momrn50

Be honest now...how many LTC nurses out there pre-pour their meds??? You know that anything you can do to save a little time helps. I am 1-11 nurse with 42 residents, 3 CNA's and a 3-9 float who does treatments. I am responsible for all meds, MD calls, paperwork...just about everything else...I love my job and I love my residents, but there is just not enough time to do things by the books.

The facility I work at has about 10 MD's for the 42 residents on our floor. About half of them have no problem with nurses ordering UA's, X-rays, some labs. The other half have to be notified for everything even down to a single tylenol for a headache. We respect their wishes and we all get along just fine. LTC MD's seem to understand that we don't want to bother them with things that need done. Illegal?? More than likely, but that's the way it is.

Just wondering if anyone out there knows if there is a maximum number of patients that one nurse can care for. Am working LTC in West Virginia and due to opening of a new wing at our facility, I will have 37 residents to care for along with 3 CNA's. Before this I had 20 but had 5 CNA's and another nurse for the whole floor 44 total residents. Also, the DON has decided that when the nurse goes for her half hour lunch break, that the head CNA is to watch the floor and call the nurse if anything happens. Seems to me that leaving your residents to a CNA may not be legal. Sad thing is that this place was a joy to work for, but now the nursing staff is running scared . Worst case scenario, flu season, high temps, diarrhea, etc. doctor in to do rounds, resident on the floor, fax machine barfing out new orders...you know how it gets sometimes...all this to do on top of passing medication and doing treatments for 37 residents..how is it possible??? Of course we have RN supervisors who are totally upset because they have to do care plans and MDS's now..so don't look for any help from them...anyone have any words of wisdom???? Have to work...need the money, but I just don't know how anyone thinks this will work and the residents will get the care they need and deserve. thanks!

Hi all...just a few questions for anyone who knows about pacemakers...I work long term care and have seen them on several of our residents, but low and behold, after passing out several times and having numerous tests run, I was diagnosed with sick sinus syndrome...went in for ablation and woke up with pacemaker (knew it was possible) Have to be off work for 1 month, which I can't afford, bled a LOT in recovery room so my whole left side is purple and I have a lovely hematoma at my pacer site...so will have to go back into hospital to have it drained...how common is this??? I do feel a lot better now, not as tired as before, but these complications have me worried...I was going to post this on the cardiac forum, but thought I'd try it here first..anybody out there got a minute to reply??? Something very scary about you heart running on batteries for the rest of your life...Thanks :rotfl:

Little old lady at a LTC facility i worked for, precious little thing, kept telling us her husband was coming after her. He had died about 3 years before. I went to check on her one night and she was looking up at the ceiling with a big smile on her face. I asked her what she was looking at and she said, "It's my John, he's come after me." I looked up and there was a ball of white light hovering above her bed. I looked back down and she was gone, very peacefully, and the light slowly faded away.... also, had a lady who rearranged the chairs in the dining rooms 2 months after she passed away. She had done it everyday when she was alive, and didn't stop after she passed...very comforting in a way and not scary at all.

Also work in LTC, had a lady who was constantly on the light for nothing, racial and sexual slurs, went limp on transfers and told the CNA's, "I hope you break your back." Threw things into her roommates bed, on the floor , on the walls. Bit, hit, scratched...you get the picture. Well PCP gave us a psych consult, and the lady was put on Ativan 0.5 mg PRN...that didn't work, so the social services ladies made up a chart and if this lady didn't have a "behavior" on your shift she was supposed to get a star on her chart...well....stupid idea, it just made things worse, so anyway one day after calling the CNA's C---S-----s and the nurses and the visitors, screaming out in the hall that "Someone better get in here and empty my bedpan, or are you all too busy sucking c--k" the administration was called in. The administrator went into the room to talk to this lady and got called a c---s----r, too. Guess what??? She was moved the next day. So after all the abuse to residents, staff and visitors, many complaints, all it took was for one of the higher-ups to get called a nasty name....doewn't make sense does it??? At least the floor is a calmer, quieter place to work now.

Once again I found myself doing CPR on a 90 year old woman whose family wanted mother kept alive "no matter what". The poor lady had advanced Alzheimer's, didn't respond to verbal, basically just sat in her chair and slept. The MD had talked to the family several times about her code status,but there was no changing their minds. So, the little lady arrests, and we had no choice but to try to bring her back. How undignified that this little lady had to have this done! She was pronounced in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Family is upset that maybe not enough was done for mother..... please tell me what more can be done???? Have been in LTC for 10 years and every time this happens it upsets me beyond words. Thanks for letting me vent...

I worked at a LTC facility that had an elderly married couple as residents. Mr. T was 88, Mrs. T was 86. It was common knowledge that you did not go into their room between 2:30 and 3:00 in the afternoon. That was just fine with me, but at 3:05, their call light would go on and you'd have to go help Mrs. T off the floor, while Mr. T leaned back on the bed with a very satisfied look on his face. Seems she could get down on her knees, but just couldn't get up by herself. God bless those two!!! They ended up passing away within 3 days of each other. I have never seen a more devoted couple and the sex??? So what!!! How wonderful to still feel that way in your 80's. :chuckle

Melt downs?? You bet!!! Most recent one, 3 admissions and a transfer from another floor, 5 deaths in 4 days, 2 irate family members who want to know what happened to mother's pink nightgown, an MD who wouldn't talk to a certain nurse, but waited till she was gone to give orders on an admit on her shift, a supervisor who doesn't help, and a narcotics theft...all in one wonder ful day...melt down???? Of course, then you just jump back in....hard old job isn"t it???

the facility I work for has recently started Edenizing...we have 4 totally annoying birds and a cat that about half our residents claim they're allergic to...also one family called in state to investigate the cat....sounds like the Eden people are old hippies (I'm one myself) who have lost sight of what our job entails...I love animals as much as the next person, but not when you're told you have to clean out the litter box at the end of the shift and you find fortified cat milk in the med fridge next to the novasource..get real people!!!!

I work steady 3-11 in a LTC facility. Just noticed that the 1st of the month, all the dayturn treatments were put on afternoon turn along with all the 11-7 catheter changes. When I asked the DON why this was done, she said it was because dayturn was too busy and midnight shift didn't have time. Well, HELLO...what about afternoon turn? We do the exact things that dayturn does except in reverse along with the added pressure of more family members, MD's that aren't in their offices and pharmacy that doesn't answer after hour calls....very frustrating...any thoughts, ideas, solutions???

I work almost eveyday with a wonderful nurse who is 73...she is much better and a lot more fun than some of the younger nurses I work with...in fact she is going white water rafting with her grandson this summer...

Does anyone else out there in LTC use Bag Balm in their facilities? Just wondering because we use it but on the can it says for animal use only. It does work on red areas, and we get it from the pharmacy, so I suppose its OK... Let me know if you do or don't...I'd feel much better with a little input...Thanks!

Have had chunks of hair pulled out, a black eye, a busted lip, grabbed from behind in a choke hold, kicked, scratched , bitten, gummed....reports filled out on all incidents, nothing done by administration because they couldn't afford to lose any residents. I don't work there anymore.

Always read the obits first...just have to to check on former patients. I do attend funerals for my people, but mostly for their families....hard not to get attached.