patient/license safety

[MollNick]

I work in an acute care psych unit of 30 beds. The ratio averages 10-15:1. Being the charge nurse, I have always split the pts with the other nurse so that more time can be spent with our pts and the charting can be more thorough. When working with an LVN or an RN, the patients are split. The interim DON just told everybody last week that LVN's are no longer allowed to chart on patients, that all they can do is give meds. The rumor is that the DON got permission from Medicare (CMS) who was just there and the CEO to implement this new rule. We do not understand why and are not happy about this. We think our licenses could be compromised since it can be difficult enough to be charting/giving meds for 15 pts especially when there are pts disrupting the unit but charting on 30 is ridiculous and unsafe. A nurse giving meds to 30 pts is too much as well. We don't know what we can do about it if anything can be done at all. Or, maybe we are just overreacting. The other charge nurse and myself are afraid that if we challenge, we will be fired since the DON and CEO just fired 2 nurses last week. I've been looking for another job but haven't found anything I like well enough to quit. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Nursenary]

I work at Fitz in Philly , My one coworker was killed and another was wounded , Psych can be very dangerous we are alway's under staff