POLL LTC Nurses... please answer

Kittypower123, BSN, RN · Aug 31, 2012

Inadequate staffing

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Aug 31, 2012

I'll go farther...no staffing regulations that can lead to inadequate staffing. I don't know of a law or mandate for LTC for any real staffing ratios. I would love to see it be acuity based.

retention is another issue in LTC

poor heathcare benefits for the workers

no real career ladder like in the acute setting.

making do with less. Less medicare and insurance coverage trickles down to the residents. We no longer carry pull up depends...cost too much to have both types.

Kittypower123, BSN, RN · Sep 1, 2012

Also - inappropriate residents for the facility. At our facility we are in NO way set up to deal with residents trying to get outside. The front door is unlocked 24/7 and we have no alarm on the door or wander-guards on the residents. Despite this, we regularly accept residents with known elopement issues. I have nothing against these residents, but they need to be in an appropriate facility for their issues.

amoLucia · Sep 2, 2012

Staff development/training for ALL staff but esp nsg.

Am talking about adequate and realistic ORIENTATION for new staff and on-going informational education (ie better 'how to' training). Make training avail to all shifts at convenient times and for weekenders and repeat to reach all.

Avoid lthe MANDATORY STAFF MEETINGS that are just manglement gripe sessions.

And don't just dump on the supervisors to do the off shifts. That's what Staff Den/Inservice nurses job is to do.

I could go on & on.

Dragonmom · Sep 6, 2012

Staff to patient ratio regulations: currently there are no regulations as to the amount of time to care based on the resident's needs. So you can have 15-20 residents who are very independent and can be handled by one nurse and one aid on a day shift, but it can often be 15-20 residents with advanced dementia and elopment issues who need more one-on-one but still only receive care from one nurse and one aid, if you're lucky.

The myth that nurses make NO mistakes, and those that do face being fired and loosing their license. It doesn't matter if the company doesn't make sure there are enough supplies, enough staff, or enough time to do treatments and chart, or if the doc scripts for inappropriate medications (the nurse had better catch it), problems and factors that can lead to the errors are not figured into the calculation and it all falls on the head of the nurse.

DONs who are clueless, that have never worked the floor or it's been so long since they have been on the floor that they don't remember what it was like or when they were last on the floor they had better patient/staff ratios. It a dream world, DONs would work the floor once a month to know what it is like, keep their skills up, and get a dose of reality.

There are many issues with LTC as it stands now, but I won't go on.

Good luck with your speech.

ellen 12 · Sep 15, 2012

Timely application of palliative care.

Recognising commencement of dying process.

Autonomy of patients in aged care hospitals.

nutty netty · Sep 15, 2012

I would check out the rcw's-wac's for nursing homes, you could get a lot of ideas from those.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Sep 15, 2012

1. Abusive visitors / unrealistic family members

2. Short staffing

3. Wide variance in new hire training / orientation length

Spring_Peeper · Sep 16, 2012

Is there a deadline for responses to your poll?

High on the list should be better compensation for nursing assistants.

HurricaneCasRN · Sep 18, 2012

Bad DONs.

Short staffing (caused by bad DONs)

Inappropriate residents (supported by bad DONs)

Kittypower123, BSN, RN · Sep 18, 2012

Short staffing (caused by bad DONs)
Inappropriate residents (supported by bad DONs)

Sometimes it's the administrator not the DON.