Nursing Home Nurses: How many patients are you respsible for?

anndoodle · Sep 24, 2004

I work 11-7 in LTC, and I usually have around 40-45 residents to care for, which includes all the meds, treatments, feedings, and dressings....plus helping out the cna's because we are always short-staffed. However....there have been occasions where I have been left from 3am to 5 or 6 am as the ONLY nurse in the building, in charge of approximately 80+ residents. I have told them I will not do this anymore and specifically talked with our DON concerning this. And would you believe, I was stuck last night AGAIN alone in the building because our RN on call didn't want to "have to come in" at 3am. She did come in at 4am, but by that time I had already put my resignation under the DON's door. Someone left a note on my front door asking me to call the admin., he "just heard about all this, and doesn't want to lose a good nurse over all this NONSENSE"...... if you ask me, it's not nonsense! It's MY license!!!!!!

Almost forgot - I have 8 peg tubes on my station alone, 14 medicare residents + charting behaviors and I&A's. Front station has 7 peg tubes. Frankly, I do not feel capable to take care of all these residents at once, wether for 1 hour or 4 hours!!!!:angryfire

IDlvrM · Sep 24, 2004

I have 24-26 Residents-I pass meds, do treatments, chart, medicare charting on 12 of the 24-26 act as 1 of 2 supervisors, answer phones, answer fax labs and DO's that come in on my shift (2-10p, I've never left before 2330, though) I have 3 tube feeders, 2 of whom are bolus fed twice on my shift. We have no Charge nurse and the house receptionist goes home at 1700. I make $22/hr so I figure I make $1 /hr for each resident I care for (that's supposed to be funny) and I love every minute of it. I worked L&D at a large hospital and made $15/hr for 8yrs. I love LTC.

Danielle

TMoscatelli · Sep 24, 2004

I have 56 residents,I pass meds,do txs,chart,answer phones,take off DO and help CNAs-I have 4 CNAs on my floor

anndoodle · Sep 24, 2004

I have 24-26 Residents-I pass meds, do treatments, chart, medicare charting on 12 of the 24-26 act as 1 of 2 supervisors, answer phones, answer fax labs and DO's that come in on my shift (2-10p, I've never left before 2330, though) I have 3 tube feeders, 2 of whom are bolus fed twice on my shift. We have no Charge nurse and the house receptionist goes home at 1700. I make $22/hr so I figure I make $1 /hr for each resident I care for (that's supposed to be funny) and I love every minute of it. I worked L&D at a large hospital and made $15/hr for 8yrs. I love LTC.
Danielle

Danielle: Please tell me where you work....I'm ready to move to your facility! I put in my resignation night before last, and am looking for new employment. Are you an LPN or RN? $22 is only a dream for me!

IDlvrM · Sep 26, 2004

ANNDOODLE...LOL!!!! Yes, come work with me! I am an LPN in Washington state Tacoma/Seattle area. I have worked acute care for 8 yrs and just started in LTC. It sounds like, from all the other posts, that I have a pretty good thing going here. I really do like where I work. I have always worked L&D in the past and made almost 20% less than I do at my facility! You SHOULD move here!

Danielle

Blackcat99 · Sep 26, 2004

:) I work noc shift at the LTC and I am the only nurse LPN for 40-45 patients usually. I have 2 CNA's. However, last week a nurse called in sick and I ended up with 61 patients.

In the old day's 1980's I was the only nurse on duty LPN for night shift for a 99 bed facility that had lots and lots of g-tube and NG tubes. :crying2:

anndoodle · Sep 26, 2004

Well, I made contact with someone from "higher up" in the chain of the state rules & regulations. According to Federal Law, the nursing home only has to employ 1 LPN on the night shift for every 80 residents. However, if there's more than 80, like the other night when I had 85 residents, the law states that the facility has to employ 2 LPNs for that shift. Otherwise, they (the OLTC) are not going to be very happy.

Blackcat99 · Sep 26, 2004

Well, I made contact with someone from "higher up" in the chain of the state rules & regulations. According to Federal Law, the nursing home only has to employ 1 LPN on the night shift for every 80 residents. However, if there's more than 80, like the other night when I had 85 residents, the law states that the facility has to employ 2 LPNs for that shift. Otherwise, they (the OLTC) are not going to be very happy.

Good grief!!! You got stuck with 85 residents! Unbelievable! I will definately stay out of the state of Arkansas if they legally only have to have 1 LPN for 80 residents! Yes I'm glad to hear that you are thinking of moving away. Since you are quitting that job perhaps you can notify the state after you leave and let them know how you got stuck with 85 residents. Best of luck to you at your next job.

Kandee Roses · Sep 26, 2004

hi there, where i work i have 45 pts. and a supervisor. i do all the tx's and meds + all paperwork and charting.

about the same here. i usually have anywhere between 35 to 45 patients. i also do all the treatments, meds, and charting. also now we have to go through all the cnas charts to make sure they are filling out all the required information on the patients (bm, percent of food intake i&o). plus on top of that, we have to go through the mar and treatment book to make sure the nurse on the shift before us filled everything in. i'm an extra hour now staying over to finish.