know how you feel.

i called the board of health who told me it was perfectly legal, and i needed my job, so i coped.

but i understand, and won't do it again

i need a job, too, but i also need to keep my nursing license.

i shudder to think what would have happened if i had taken this on and had multiple crises....the blame always, always falls on the nurse: "well, if you knew the assignment was dangerous, why did you take it?

i am too afraid of "something" happening; not to mention the fact that it's not fair to the residents!

it's not like management could afford (ka-ching!!!) another nurse or two..........!

[Rapheal]

Interestingly I just read a quote from President Bush in an associated press article where he states he will not require mandatory nurse-patient ratios in LTC because it will increase medicare and medicaid spending. It is too bad our society places so little concern on the sick and the elderly. Another reason nursing is tough- and no remedy in sight.

[CCU NRS]

Are you saying you are there completly alone? I mean there is no one else in the building? Is this LTC or a Hospital or what? Number one I don't believe by law you can be left alone because BLS and ACLS require two people one the call for help and the other to begin intervention this is a bare minimum. If they want you to be anywhere without at least one other person this is illegal I believe. I would suggest as much to the Manager and explain that until they hire someone else to be there that you expect the manager to take the responsibility or otherwise you may have to inform the AMA or who ever regulates these things in fact I would start buy finding out who does regulate such things. But I would call JCAHO if this is an accredited facility and just ask a few questions. If they recieve any payment from Medi-Care/ Medicaid they must be JCAHO and they would be very interested.

[jschut, BSN, RN]

It was LTC, and after hs meds were passed (I had one hall and another nurse had the other), the other nurse would go home, leaving me there til 6a with only 2 (sometimes 1) CNA. So, 2 (sometimes 3) for 64 people for 9 hours.

Talk about scared? Yea, I was. Especially since I hadn't even been a nurse for 6 months yet!

[Catsrule16, RN]

Does your state have staffing requirements? Every time I worked in a situation where I didn't have enough CNAs or enough Nurses to meet the minimum staffing requirements, I reported my facility to the Certification and Licensure Agencies. I also kept a signature page of everyone that was there with me when I did work that way. I also reported my facility to the state Board of Nursing for placing me at risk for problems. If I was going down for something I did wrong while in that situation, I was not going to be the only one.

[Catsrule16, RN]

If they recieve any payment from Medi-Care/ Medicaid they must be JCAHO and they would be very interested.

LTC is not regulated by JCAHO. CMS contracts with each state to survey healthcare facilities. A LTC facility can be certified to receive Medicare/Medicaid funding without being JCAHO accredited. JCAHO Accreditation for LTC facilites are good fro marketing purposes but not required.

[CCU NRS]

That is terribly scary news! It is no wonder they are getting away with the horrors that we all hear about. I was not aware that LTC did not have to subumit to JCAHO.

[Town & Country]

Does your state have staffing requirements?

The only concrete requirement, spelled out in black and white, I've been able to find is that there must be an RN there 8 hours out of 24.

The rest is your generic "nurses must be able to fulfill patients needs in a safe manner", blah..blah...blah.....conveniently VAGUE.

I reported the nursing home to the Ombudsman, or whatever it is. No, it was JHACO.

I hope and pray they come a bustin' in there and interrogate the (censored!) out of them!

[graysonret]

Too dangerous a place to work. All it would take is one serious injury/death, and your license is cooked. A lawyer would have a field day with you, in court. And, I would guarantee the facility would find some way to throw you 'to the wolves". It's a reality of life these days. Around here, lots of places are begging for nurses. I'd be long gone from your facility. My license comes first...facility last. I wonder how the patients are doing? Got to be tough. Level of care can't be good, no matter how fast you move.