LTC nursing and the lpn

duckie · May 17, 2001

I am a LTC nurse also and I have been full time charge on the same unit for nearly six years. I don't know if this will help at all but what I did was to divide our unit in half. I am charge but I also work half the hall, as well as handling admits, orders, discharges, emergencies, you know, all the extra stuff. You must remember that being in charge only means that you are the organizer that finds the most efficient way to get everything done in the allowed amount of time.( oh yea, we also get blamed if things go wrong! smile) This often means that changes must occur. By dividing the hall, you will be able to spend more time with each resident and while you are passing meds, you can do a visual assessment for any changes that may have occurred. Remember the person on the other end is a nurse and she can just as easliy handle her end as you can, so cut the work load in half and ease the stress some. I always work the most critical end on my unit. That gives me more time available to assess residents and give the extra one on one that their needs require. If the nurse on the other end has a concern, she comes to me and I assist her in handling it but as I said, she is a nurse and can handle most things on her own. Your facility would have to be willing to provide 2 med carts to the unit but for our facility it has benefited greatly, by keeping the med passes in compliance and also by letting the nurses have more time with each resident. I will admit that it does get hectic at times working an end and being charge but the nights go faster and I get a lot of quality time with the residents that need it most. Just a thought and I wish you luck but don't give up and like you said, organization is the key. I have always said, if I can organize it, I can master it!

pamclpn · May 22, 2001

Originally posted by Duckie:
I am a LTC nurse also and I have been full time charge on the same unit for nearly six years. I don't know if this will help at all but what I did was to divide our unit in half. I am charge but I also work half the hall, as well as handling admits, orders, discharges, emergencies, you know, all the extra stuff. You must remember that being in charge only means that you are the organizer that finds the most efficient way to get everything done in the allowed amount of time.( oh yea, we also get blamed if things go wrong! smile) This often means that changes must occur. By dividing the hall, you will be able to spend more time with each resident and while you are passing meds, you can do a visual assessment for any changes that may have occurred. Remember the person on the other end is a nurse and she can just as easliy handle her end as you can, so cut the work load in half and ease the stress some. I always work the most critical end on my unit. That gives me more time available to assess residents and give the extra one on one that their needs require. If the nurse on the other end has a concern, she comes to me and I assist her in handling it but as I said, she is a nurse and can handle most things on her own. Your facility would have to be willing to provide 2 med carts to the unit but for our facility it has benefited greatly, by keeping the med passes in compliance and also by letting the nurses have more time with each resident. I will admit that it does get hectic at times working an end and being charge but the nights go faster and I get a lot of quality time with the residents that need it most. Just a thought and I wish you luck but don't give up and like you said, organization is the key. I have always said, if I can organize it, I can master it!

I don't have the athority to split the med cart!!! We did have 2 carts at one time but due to low census but they scrapped that. We just can't get it across that to do our jobs effectively and accurately as possible that we need more help even if that means the D.O.N has to pass meds. HA HA. Thanks for your input.

snazzle · May 28, 2001

I understand all that you are going through. I am also an LPN in a 150 bed LTC facility. I am the charge nurse over a 54 bed sub-acute/rehab unit, because of the acuity level of the patients, I along with 2 other nurses are assigned an equal number of patients. There are 6 CNAs working along with us. In the state of SC, LPNs apparently do alot more than in other states. I am IV & CVI certified. I cannot insert a central line, but I monitor the site and change the dressings. I can insert an IV, draw blood, do trach care & suctioning, insert N-G tubes, do admissions & discharges, etc. I work M-F, and is suppose to be working an 8 hour shift. I still have alot of my charge nurse duties to perform, and I'm expected to know the medical history of all the pts on the unit. I also have applied to school to obtain my BSN. I am to start this fall, hopefully my fiances will be straight and I can go full-time.